Methodist Church of Canada
Azabu was founded by Soroku Ebara, a Japanese educator in the transitional period of Japan, in 1895. He had been President of the Toyo Eiwa School since 1893. Toyo Eiwa was affiliated with the Methodist Church of Canada and due to the rise of nationalism in Japan, the school was suffering from a low enrolment. Azabu was founded by Soroku who decided that the new school should not have religious affiliations.