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 JAPAN

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JAPAN

Shortly afterwards came the Presbyterians; James CurtisHcpburn, followed by Mr. Werbeck (1861) and Mr. Thompson (1863). They halted first at Yoko- hama. Their religious reunions were called "prayer- nieetiiifis" {Kitn-kwai). The first Japanese baptism took place in lS(i4. Protestant missionaries were also at .Nagasaki prior to the discovery of the old Christians (1S(,')), and to them the Christians of Urakami ad- tlressed themselves before going to the Catholic Church. T!ie first Japanese Protestant Church was or- ganized in ] S72, after the last persecution, and inau- gurated in 1X75. Untilthat time only ten baptisms had been administered. During these early years the work of evangelization was almost impossible, and the time of the inissionarics was cliieflv employed in the translation of the llolv Scriptures." That of the New Testament was completed in 1880, and that of the Old Testament in 1887. A number of them were also em- ployed in teaching either in the sclmcils foumled by themselves or as professors in the Japanese schools. Their aim was to attack the pagan error at its very root by means of instruction, and also to have a right to live in the interior of the country, which was hith- erto forbidden to foreigners. In 1S76 a kind of uni- versity called Doshisha was founded at Kyoto, the needeil fluids being supplied by several .\merican missions. The intention was to form Christians who should be solidly instructed in their religion and men capable of embracing any career. This celebrated school was very prosperous uniler the rector, Niijima Jo; it had as many as 1500 students, but, having l)een declared independent several years since, has lost much of its importance.

An event of considerable importance in 1877 was the unioii of the hitherto divided forces of the .\mer- ican and Scotch Presbyterians; the Dutch Reformed Mission, the Presljyterian Mission, and tlie Scotch Presbyterian Mission. Their association formed the United Church of Christ in Japan (A';'/'/'"" ''jj.v/o Ichi Ki/dkwiii). They were afterwards joined by the Ger- man Uefiirmed Mission (1886), the vSoutli Presby- terian Mission (1887), and the Cumberland Presby- terian Missiim (1890). In a General .\ssembly held at Tokio in 1S91 the -\rticles of Faith and the constitu- tion of the new church were drawn up. Its new name was Xihon Crista Kynkwai (Church of Christ in Japan). The chief Protestant college at Tokio belongs to this I'nited Church, and instruction is here given according to the spirit of Protestant Christian religion and morality.

During the period of religious tolerance the mis- sionaries flocked to Japan and baptisms multiplied rapidly. The desire to learn English attracted to them many young Japanese. In December, 1SX9, the total numiicr of Japanese converted to Prcjtestantisra was :!l,l.Sl ; fcjreign missionaries, 527; native ordained ministers, !:;.'>. 'I'liere were 274 churches, more than half of w lii<-li were scir-sujiporting. The contributions of .Ia[iaii('sc Cliri.stians for ISS!) amounted to 5o,503 yen. Several religious associations, especially that of Christian Youth, were flourishing.

In the above number are incluiled the Episcopalian Church of .\merica, governed for more than thirty years by Bishop Williams, and the Established Church of England, whose first bishop in Japan was Dr. Poole (1883). These two churches have agreed to work in concert and the constitution uniting them was tlrawn up in February, 1888. This was the foundation of a new churcli under the name Nihon Sei-Ko-Kwai (tlie Holy Catholic Church of Japan). Hierarchically constitute 1895 1897 1901 19ns 1905

Denomination

Kumiai Churclies

American Baptists

Bible Societies

Evangelical Association

Methodist Church

Church of Christ

German Evang. Mission

.Society of Friends

American Christian Convention.. . Women's Christian Temperance 1

Young Men's Christian Ass'n

Universalists

Scandinavian Japan .\lliancc

Evangelical Lutherans

South Baptist Convention

Hepzibah Faith Mission

Salvation Army

United Brethren in Christ

Seventh Day Adventists

Oriental Mission Society

Free Methodists

Finnish Lutheran Gospel Ass'n.

Japan

Young Women's Christian Ass'n. 'The ApostoHc Faith Movement. . Nihon Crislo Kyokwai (ITnited P:

bvterians)

Mtion SH-Ko-Kwai (United Epi;

palians)

Missionaries

These are the chief denominations. The total num- ber of missionaries given by Protestant statistics for 1908 is 789 foreigners, including women, and 1303 Japanese, ordained or not, men or v.'omen. The num- ber of practical church members is 57*830; not prac- tical, 10,5.54; churches, 408; young men in the schools, 3604 ; young women, 5226; Sunday schools, 1066, with 84,160 children; pubhshing houses, 7; volumes issued during the year, 1,974,881. The property of the dif- ferent missions, churches, schools, etc., is valued at 3,5.36,315 yen. Contributions of Christians for 1907 equalled 274,608 yen, and the expenditure for the Japanese churches and the work of evangelization amounted to 448,878 yen, not including the salaries of the missionaries and their expenses. In the above are not included the Unitarians, who mingle with all de- nominations; the Independent Christians, who are not attached to any church; the ,\I(tliodist Isjiiseopalians, who have a Japanese bislioj), the Kev. Honda; several Japanese neo-Christian sects who are wholly indepen- dent either in government or in doctrine. They are ec- lectics, who aim to adapt Christianity to the ideas and spirit of Japan, and thus to found a new and sjiecial national religion. Up to the present time Protestantism in Japan has been chiefly .\merican, but now it seems about to become Japanese. According as the Japan- ese churches become self-supporting, their tendency is to free themselves from the authority of foreigners. There is an evolution in religious ideas; many Chris- tian ideas have passed into the spirit of Japan, and many Christian works have been imitated by them, but faitli in even the fundamental dogmas shows a tendency to disappear.

Runiiiun Missions. — The Russian Mission, or Ortho- dox Church of Russia in Japan, dates from 1861. A hospital had previously been built at Hakodate for Russians and Japanese. A. Basilian monk, the Rev. Nicolai, was attached to it as chaplain with a church near the hospital. The hospital having been destroyed by fire, the church remained, and the Rev. Nicolai stayed, as a missionary, at Hakodate, where he baptized a number of Japanese ; this was the lieginning. In 1 870 the Russian minister to Japan obtained from the Jap-