Church of the Messiah, Jesus Christ

The **Church of the Messiah, Jesus Christ** (救世主イエス・キリストの教会 *Kyūseishu iesu Kirisuto no kyōkai*), abbreviated as the **CMJC** and sometimes called the **Church of the Messiah**, is a Christian new religious movement with over two million adherents, primarily in East Asia. It was founded in 1935 by Tamura Hideyuki (田村英之) after he claimed to have discovered in 1935 the tomb of Jesus Christ in Shingo, Aomori, along with the Takenouchi manuscript supposedly proving this. It is the largest denomination of the Takenouchiite Movement.

After discovering the supposed tomb of Christ and its proof, Tamura preached to villagers across Tokkaido and amassed a great following before Japanese authorities began a crackdown on the religion. Tamura spent the following years transcribing the original Takenouchi manuscript in case it got destroyed, as well as attempting to explain inconsistencies between the Bible proper and the Takenouchi manuscript, and to create doctrine based on both. The original manuscript was destroyed in a fire during World War 2, but Tamura's facsimile remained; after the war he began to preach again and restored his following, and even expanded it to greater numbers. The beginning of the Japanese Civil War stopped this again, and Tamura and many of his followers fled to Shunreng where he formally established the Church of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. After his death the church was led by a series of World Emperors.

The CMJC is headed by a World Emperor, whom they believe is the rightful sovereign of the entire world, but grants actual control to other leaders, based on statements in the Takenouchi manuscript. This is often compared to a liege and his vassals, or the role of the Pope for Catholics or Patriarch for adherents of Orthodoxy. Adherents are tasked to be faithful to God and to have a "pure" human spirit, but also to have happiness in life. Sacraments include baptism, the Eucharist, and *misogi* - ritual purification based on Shinto practices - all of which are both considered to bring one closer to God and to purify the spirit. Donation to the church is encouraged but not required for membership. Its canon and doctrine are based on the Chronicles of the Savior, shared by all Takenouchiite churches, though with the addition of part of the Chronicles of the Evangelism of Christ (specifically it is augmented by another apocrypha, Further Accounts of Daitenku Taro Jurai), and the Chronicles of the Modern Church and Its Doctrine (which is usually substituted or dropped in other churches).

The CMJC has been variously classified as Christian syncretism with Shintoism, a Restorationist church, and a cult. Its claims on the history of mankind are refuted by archeological, scientific, and historical evidence, which the modern church struggles to reconcile with. Nevertheless, it is gaining popularity especially Shunreng, Daitan, Atsu, and Wolha; however, it is banned in the People's Republic of Japan due to historical anti-Western sentiment (remaining banned even after the blanket ban on Christianity was lifted in 1982). Its growth has led to increased calls for ecumenism with other churches.

## Beliefs

### Canon

The Church of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, believes in the Chronicles of the Messiah as its canon. It is made up of the Chronicles of Authentic History (正史の書紀 *Seishi no shoki*, shortened to Authentic History), the Chronicles of the Evangelism of Christ (キリストの宣教の書紀 *Kirisuto no senkyō no shoki*, shortened to Evangelism), and the Chronicles of the Modern Church and Its Doctrine (現代教会とその教義の書紀 *Gendai kyōkai to sono kyōgi no shoki*, shortened to Church and Doctrine). The first book is made up of much of the Takenouchi manuscript as well as portions of the Old Testament. The second is made up of other parts of the Takenouchi manuscript, the four Gospels of the New Testament, and the Further Accounts of Daitenku Taro Jurai. The third is comprised of writings, exegesis, and revelations of Tamura Hideyuki. While the Authentic History is wholly shared with other Takenouchiite churches, the portions of the Evangelism from the Further Accounts are rejected by the other churches, as well the entirety of the Church and Doctrine.

### Practices

The Church of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, believes in th

### Structure

The Church is led by a World Emperor, whom is considered to be the rightful sovereign of the world but simultaneously has the obligation to delegate actual control to secular leaders. This duty is carried out by a ceremony done every January 1st wherein the World Emperor simultaneously blesses all current heads of state and government (their presence is deemed not necessary due to practical reasons, and often none attend, except for the President of Wolha due to the country's relatively large CMJC population).

## References

Read these

* https://web.archive.org/web/20060825022848/http://metropolis.co.jp/tokyotravel/tokyojapantravel/3523/tokyojapantravelinc.htm
* https://www.japanese-wiki-corpus.org/literature/Takeuchi%20Monjo.html
* https://culturacolectiva.com/history/legend-jesus-christ-in-japan-daitenku-taro-jurai-shingo/
* https://www.nippon.com/en/japan-topics/g00658/keeping-the-faith-christ%E2%80%99s-tomb-in-aomori-and-japanese-religion.html
* https://www.ancient-origins.net/human-origins-folklore/takenouchi-manuscripts-and-story-humanity-never-told-001860