Quakerism in Japan: 1885-1943 - Church Union and After
Quakerism in Japan: 1885-1943 - Church Union and After
CHURCH UNION AND AFTER
In 1936 Japan Yearly Meeting celebrated the Fiftieth Anniversary of Quaker work in Japan. Fraternal delegates came from Philadelphia to share in the occasion, and it was a feast of good-will and hope. Whatever the subsequent developments, it was a bright spot in the memories of all concerned. But the international sky was already dark, and the storm broke the next year,--in north China. With war came a heightening of nationalistic feeling. What had begun as a struggle between China and Japan, soon became a whirlwind that drew the whole Pacific area into its vortex. To drive Western imperialism from the Orient was the Japanese slogan. There followed a time which was especially lacerating to the feelings of Japanese Christians, as well as to those of the West. Its connections with Western churches did Japanese Christianity no good in the eyes of the public. Missionaries found themselves in an embarrassing position, and by 1940 a large proportion of them had returned to their home countries. The year before that the Religious Organizations Bill passed the Diet, and became law. By it Christianity was recognized as one of the three religions of Japan, but it had to pay its price for recognition, which was, --union of all the denominations into one organization; severance of financial and other relations with missions from abroad; and an acceptance of a degree of government supervision. The union clause was not unpopular among many Japanese Christians. There bad been a more or less well-developed agitation for it before that time anyhow.
It was harder however for some churches than for others. The Episcopal Church held out against it until the fall of 1943, and then yielded because continued existence as a separate entity had practical difficulties that seemed insuperable. If that were true for such a strong organization, we may believe there would have been no hope for the little group of Friends. But it was a wrench to give up its independent existence. It meant, accepting the whole ecclesiastical program,--ordained ministers, sacraments, creeds, etc. At its last Yearly Meeting, in 1941 the decision was made, however, and the Japan Yearly Meetings of Friends ceased to exist soon thereafter.
It is not true that the government of Japan has adopted an attitude of persecution toward Christianity. It has recognized the service to Japanese society that Christianity has made, and it desires its help in the present crisis. But it wants the kind of Christianity that it can manipulate and make useful in its own way. In this sense it is a time of grave danger to the "Church of Christ in Japan."
What is left of Japanese Quakerism? Let us recognize first of all that spiritual values exist in the hearts of men, not in organizations. To the extent that members of Friends have been able to carry over into the new organization, the spiritual values received from their Quaker faith, let us give thanks. They will not die. There is a type of character which is of more importance than any organization, and it will go echoing down the ages., It needs no denominational tag.
But there is a "remnant", a stock from which fresh growth may sprout when a more favorable time comes. Let us attempt an inventory of the more tangible results from Friends' fifty years in Japan. To begin with material assets,-the meeting houses of course go with the meeting members to the union church. Besides them there is in Tokyo a furnished residence, a dormitory for young men, and the well-appointed buildings of the girls' school; in Mito some property on the main business street, and the buildings of an old peoples' home. These are all held by a Japanese Holding Company, and so are not subject to confiscation as enemy property. The girls' school and the old peoples' home are both carrying on outside the church, as far as organization is concerned. They have their own governing body of trustees. The men's dormitory in Tokyo was still functioning in September of 1943, but with the difficulties in provisioning, in getting help, and in the demands of the military on the young men, it may be necessary to close it down.
Last, but not least, there are two small group's left which may definitely be called Friends, both in Tokyo. The first of these is the Friends Center Committee. It was formed some years before the war began, to represent Friends to those of various countries who, come to Japan with an interest in Quakerism, and to serve the Jewish refugees who were coming in large numbers to Japan at that time. Gilbert Bowles was a member of the committee as long as he was in Japan. Now its members are Seiju Hirakawa, Iwao Ayusawa, and Yasukuni Suzuki. This committee has charge of the dormitory; it arranges for the Inazo Nitobe Memorial Lectures and it gathers other Friends, individual members who did not go with their meetings into the union movement, for meetings for wor ship, or for the consideration of some topic of common interest, as opportunity arises. To these people the tenet of inward faith without the aid of outward form seemed too precious to give up. They have an office in the dormitory, and a small Friends' library is also housed there. When communication with Japan becomes possible again, they will be instruments with whom Friends from outside can hope to make connections.
The other group of which we spoke is the group of Young Friends. They number perhaps ten or twelve. Many of them are second generation Christians, and quite a few have grown up with Friends. Four at least have had a year's study at
Pendle Hill, and all are trained to think. They are "convinced" Friends, whatever their forebears. They too felt that the Quaker heritage was too precious to be lost, and have continued to meet for worship and study and discussion. They and the Friends Center Committee plan to cooperate in holding meetings. The lives of these young Friends are before them, and perhaps we can not do better than leave the future of Quakerism in Japan with them, at this point, praying for them God's guidance and blessing.
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