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Professor C. H. Powles
THE
ISLAND EMPIRE
OF THE EAST
Being a Short History of Japan and Missionary
Work therein with special reference
to the Mission of the
M.S.C.C.
by
REV. J. COOPER ROBINSON
with an introduction by
The Lord Bishop of Algoma
FIRST EDITION
1912
The Isles shall wait for His Law.
Let them give glory unto the Lord, and declare His
praise in the Islands.
Issued by
The Prayer and Study Union of the Missionary Society of the
Church of England in Canada
Confederation Life Building, Toronto
ERRATA.
On page 119, second line from bottom, for
" Miwaka " read " Mikawa; " for " Hinda " read
"Hida."
<5PP 1
INTRODUCTION.
This little book is the ripe fruit of knowledge
and experience. Through many years of arduous
and faithful service the author has earned the right
to speak with authority upon the subject of Japan,
its people and its missions. The volume he gives
us comes from his heart as well as from his mind.
Though but a sketch it will be found surprisingly
complete, lucid, and interesting. To those who read
it with care it should serve as an admirable intro
duction to a vast and perplexing subject, and as a
stimulus to its further pursuit and mastery. To
Christians, whose hearts are yearning in any degree
towards Missions, it should be big with interest and
inspiration.
As the book goes out to do its work for Christ
and His Church, I send forth with it, in the name of
the Missionary Prayer and Study Union, these few
words of commendation and blessing.
GEORGE ALGOMA,
Chairman of Committee.
PREFACE.
The object of this little book is to provide for
the members of the Church of England in Canada,
at trifling cost, a moderate amount of accurate in
formation about our nearest neighbour to the west
ward in whom, for various reasons, we have been
led to take an increasing interest during the past
twenty-five years.
The idea of preparing such a book was suggested
by frequent inquiries as to where information could
be obtained about the work of our missionaries in
Japan, and also by repeated suggestions that the
information contained in the addresses which it
has been my privilege to give in hundreds of the
principal parishes of Canada, would do good if
circulated in printed form.
I am well aware that the number of books on
Japan is simply legion and that I have nothing to
relate, of a general character, that has not been told
before, and told much better than I am capable of
telling it ; but there seemed to be need of a small
book which, besides dealing with missionary work
in general, and that of our Canadian Church Missions
in particular, would give such a summary of the
PREFACE
principal facts concerning the country and people
of Japan as would make it suitable for Mission
Study Classes, which are now being held in so many
places.
Very little is claimed as to originality in regard to
the contents of the book, although few acknowledg
ments have been made as to the source of supply, it
being thought that the frequent introduction of the
names of authors, quotation marks and footnotes
would prove inconvenient. It has also been observed
that different books contain important matter ex
pressed in the same language without any reference to
original authorship, indicating that it might be regard
ed as common property; and, since the object of this
book is to promote the missionary cause, it is believed
that those who have written with a similar object
will not be inclined to find fault with any effort to
pass on information gained from their writings.
The following works have been used freely, and
the help derived from them is gratefully acknowl
edged : "Japan and the Japan Mission" one of
the excellent handbooks of the C.M.S. ; "History
of the C.M.S." and annual reports of the same;
"Japan and its Regeneration," by the Rev. Otis
Gary of Kyoto ; "Christianity in Modem Japan,"
by Principal E. W. Clement of Tokyo ; "Church
Work in Japan, by Miss Alfreda Arnold, of Tokyo;
PREFACE
the reports of the S.P.G. and of the Missionary So
ciety of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the
United States, etc. Thanks are due to the mis
sionaries in charge of the various stations, for
valuable information given about their work, and
to Mrs. Patterson Hall for a complete account of
the work of the Woman s Auxiliary.
It is hoped that the illustrations will prove in
teresting, and that the list of books on Japan may
be useful to those who desire further information
about this most interesting country.
May God bless Japan and all who help her at
this most important time in her history.
J. COOPER ROBINSON,
Toronto, April, 1911.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I.
PAGE
1. THE COUNTRY ... i
2. PRODUCTS 6
3. MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION - - 8
4. PEOPLE - 9
5. POPULATION - 15
6. PRINCIPAL CITIES - - 16
CHAPTER II.
1. LANGUAGE ..-. -- 22
2. LITERATURE ... 24
3. SHINTOISM - - 25
4. BUDDHISM 31
5. CONFUCIANISM - 38
CHAPTER III.
1. EARLY TRADITIONS 41
2. FEUDALISM 42
3. THE JESUIT MISSION 44
4. THE COUNTRY CLOSED - 47
5. THE REOPENING - 49
6. THE REVOLUTION - 52
7. NEW JAPAN - 57
CHAPTER IV.
MODERN MISSIONS :
1. THE PERIOD OF PREPARATION 1859-1872 - 61
2. PERIOD OF POPULARITY 1873-1888 - 69
3. PERIOD OF REACTION -1889-1899 - 76
4. PERIOD OF REVIVAL, 1900 82
5. MISSION OF RUSSIAN CHURCH - 86
6. MISSION OF THE CHURCH OF ROME - - 88
CONTENTS
CHAPTER V. PAGE
1. MISSION OF THE AMERICAN CHURCH 89
2. MISSION OF THE C.M.S. - 93
3. MISSION OF THE S.P.G. - 106
CHAPTER VI.
MISSION OF THE M.S.C.C. :
1. PRELIMINARY AND AUXILIARY ORGANIZATIONS 113
2. THE M.S.C.C. DISTRICT 119
3. NAGOYA 122
4. TOYOHASHI 133
5- GIFU 135
CHAPTER VII.
MISSION OF THE M.S.C.C. Continued.
1. NAGANO 143
2. MATSUMOTO 148
3. UEDA 151
4. ECHIGO 155
5. WORK OF THE WOMAN S AUXILIARY 159
CHAPTER VIII.
THE JAPANESE CHURCH (Nippon Seikokwai) 169
CANADIAN MISSIONARY JURISDICTION 193
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS FOR EACH CHAPTER - 197
SOME USEFUL BOOKS ON JAPAN - - 208
INDEX 2 9
ILLUSTRATIONS.
To face
page
CANADIAN CLERICAL MISSIONARIES - 194
(Feb. 1 4th, 1911.)
CHURCH OF THE HOLY CROSS, MATSUMOTO 148
EMPEROR OF JAPAN 18
EMPRESS OF JAPAN - 18
FUJI, MOUNT - 2
FUJITA, JUDGE, NAGOYA 112
GIFU BLIND SCHOOL - 139
HAMILTON, REV. HEBER J., B.A. - Frontispiece
HAMILTON, MRS. H. J. 118
HOUSE OF BISHOPS, 1911 (Canadian) Frontispiece
JAPANESE RAILWAY STATION - 195
JAPANESE WORKERS IN MISSION TENT 138
Kiso RIVER, NEAR FUKUSHIMA 3
MISSIONARIES, NAGOYA DISTRICT 119
MISSIONARIES, NAGANO DISTRICT 144
MIZUNO, REV. J. L, NAGANO 118
NAGOYA CASTLE 19
ROBINSON, REV. J. COOPER 113
ROBINSON, MRS. J. C. 113
ST. JAMES CHURCH, NAGOYA 125
ST. JOHN S CHURCH, NAGOYA 124
ST. MARY S HOME AND MISSIONARY S HOUSE - 149
SHAW, Miss L. L., AND TEACHER - - 5
STUDENTS AT WORK - 51
TAKATA IN WINTER - - 145
THE PRONUNCIATION OF JAPANESE WORDS.
The following general rules will suffice to give approxi
mately the pronunciation of the Japanese words used in
this volume.
Each syllable ends with a vowel or with the letter n
(sometimes changing to m in the middle of a word). A
seeming exception is when the system of transliteration
gives a double consonant in the middle of a word. In that
case each letter is pronounced, the first being joined to the
preceding vowel.
Consonants have nearly the same sound as in English.
Ch is pronounced as in child. G is always hard : in some
parts of Japan it is pronounced like ng.
A as in father.
E like ey in they. In some monosyllables, and some
times at the end of a word, it is shortened so as to be nearly
like e in then. Thus the name of one of the prominent cities
is pronounced Ko-be rather than Ko-bay.
I as in machine.
O as in note.
U like oo in boot. At the end of words of more than
one syllable it is often nearly inaudible ; and it is frequently
elided in the middle of a word.
Japanese words are nearly if not quite without accent.
! <
o j^
|
a ^
REV. HEBER J. HAMILTON, B.A., XAGOYA, JAPAN,
ELECTED BISHOP, APRIL l8TH, 1912.
THE ISLAND EMPIRE
OF THE EAST.
CHAPTER I.
THE COUNTRY PRODUCTS MEANS OF
TRANSPORTATION -- THE PEOPLE -
POPULATION AND PRINCIPAL CITIES
I. THE COUNTRY.
The Japanese call their country DAI NIPPON, Name -
which means literally "Great Sun-Origin." The
latter part of the title was probably first used by the
Chinese, since it was from the Japanese Islands
lying to the East of their empire that the sun came
to them. Japan is to China literally "The Land
of the Rising Sun." The Chinese pronunciation
of the characters employed in writing the name is
Ji-pen or Ji-puan. From this came Zipangu, the
name by which Marco Polo introduced the country
to the western world, and further modifications have
given us the familiar word Japan.
2 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
Situation The country consists of a chain of islands running
parallel to the eastern coast of the continent of Asia,
at a distance of from twenty-five miles to several
hundreds, and the Province of Chosen on the main
land formerly known as the kingdom of Korea.
Formosa, now Taiwan, was ceded to Japan by China
at the close of the war between the two empires in
1894. The southern part of Saghalien was acquired
in a similar way at the close of the Russo-Japanese
war in 1905, and Korea was annexed in 1910. The
length of the country from north-east to south-west
is about 2,800 miles. There are some thousands
of islands, but only six of them are large and not
more than six hundred are considered important.
The large islands, beginning at the North, are Kara-
futo or Saghalien (in part), Hokkaido or Yezo,
Hondo the principal island, over a thousand miles
long Shikoku, Kiushu, and Taiwan or Formosa.
The area of the Empire is about 250,000 square miles.
Physical The whole country is exceedingly mountainous,
Features. on ]y fifteen per cent, of Japan proper being arable.
The highest peak is Niitaka (Mt. Morrison) in
Formosa, whose summit is 14,355 feet above the
sea, but until the acquisition of that island Mt. Fuji,
12,365 feet, held that distinction. Most of the
other high mountains are in the main island not far
THE COUNTRY
from Fuji. There are six over 10,000 feet, many
of them of volcanic origin, and a large number still
active. But of all these mountains Fuji alone is
"the peerless one." "This most beautiful moun
tain, visible from thirteen provinces, a landmark to
the mariner at sea, the goal annually of myriads of
pilgrims, and the centre of poetry, legend, and art
from the dawn of history to the days of the telephone,
is Fuji San. The place it occupies in the hearts of
the people is well illustrated by an expression in the
sermon of a young Japanese clergyman, who said,
The verse, "God so loved the world that He gave
His only begotten Son," (John 3 : 16), is the Fuji
San of the Bible! "
Rivers are numerous but short, only a dozen of
them being over a hundred miles in length. For
the greater part of the year many of them are nearly
dry, but when the snow melts on the mountains, or
heavy rains occur, they suddenly become raging
torrents, and, although much care is taken to build
up the banks to prevent overflowing, much damage
is often caused by the inundation of low-lying
districts.
There are no large lakes, but several of volcanic
or seismic origin, situated high up amongst the moun
tains, are exceedingly beautiful. Waterfalls abound,
but they are generally more remarkable for thei r
4 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
height than for their volume of water. Many of
the streams furnish water-power, which is being
more and more used for manufacturing purposes
either directly or by the generation of electricity.
With mountains, rivers and lakes as above
mentioned, in addition to an extensive coast line,
on which are found almost innumerable gulfs, bays,
and inlets of various kinds, the scenery of Japan is
varied and beautiful, that of the Inland Sea which
separates the Islands of Hondo and Shikoku being
particularly famous.
On account of the difference in latitude between
the northern and southern extremities of the country
22-5o N Japan possesses every variety of
climate, except that in no part is it very dry. It
might also be stated that in the same latitude, on
opposite sides of the main island, the temperature
differs greatly owing to the influence of ocean cur
rents. The south-eastem coast is washed by the
Black Stream, a warm current from the Indian Ocean
while a cold current from the North sweeps down
into the sea of Japan producing much lower tem
perature and fogs on the West coast. The dampness
of the climate is felt everywhere by Canadians and
it makes both the heat and the cold more trying
than the same temperature would be at home. The
dry months in the greater part of central Japan are
THE COUNTRY 5
December, January and February, while June and
September are the wettest. The average annual
rainfall in Tokyo is about sixty inches as compared
with thirty-two inches in Toronto. July and August
are the most trying months. It is said that the
proportion of ozone in the air is only about one-third
of what is found in most parts of Canada, which
probably accounts to some extent for the debilitating
effects experienced by people going from here to
Japan.
Japan may be called the land of earthquakes. Earth-
In Tokyo the annual average during the last twenty- quakes
six years has been ninety-six. The great majority
of these shocks do no damage, but during the past
three hundred years there have been one hundred
and eight which have been disastrous in character.
The last serious one in Tokyo occurred in 1894, but
three years earlier a much more disastrous one was
experienced further west. It affected a district
nearly two hundred miles long and extending across
the country from coast to coast, with Nagoya and
Gifu nearly in the centre. By this disturbance
10,000 people were killed outright, an equal number
were more or less seriously injured, while about 150,-
ooo houses were destroyed and great damage was
done to railways, river embankments, bridges, etc.
6 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
IL PRODUCTS
Minerals. Japan has considerable mineral wealth. Gold,
silver, iron and many other metals are found, but at
present the most important product of her mines is
copper, which exists in large quantities and is easily
worked. Of non-metallic deposits coal, petroleum
and sulphur are the most extensive.
Products. The waters surrounding Japan abound in excel
lent fish and about fifteen per cent, of the people get
their living from the sea. Edible sea weed is gath
ered in large quantities, and salt to the value of
about $5,000,000 is extracted from sea water every
year.
Agriculture. Although only about one-tenth of the country
is under cultivation, and probably less than five per
cent, more could be utilized on account of its moun
tainous character, agricultural products constitute
the chief wealth of Japan. The valleys and small
plains are very fertile, and in the central and south-
em parts, by careful tillage and fertilizing, produce
two good crops every year. Rice being the chief
article of diet, and the home-grown variety being
much preferred to that imported from China, great
attention is given to the cultivation of that cereal.
As rice fields have to be flooded while the grain is
growing a%ery complete system of irrigation has
PRODUCTS
been developed. On account of the lack of pasture
and the cheapness of human labour, very few
domestic animals are reared, and the land is culti
vated almost entirely by hand, planting, reaping,
threshing, grinding, etc. being done in the most
primitive fashion. Wheat, barley, beans, peas, corn,
millet, cotton, tobacco, indigo, etc., are produced,
as well as a considerable variety of vegetables and
fruits. In addition to these, two most important
products must be mentioned, viz., silk and tea, which
are the chief articles of export. For both of these,
land unsuitable for rice culture is used. The value
of silk exported now amounts to about $45,000,000
annually, and that of tea to about $7,000,000.
The principal forms of manufacturing industry
that existed before the country was open to foreign
commerce were silk, cotton and hemp fabrics ; por
celain, lacquer, copper and iron wares ; paper, straw
matting and SAKE an intoxicant brewed from rice.
During the past forty years these industries have
greatly developed, especially that of cotton and silk
spinning and weaving, and others have been added.
Japan now practically supplies eastern Asia with
matches, and does a large trade in cotton, beer,
paper, etc. Almost every kind of manufacture is
carried on to some extent, and with an abundance
of waterpower and coal, together with cheap labour,
& THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
which can acquire a high degree of proficiency with
a moderate degree of training it seems highly
probable that Japan has a great future before her as
a manufacturing nation. At present, in addition
to many large and successful private enterprises,
the Government is carrying on a large number of
works, which are intimately connected with the de
velopment of its military and naval programme,
such as shipyards, steel works, railways, etc., and
also owns and operates the extensive telegraph and
telephone systems which cover the country. In
1903 the daily wages of the men employed in these
works ranged from 18 to 35 cents and that of the
women from 8 to 13 cents.
III. TRANSPORTATION.
Dads and F r centuries past Japan has had a very good
illways. system of roads, but her first railway dates from
1872 when Tokyo and Yokohama, 18 miles apart,
were connected. Since that year there has been
great development. In 1909 there were 5,429 miles
of line in operation of which over 5,000 miles were
owned by the state. Electric railways date from
1888 and are rapidly increasing.
k The first Japanese steamship company was or
ganized in 1877. Thirty years later numerous com
panies and private individuals owned and operated
TRANSPORTATION
over i, 600 ships with a gross tonnage of over 1,000,-
ooo tons. There are regular lines to the principal
ports of the world and fine ships of 15,000 tons are
built in her own yards and managed by officers and
sailors of her own people.
Of the postal and banking systems it need only
be said that they have kept pace with Japan s de
velopment in other respects and are quite up to date.
IV. THE PEOPLE.
Where the original inhabitants of these islands The .
, Aborigine
came from is quite unknown but a remnant ot some
17,000 still remains in Hokkaido. They call them
selves AINU, which means "men." They are of
sturdy build, but are steadily decreasing in number,
probably on account of their drunkenness and filthy
habits. The Rev. John Batchelor, of the Church
Missionary Society, has had much blessing in his
work among them, and his book, "The Ainu of
Japan," is full of valuable information and interest
ing experiences.
The origin of the present progressive inhabitants ^ he
of Japan is almost as uncertain as that of the Ainu. ai
The most probable theory is that they are the result
of two streams of immigration, one of which came
from the Malayan Archipelago to the south, and
the other from northern Asia through Korea. It
io THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
is claimed that two distinct types of countenances,
corresponding to and indicating these two sources
of origin, may still be traced. That showing Mon
golian origin is said to prevail among the upper
classes, some of its chief points being a long oval face,
deep-sunk sockets, oblique eyes and small hands
and feet. The characteristics of the other type,
which is claimed to prevail among agriculturalists
and artizans, are round flattened faces, less oblique
eyes almost level with the face, straight nose expand
ed and upturned at the roots, and darker complexion.
The Japanese, like their Chinese neighbours, all
eristics"" have strai nt black hair and black, or dark brown,
eyes, but their complexion is brown rather than
yellow and varies a good deal. Their average height
is considerably less than that of western people, but
this is largely due to shortness of the lower limbs but
among the men of both the army and the navy, it
has been steadily increasing for some years past.
Politeness, cheerfulness, and appreciation of
beauty, must be put down at once as striking
Japanese characteristics. Much has been said and
written about the Japanese lack of inventive power
and perseverance, of their changeableness and lack
of individuality. These traits do strike a Westerner,
especially at the commencement of his intercourse
with them, but later on he finds that there is some-
THE PEOPLE n
tiling to be said on the other side. No doubt, Japan
copied from China in olden times, and has imitated
the West in recent years. But the copying has not
been servile ; adaptation rather than adoption is
often the more correct expression. The Japanese
are keenly intelligent, and their thirst for knowledge
seems well nigh insatiable. Already the great majority
of both men and women can read books written in
simple style, and with about ninety-eight per cent,
of the children of school age in attendance at her
primary schools, illiteracy will soon be almost un
known.
This is a subject about which the most diverse Morality,
opinions have been expressed. Some say that the
Japanese have nothing to learn from Western lands
in this respect, while others describe them as being
wholly given over to immorality. Before passing
judgment on another, or making comparisons, it
is clearly advisable to acquaint oneself with the
person s previous training and circumstances, in
order to be able to look at things from his point of
view. Regarding the Japanese, it is well for us to
remember that for centuries what appear to western
people very exaggerated ideas of loyalty and filial
piety, have been persistently instilled into the
children.
To die for one s lord is considered such an honour
that no doubt with some it leads to rashness and
12 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OP THE EAST
waste of life. The Confucian maxim, "One cannot
live under the same heaven with the slayer of one s
lord or father, has led many a man to commit
acts, which would be called murder by those dif
ferently trained. That a daughter should be willing
to give herself to a life of shame, in order to provide
for her parents when destitute on account of sickness
or old age, .seems dreadful in the extreme to us, yet
it is not only justified, but praised as most laudable,
by those who have learned the lessons of filial piety
that have been taught in Japan for ages. Again,
the system of concubinage, so immoral in our eyes,
is regarded by many Japanese as not only justifiable
but a religious necessity under certain circumstances.
To keep up the family so as to have descendants to
burn incense on his grave, and worship his spirit as
he does for those who have gone before him, is
certainly an important matter to one whose religion
is ancestor worship.
Dishonesty in business matters lias been com
plained of a great deal by our merchants, and no
doubt with much reason. It should be borne in
mind, however, that under the old regime, those
engaged in mercantile pursuits were regarded as
the lowest in the social scale and their treatment by
those above them, no doubt, had a tendency to
make them w r orse rather than better. Considerable
improvement, we believe, has been noticeable in
THE PEOPLE 13
this regard during the past few years, and there
are numerous indications that many of the old ideas
are being modified, or are giving way entirely to
those prevailing in countries where Christian in
fluence is most strongly felt.
In regard to a statement, most injurious to
Japanese commercial morality, which is frequently
made by travellers, viz., that Chinese clerks are
largely employed in Japanese banks on account of
their superior honesty, it may be stated that the
report is entirely without foundation. The error
into which so many have fallen is explained by the
fact that certain Foreign Banking Houses nota
bly the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corpor
ation, with headquarters at Hong Kong -have
opened branches in two or three of the Japanese
ports for the purpose of doing business with their
nationals, and the Chinese who comprise two-thirds
of the non- Japanese population of these places.
In these banks the clerks, for obvious reasons, are
either Europeans or Chinese, though a few Japanese
also are employed. It is to these Foreign Banks
that nearly all travellers go to get their money
changed on arrival in Japan, and, thinking they are
dealing with Japanese banks, they hastily conclude
that the Japanese are so deficient in integrity that
14 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
they have to employ honest Englishmen or Chinese
to handle their cash for them.
It is also important to remember that the de
scriptions which are found in some of the earlier
books and articles on Japan, are in no sense true of
the Japan of to-day, but with licensed prostitution,
concubinage, and divorce to the extent of about
one-sixth the number of marriages, it is evident, as
many of her best people are realizing, that Japan
needs a moral reformation. The following quota
tion from Professor Chamberlain, one of the oldest
and most reliable writers on "Things Japanese"
among the foreign residents of the country, shows
what Japan was like forty years ago. Mr. Chamber
lain says, "Not the lewdest grogshop-haunting
English Jack ashore but would have blushed at the
really unimaginable indecency which preceded our
advent to this country. Until we foreign residents
had been here long enough for our influence to be
generally felt, the very sweet-meats were indecent,
the very toys of the children were indecent. Now
Japan, in outward appearance at least, is tolerably
correct, and w r e believe has begun to realize her
need, and to seek to obtain that inward cleansing,
without which she would be only a "whited sepul
chre." Her true friends and admirers will want to
help her in this matter.
POPULATION 15
It may be said that caste, as it exists in India.
Distinctions.
has never been known in Japan. Until the abolition
of Feudalism there were five divisions of the popu
lation : (i) the Imperial Family, (2) the Feudal Lords
and their retainers, (3) the agriculturalists, (4) the
mechanics and labourers, and (5) the Eta, or out
casts, including tanners, grave-diggers, beggars,
etc. who were considered to be outside the pale
of humanity and were compelled to live in villages
by themselves. Under the new order of things
these form part of the common people and there arc
now only three classes, viz. the nobility, the gentry
and the common people. The fundamental prin
ciple of Japanese society has ahvays been reverent
obedience to superiors. This polite and humble
deference is shown by their language as well as by
their manners and customs, and it has become so
thoroughly incorporated into their natures that it
still resists the levelling tendency of the present age.
V. POPULATION.
The number of people in the Empire is now over
67,000,000. Excluding Korea and Formosa, for
some years past the increase has been about 500,000
annually, and there are over 400,000 more males
than females. The population of Japan is much
more concentrated than that of almost any other
country. This is chiefly due to the limited areas
under cultivation, and to the custom of the agri-
1 6 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
culturalists living together in villages, from which
they go out to work in the small fields which in our
eyes look like garden plots. The development of
manufacture has also tended to accentuate this con
dition, as most of the large mills and factories have
been established in the suburbs of large cities.
VI. PRINCIPAL CITIES.
Tokyo, the Tokyo (population 2,186,000,) is a comparatively
new city. Until about three hundred years ago it was
a fishing village at the head of Yedo Bay. The
Shoguii selected it as the site for his capital, which
had formerly been at Kamakura, some thirty-five
miles away. It soon became a place of importance,
as each of the feudal lords had to spend half of every
year there, and to maintain a suitable city residence.
When the revolution took place, at the accession
of the present Emperor in 1868, Yedo was chosen
as the capital of the Empire. Its name was changed
to Tokyo, which means "Eastern Capital," and the
Court removed there from Kyoto, which was re
named Saikyo, or "Western Capital" to indicate
that its importance was to continue. Amongst
other things Tokyo has become famous as the great
educational centre of Japan. Dr. John R. Mott
recently stated that there are now more students in
Tokyo than in any other city in the world, with the
possible exception of Calcutta. Nearly all the
PRINCIPAL CITIES 17
Missionary Societies have representatives in Tokyo,
and one of the most prominent buildings is the
Cathedral of the Russo-Greck Church. The present
Mayor, Mr. Ozaki, is a Christian, and a member of
the Nippon Sei Kokwai (Church of Japan).
Osaka (pop. 1,227,000,) has been called the Man- Osaka.
Chester of Japan. It is situated at the Eastern end
of the Inland Sea, about 375 miles from Tokyo, and
is undoubtedly the Commercial Capital, as is
indicated by the tail chimneys of the hundreds of
factories in the city and its suburbs. There is also
an extensive missionary work going on here. It is
the principal station of the C.M.S.
Kyoto (pop. 442,000) the once sacred capital where Kyoto.
the Emperors resided for upwards of a thousand
years, is in many respects the most interesting city
in Japan. Its political importance of course van
ished when the Court removed to Tokyo, and most
of the residences of the nobles soon disappeared,
but the Imperial Palace remains, and is occupied
by the Emperor when he visits the city. Kyoto is
famous for silks, embroideries and other artistic
productions, and in recent years the establishment
of manufacturies has somewhat revived its pros
perity. For centuries it has been the centre of the
nation s religious life, and the hills surrounding it
are covered with magnificent temples and shrines,
the largest Buddhist temple in the Empire having
i8
THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
Yokohama.
Kobe.
been built here a few years ago. A new Government
University has recently been opened here and the
famous Mission School Doshisha-established by the
late Dr. Neeshima and the American Congregational
Mission, which for many years has done excel
lent work, has also obtained a charter as a university.
Yokohama, which has grown from a fishing village
on the edge of a swamp to a city of 393,000 souls in
the space of 50 years, is the principal seaport of the
Empire. It is here that the largest number of
foreigners is to be found and the least satisfactory
missionary work. Without going into details it
may safely be said that the lives of many of those
who have come from so called Christian countries
to do business in a place like this, are not such as
would commend Christianity to those who know
nothing about it ; and the class of Japanese who
gather here to make money are not, as a rule, persons
who care much about religious matters.
Kobe (pop. 377,000,) on the Inland Sea, 20 miles
from Osaka, is the second great seaport of Japan.
It is a much older city than Yokohama but has not
grown as fast. The foreign population is smaller
than that of the sister port as many of the great
firms operating in Japan have their headquarters
at the former place.
Extensive missionary work is going on here
especially under the Congregationalists and the
PRINCIPAL CITIES 19
Episcopal Methodists of the United States. Kobe
and Tokyo are the principal stations of the S.P.G.
and Bishop Foss of the Diocese of Osaka resides in
the former,
Nagoya (pop. 3 74,000) was until quite recently Nagoya.
the fourth city in the Empire but has now been out
stripped by Yokohama and Kobe, though it also is
growing rapidly. It is about the same age as Tokyo
and, was removed to its present site from a
place five miles away to secure a more suit
able location. It was the capital of one of the most
influential Daimyos of feudal times and is famous
for its "Golden Castle," so called because there are
on its roof two dolphins about ten feet long covered
with scales of pure glod and valued at $200,000.
This castle is now an Imperial Palace and is the best
specimen of feudal architecture to be found in Japan.
Like Tokyo and Osaka, Nagoya is surrounded by
fertile plains which are amongst the largest and
most densely populated in the Empire, having over
1000 people to the square mile which is scarcely ex
ceeded in any part of the world. Nagoya also re
sembles Osaka as a manufacturing centre, having
the largest porcelain trade of any part of the Empire
and being surrounded by silk and cotton mills. It
has excellent railway connections and, after the
completion of extensive dredging operations costing
millions, will have good shipping facilities by water.
20
THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
It is the headquarters of the third division of the
army, has one of the most famous Shinto shrines
and the second largest Buddhist temple, of which
religion it is a stronghold.
Presbyterians and Methodists from the United
States, as well as our M.S.C.C., have missions here
and though it has always been regarded as a most dif
ficult place, steady and solid progress is being made.
Nagasaki (pop. 176,000,) is famous as the first
port opened to foreign ships and as the only place in
Japan where foreigners were allowed to reside for a
period of 230 years. Extensive coal mines on an
island opposite its beautiful harbour, together with
its docks, make it an important place for coaling and
overhauling ships. Several missionary societies began
their work here, including the American Church and
the C.M.S. The former gave up its work there years
ago but it is still an important station of the C.M.S.
Hiroshima (pop. 142,000), has been an important
city from ancient times. It is situated on the
Inland Sea between Kobe and Nagasaki and
is noted for having been the base of operations during
the recent wars. At the time of the war with China
the Emperor and Empress took up their residence in
the very humble quarters afforded by the old castle,
a fact which gives the city great distinction in the
eyes of the Japanese.
In connection with Hiroshima the naval port of
Kure, ten miles away with a population of over
PRINCIPAL CITIES 21
100,000, must be mentioned. The development of
this place from a mere fishing village, a little over
20 years ago, is owing to the fact of its selection as
the site of the principal naval construction works
where from 25,000 to 30,000 men are constantly
employed. Here battleships of the largest size and
most up-to-date type are built and armed. A few
miles away on the island of Etajima there is a Naval
College for the training of officers. Hiroshima and
Kure are important stations of the C.M.S. and from
1906 to 1911 were under the care of the Rev. J.
Cooper Robinson of the Al.S.C.C.
Kanzawa (pop. 108,000,) is the most important Kanazawa.
city on the West Coast. Under the old regime it was
the seat of the lords of Kaga, the richest of all the
DAIMYOS. It is picturesquely situated, a prosperous
place, the headquarters of an army division and the
capital of the Prefecture of Ishikawa. Near the
ancient castle is a fine park called "The Six-fold
Garden because of possessing the six excellencies
of size, beauty, labour bestowed upon it, an air of
antiquity, running water and a charming view.
Kanazawa is famous for its porcelain and its bronzes
inlaid with gold. The Protestant Episcopal Church
and two or three other bodies from the United States
are carrying on missionary work here.
There are twenty-eight other cities with a pop
ulation of between 50,000 and 100,000.
22 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
CHAPTER II.
LANGUAGE, LITERATURE AND RELIGIONS.
I. LANGUAGE.
Professor Chamberlain says, "Japanese is prob
ably, all things considered, the most difficult lan
guage on the face of the earth." Another writer
describes it as "an involved, complicated, im
personal, neutral, obscure, but withal a pretty,
musical, logical and polite tongue."
Japan being in many respects the daughter and
disciple of China, the literature of that country be-
Chinese came very largely the literature of Japan. The
Ideographs dreadful Chinese ideographs are in general use, but
with a different pronunciation from what they have
in China. Some of these arc so intricate that forty
strokes of a pen are required to write one and the
number in use is said to be at least 50,000.
The Japanese have also a simple syllabary of
their own containing fifty characters, each of which,
however, is written in five or six different ways.
These are a great boon to people who have little time
for study.
The Spoken The spoken language differs from that used in
Language k oo k; St an d there is a third style for correspondence .
LANGUAGE 23
This, together with the fact that different termina
tions or even different words are used to express
the various degrees of politeness that must be ob
served, makes the task of learning to read, write and
speak Japanese properly a tremendous one indeed.
Fortunately one can learn to speak well without
either reading or writing, though few fail to
master the syllabary which is no difficult mat
ter, and is a great help in many ways. Not
many missionaries go deeply into the writ
ten language or do much with Chinese ideo
graphs, though there are notable exceptions to this
rule. The Bible, Prayer Book Hymns, etc., can be
read by those possessing only a knowledge of the
syllabary and some use editions printed in Roman
letters. There are indications that the nation will
ultimately discard their old, complicated style of
writing, and use Roman letters instead, which would
greatly facilitate the acquisition of a modern educa
tion and their intercourse with other nations. This
step would, however, necessitate considerable change
in the language in the way of adopting a uniform
style for both writing and speaking but this seems
be to gradually taking place. Roman letters have
been taught in all the Primary Schools since 1901, as
a preparatory step, it is hoped, towards the impend
ing change.
24 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
II. LITERATURE.
The literature of Old Japan is quite extensive, but
has little interest in general for western people. It
comprises mythology, history, law, poetry, romance,
Of Great drama, and Buddhist and Confucian philosophy.
Japanese modern literature is very varied, covering,
in both original and translated work, nearly all the
fields of modern thought as well as those of the old
regime. There are a large number of translations
but immense numbers of books are read in their
original languages, those in English far outnumbering
all the others, except in works on medicine and law
in which German and French are preferred. The
favourite English dictionary with Japanese students
is Nuttal s, of which one firm has sold over 300,000.
A few years ago one of the most popular English
books with Japanese scholars was Darwin s Origin
of Species, and the works of Herbert Spencer have
also been widely read. Materialistic literature in
various languages has been widely circulated but
there are now indications that a taste for something
better is being developed and such authors as Carlyle
are being more and more appreciated.
Newspapers ^ e development of newspaper and magazine
and publication is one of the clearest and most interesting
Magazines. ev ^ ences o f the great progress that has been made.
LITERATURE 25
The first BONA FIDE newspaper published by a
Japanese was the present MAINICHI SCHIMBUN
(Daily Newspaper) which began its successful career
in 1870. Twenty-five years later the number had
increased to over 600 periodicals of various kinds,
but the most rapid progress, which shows no sign
of abating, has been made during the past ten years.
In 1905 the total number of periodicals had become
2,275. Many of the large papers have cartoons and
other illustrations. One magazine, the TAYO (Sun)
contains 250 pages of Japanese and 24 pages of
English every month and there are eight daily papers
published entirely in English, one of them being
edited by a Japanese. Several of the great dailies
are largely in the hands of Christians ; and many
religious periodicals, Christian, Buddhist and Shin-
toist are issued for the edification of believers.
III. RELIGIONS.
The ancient religion of the Japanese is called Shintoism.
KAMI NO MICHI, "the way of the gods. The Chin
ese equivalent of the name, SHIN-TO, is the one
commonly used ; hence this religion is called by
English writers Shintoism.
Mr. Kodera, a Japanese writer, describes it as w rsni P of
., . .. - ,, . ... 1-1 Nature and
simply a remnant of the primitive worship long Ancestors.
prevailing among the rude tribes of the islands of
26 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OP THE EAST
Japan, and subsequently developed and shaped
according to the degree of civilization to which they
attained ; a mixture of that nature worship which
is so common among uncivilized races, and the wor
ship of ancestors, especially of some chiefs or heroes.
Nature worship led to the deification of the
heavenly bodies and, at least, reverence for lofty
mountains, bold cliffs, aged trees, and other striking
objects. It also took on debased forms ; and though
the government, after the advent of foreigners,
caused many offensive images to be removed they
are still occasionally seen. Shintoism in its present
forms is chiefly founded on the mythologies and
traditions preserved in a work called the KOJIKI,
where it appears as " a bundle of miscellaneous super
stitions, rather than a co-ordinate system."
Divine According to these the Sun-goddess is the ances-
Emperor * tress of the ruling family of Japan. Each successive
Emperor is directly descended from her. This is,
indeed, the fundamental belief of the present-day
Shintoism, and out of it grows the duty of absolute
obedience to the Emperor, which is one of the main
characteristics of the system. According to Mo-
toori, as summarized by Sir Ernest Satow, "he is
the immovable ruler who must endure to the end of
time, as long as the sun and moon continue to shine.
RELIGIONS 27
In ancient language the Emperor was called god
and, although no longer professedly worshipped as
such by most of the intelligent people, some educated
persons are still occasionally heard to say "His
Majesty is God," and from all his subjects extreme
veneration and unquestioning obedience is required
as a fundamental duty. In addition to the sun
goddess, there are numerous other deities worshipped.
These are commonly spoken of as the eight
hundred myriads of gods, and include "not
only the Imperial ancestors and those who The Eight
lived in the mythological age, but numerous -^^[l^ s O f
poets, scholars, warriors, statesmen and patriots Gods,
who have been successively deified in both
ancient and modern times by Imperial decree, it
being a part of the prerogative of the successor of the
sun-goddess thus to appoint gods to be honoured by
the nation." These multitudinous deities govern
all things. "They direct the changes of the seasons,
the wind and the rain, the good and the bad fortune
of states and individual men ; hence the occasions
for seeking their protection and deliverance are
manifold, and their worship is very general. Every
village, town or division of a town has its common
shrine and the inhabitants of the district, being
called the children of the god, bring their infants to
the shrine to be dedicated to him. When the local
festivals are held business is almost entirely suspend-
2 8 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
cd and each householder hangs a large lantern at his
door in honour of the god.
Shinto Shinto Shrines present a striking contrast, both as
to size and appearance to the large and magnificent
tcmplesof Buddhism. They arc built of plain, unpaint-
cd wood, the roof being a very substantial one of bark
or shingles laid course upon course to a thickness of
several inches or even a foot. Every shrine of im
portance is approached through at least one gateway
called a TORII, generally made of the trunks of fir
trees with the bark removed, though often stone is
used and occasionally bronze. The most sacred
shrines are those of the sun goddess and the goddess
of food at the town of Yamada in the Prefecture of
Isc. They occupy beautiful sites on opposite sides
of the town, are called the "Two great Divine
Palaces", and arc annually visited by streams of
pilgrims from all parts of the country. It was to
these shrines that the Emperor, Admiral Togo and
others in high position went to give thanks after
Japan s great victory over Russia.
No Images, Pure Shintoism makes no use of images. Its
Moral Ce T s y rQ bols are a metal mirror and some strips of
Teaching. curiously cut white paper, called GOHEI, depending
from a wand of wood. These, every shrine should
contain. There are services, prayers, purifications
and offerings consisting of food, fruit and living birds.
The birds, after being presented are released and
RELIGIONS 29
not sacrificed. This cult does not teach morals.
Says its chief authority, "Morals were invented by
the Chinese because they are an immoral people ;
but in Japan there is no necessity for any system of
morals, as every Japanese acts aright if he only
consults his own heart." Yet the recognition of
national and individual guilt, and of the need of
cleansing, with a view to deliverance from divine
judgments, are marked features of Shintoism.
Several sects having more or less connection with Semi-Shinto
Shinto have arisen in recent years but one in par- S<
ticular has spread rapidly and shows some traces of
contact with Christianity as well as Shinto. It is
called TENRIKYO and is thus described by a Japanese
writer : "Its creed is very simple. If you show
hospitality or charity to others, you will be rewarded
with a tenfold return of what you have spent. You
may lose your property, you may become quite a
poor man but, never fear, for sooner or later you
will be ten times richer than you were before. You
may not take any medical advice when you are ill,
but receive the sacred water from the shrine and it
will cure you if you are faithful ; even if you do not
get well you will escape from the awful pains and
sufferings of the last hour."
The introduction of Buddhism in the sixth cen-Ups and
tury A.D. checked the development of Shintoism. Shinto. f
To a considerable extent, the two were combined,
30 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
but in the eighteenth century a "Revival of Pure
Shinto" was begun. Literary men became inter
ested in the ancient history of the country and began
a movement partly religious and partly political,
whose object was a renewal of reverence for the
Imperial family and a return to the old ways. This
movement had a good deal to do with the revolution
of 1868, by which the Shogunate was overthrown
and the government restored to the Emperor.
It has recently been officially declared that Shin-
toism is not a religion, but it cannot be doubted that
most frequenters of the shrine consider that they
worship divine beings.
The number of Shintoists in the Empire, accord
ing to the latest available returns, is 18,791,362
with 193,871 shrines and 16,093 priests. These
figures, of course, refer only to those who profess no
other religion and it should be borne in mind that
most, if not all, Buddhists in Japan arc also Shin
toists underneath.
Whatever influence Shintoism has had upon the
social and political life of Japan and however closely
it is interwoven with their customs and institutions,
Buddhism, for a thousand years past, has been the
most powerful religious force in the nation, and still
continues to be the religion of the common people.
After running a course of a millennium in India
and being superseded and banished by the Brahmins,
RELIGIONS
Buddhism reached Japan towards the close of the
sixth century A.D. by way of China and Korea.
After some opposition, it was adopted by many Buddhism
of the nobles but did not make much headway among
the people generally till the ninth century when a
priest, now known as Kobo Daishi, who had tra
velled in China and evidently there came into
contact with Nestorian Christians tried to combine
the two religions by teaching that the Shinto gods
and heroes were manifestations of Buddhist saints.
For this and other reasons, Japanese Buddhism has
assumed forms differing considerably from those
found in Clrna and still more from the religion as it
formerly flourished in India.
Buddhism in Japan is not simply a cold atheistic
philosophy, but has developed into a popular ritual
ism with an elaborate array of ceremonial and priest
craft, monks and nuns, shrines and relics, images and
altars, vestments and candles, fastings and indul
gences, pilgrimages and hermits. Its greatest tri
umphs were won in the thirteenth century by the
proselytizing zeal of two famous preachers, Shinran
and Nichiren.
Buddhism in Japan must not be thought of as a Divisions,
homogeneous body. It is divided into eight princi
pal sects two of which bear the names of the
preachers above mentioned and a great many sub-
sects, between some of which there is much an-
32 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
tagonism. A discussion of the various sects and
their doctrines would occupy too much space but it
might be well to mention a few.
Common There is no recognition of a Creator or Sovereign
Ruler of the universe,for the latter, so far as it has any
reality, is said to have been produced spontaneously.
There is belief in transmigration or reincarnation of
spirits. When a man dies the good or evil deeds
that he has wrought during life will lead to the pro
duction of a new being. This new being will be of
a higher or lower grade than the old in proportion
to the degree of merit or demerit in the latter. Thus
a man may be re-born as a woman or even as a beast
or a plant according to the degree of his evil deeds.
On the other hand, a meritorious life results in birth
into some higher class of humanity or as a blessed
spirit. All this is wrought by the law of cause and
effect; and, sooner or later, every evil deed will yield
its fruit of calamity and every good deed will bring
its happiness. Or, reasoning in the other direction,
every calamity or evil deed comes from something
in the past, and so could not be avoided. The suc
cession of birth and death is an evil, and salvation
from it is to be attained through the enlightenment
that enables one to see the illusory nature of all
things and so to cease from all desire.
Thus far all sects seem to be in agreement but
they differ widely as to the means by which this
RELIGIONS 33
enlightenment and consequent salvation, if absorp
tion into the infinite can be called such is to be
obtained.
Those sects which follow what is called the Holy
Path seek deliverance by the practice of the moral
and religious precepts and prohibitions of Buddhism
that is to say, by good works and virtuous actions. Buddhist
On the other hand, those of the "Pure Land"^ estan "
look upon this way of salvation as utterly impossible
for men in the present age of the world, this being,
according to Buddhist doctrine, the "Period of the
Latter Days of the Law, when the inferior capacities
of men arc dark, and they cannot tread the Holy
Path and rise to perfection." They consequently
seek deliverance by birth into the Pure Land of
Amida Buddha, an imaginary being of bygone ages.
This is the creed of the Shin sect, the most numerous
and active of Buddhist denominations at the present
time. On account of their doctrine of "Justification
by Faith they have been aptly designated the
Reformers, or Protestants, of Buddhism. This
sect alone provides a way of salvation for women.
It teaches that men of all classes and conditions and
in all ages of the world whether priests or laymen,
merchants or farmers, married or single, with or
without families, whether abstaining from flesh and
wine or not if they only believingly invoke Amida
Buddha, after this life they will be born into Heaven,
34 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
they will reach Nirvana. This sect is monothe
istic, worshipping only one Buddha. It upholds
a high standard of education, carries on missionary
work in China and Korea and has priests even in
Christian America, one of them being in charge of
a temple that has recently been erected at Van
couver, where our Canadian Church has been carry
ing on work among the Japanese for some years past.
A Great For thirty years or more there has been in process
of construction in the city of Kyoto the largest
temple in the land. It is the head temple, or cathed
ral, of the great Shin sect which claims a member
ship of more than 12,000,000 Japanese. The esti
mated cost was about $5,000,000 and when the work
of building was begun it was thought that the volun
tary contributions of the faithful were sufficient to
defray the expense. Before the building was nearly
completed, however, the priests in charge of the
work reported that their funds were exhausted.
This at once raised doubts as to their honesty and
an investigation was called for. Law suits followed
and a great scandal was the result. People were
disgusted and refused to provide money to pay off
the debt, which had been incurred to keep the work
going, so the building was taken possession of by
the sheriff for the protection of the credit or s^
Finally, by disposing of some of the valuable work
of art in possession of the temple and renewed a
RELIGIONS 35
peals to earnest Buddhists, further funds were
secured and it seems likely that the great and beauti
ful building will soon be finished. In connection
with this building something occurred which would
be hard to parallel as an illustration of devotion.
Thousands and thousands of women who were too
poor to contribute money, or who wished to give
additional proof of their devotion, cut off their hair,
twisted it into ropes and sent them to be used for
raising the immense timbers of the temple. These
ropes were 53 in number, their combined length
more than a mile and three-quarters and their
weight about nine tons. A large number of them
came from Niigata Prefecture and some from other
parts of the Missionary Jurisdiction of the Canadian
Church.
The head of the Shin sect to which this temple A Buddhist
belongs is regarded with the deepest veneration as ope
a living Buddha. So strong is the belief in the
sacredness of his person, which is not affected, it is
apparently thought, by the immorality of his private
life, that even the water of his bath is held to possess
miraculous power and is carefully bottled and pre
served for use in cases of serious illness. At the
funeral of the late High Priest, Count Otani Koson,
who died in the spring of 1902, 6,500 priests and
2,500 lay representatives from all parts of Japan
were in attendance at the chief ceremony.
36 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
The Outlook In order to understand the hold which this re-
Buddhism, ligion has upon the people the following words from
the pen of Prof. Chamberlain are quoted : "All
education was for centuries in Buddhist hands, as
was the care of the poor and sick ; Buddhism intro
duced art and medicine, moulded the folk-lore of the
country, created its dramatic poetry, deeply in
fluenced politics and every sphere of social and in
tellectual activity. In a word Buddhism was the
teacher under which the Japanese nation grew up.
That such a teacher could not be utterly discarded
and forgotten in a single generation must, we think,
be evident to all." The correctness of this state
ment seems unquestionable, but notwithstanding
this, and the further fact that strenuous efforts are
being made at reformation both in regard to teaching
and practice, very few of its votaries seem hopeful
about the future. Many declare it is going from
bad to worse. The newspapers are unsparing in
their denunciation of the immoralities of the priest
hood, and the confessions of some who have left its
ranks seem to justify the accusations that are made.
The following may be quoted as a fair sample of
such confessions : "Something that did trouble me
was the growing conviction that Buddhism had
reached the extremity of corruption. Strife and
scandal were rife everywhere. The chief priests
were grasping after worldly place and prosperity.
RELIGIONS 37
It is not a rare thing to see men with shaven heads
and attired in black garments wandering about in
prostitute quarters, or to find women living in
temples. The religion has no rallying power, no
inner life. It has contributed to our civilization in
the past but now it is exhausted."
It is noticeable in connection with the revival Adoption of
which has taken place in Buddhism during the past Christian
few years that its priests have adopted the methods,
and, to some extent, the teaching of the Christian
missionaries. Revival services are held, pastoral
visiting is engaged in, organizations of women and
young people have been formed, Sunday schools
have been organized and hymns for the children
written which are sung to the accompaniment of
an organ after the manner of Christians ; Buddhist
teaching is being disseminated in the form of little
books which look exactly like our pocket New Testa
ments ; the teaching of the Bible, to some extent,
is being preached as Buddhist doctrine, and it is
even stated by some that Buddhism and Christianity
are the same at the bottom but that Buddhism,
having developed in the East under different con
ditions, suits Japan as Christianity does Western
nations. It is, therefore, the belief of an increasing
number that Buddhism is preparing the way for the
Gospel and that the time is drawing near when the
fundamental difference between salvation IN sin,
38 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
as preached by Buddhism, and salvation FROM
sin as taught by the missionaries, will be realized
and a mighty turning to the Lord take place. One
of our own Canadian missionaries lately wrote :
"We missionaries are not here to destroy Buddhism,.
It is not the real enemy. The worst that can be
said about it is that it stands in our \vay, professing
to do what it is helpless to accomplish. Satan,
working through lust and avarice, is the real foe."
The latest Buddhist statistics give 51,185 priests,
72,177 temples and 28,621,584 nominal adherents.
Con- While they cannot be called religious or classed
fuciamsm. wifa Buddhism or Shintoism in their effect upon the
Japanese people, the philosophical teachings of Con
fucius, the great Chinese sage, were for a long time
very popular among the educated people of Japan.
The moral code of this great teacher supplemented
Shintoism and undoubtedly proved beneficial, in
many respects, to those who adopted it. Those
who professed to follow it were the first to accept
the atheistic, agnostic and materialistic philosophy
of the West which has now practically superceded it.
The teaching of Confucius was principally connected
with the "five relations" of father and son, ruler
and ruled, husband and wife, elder and younger
brothers, and friends. In Japan the first and second
of these were soon transposed, no doubt to bring
them into harmony with Shintoism which makes
loyalty the first and greatest of virtues.
RELIGIONS 39
During the past few years attention has beenBushido.
called to a teaching called BUSHIDO which means,
literally, " The Warrior s Way. This was the code
of ethics .which prevailed in feudal times and which
continues with diminishing force to influence the
military people of the present time. Some one has
called it Japonicised Confucianism." It was
chiefly Confucian in its constitution but gathered
both from Shintoism and Buddhism also. "From
the former it got loyalty and patriotism and from
the latter fatalism. It ignored personal chastity
(except in women) ; it encouraged suicide and re
venge ; but emphasized justice, courage, benevolence,
politeness, veracity, honour and self-control." Dr.
Nit obe s little book, "Bushido, the Soul of Japan,"
describes this "Warrior s Way in a very interesting
though flattering manner. The reading of this book
should be followed by the careful perusal of a treatise
on the same subject by the Rev. J. T. Imai, of St.
Andrew s Church, Tokyo. The following paragraph
from this excellent little pamphlet will indicate the
writer s attitude : "It sought out what was right,
but because it appropriated only what served its
own purpose it developed in a one sided way and
revealed a weaker side which lowered it. Let us
not be misled for a moment into supposing that the
Bushido spirit could ever have originated institutions
like the Red Cross Society, and such ideas as human-
40 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
ity to prisoners, generosity to the conquered, refrain
ing from loot, and respect for female virtue. These
are the right things and were recognized as the right
things when the spirit of Japan came in contact
directly or indirectly with Christianity through our
intercourse with the West. The same is true with
regard to conceptions of duty and honour. Japan
could not have risen to the height she has attained
without having come in contact with higher ideals
of duty and honour than she had of her o\vn. Let
Bushido then be praised and admired for its energy,
for its readiness to appreciate and receive what is
better, higher, and nobler than it had been, already ;
but let it not be idolized by having merits and deeds
ascribed to it which are not rightfully its own .
Some one has summed up these three" ways thus:
"Shintoism furnishes the object of worship, Con
fucianism offers the rules of life, and Buddhism sup
plies the way of future salvation. It was therefore
possible for a person to be a disciple of all these "doc
trines at the same time, and there are probably
to-day thousands of Japanese who would readily
accept Christianity if they could do so simply by
adding Jesus to their collection of deities giving Him
equal honour with Buddha and their ancestors, but
who find great difficulty in the intolerance of those
who insist that there is no other God but Jehovah.
EARLY TRADITIONS 41
CHAPTER III.
EARLY TRADITIONS FEUDALISM JESUIT
MISSION THE COUNTRY CLOSED
THE RE-OPENING THE RE
VOLUTIONNEW JAPAN.
I. EARLY TRADITIONS.
The present Emperor of Japan, Mutsuhito,
claims to be the 12 3rd sovereign in direct succession.
Remembering that King George V. is only the 32nd,
from William the Conqueror, we can form an idea
of the alleged antiquity of Japanese annals. The
first Emperor, Jimmu Tenno, whose date corres
ponds with 660 B.C., and who would be contem
porary with Manasseh, king of Judah, and Assur-
banipal, king of Assyria, is said to have had a goddess
for his mother, and to have come from heaven in a
boat. He is worshipped as a god at thousands of
shrines ; and on the yth of April, the traditional
day of his accession, salutes are fired in his honour
by the Krupp and Armstrong guns of modern
Japanese ironclads. From the earliest times down
to the twelfth century A.D., the government of
Japan was imperialism. The Emperor not only
reigned, but ruled.
THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
Yoritomo
the First
Shogun.
II. FEUDALISM.
Gradually, however, the Feudal System arose.
The great nobles, or Daimyos, in their fortified
castles, became more and more powerful and inde
pendent. Their armed retainers formed the military
class of SAMURAI, or "two-sworded men," so often
mentioned in descriptions of Old Japan. For many
centuries, coming down to our own day, Japan was
in much the same condition as Scotland is pictured
to us in the pages of Sir Walter Scott, parcelled
out among great clans, the chiefs of which professed
unbounded loyalty to the king while keeping much
of the real power in their own hands.
Towards the close of the twelfth century, Yori
tomo, chief of one of the clans, became military
master of the country, and usurped all the executive
authority of the State, while still acknowledging
the Emperor as his liege lord. He subsequently
received the title of SHOGUN (general), and laid the
foundation of the dual form of government which
lasted till 1868, nearly seven hundred years. He
made Kamakura his capital, and there the power
of the Shogun was chiefly centred until lyeyasu
transferred it to Yedo in the seventeenth century.
The Emperor held his court at the sacred capital
Kyoto, rarely appearing before his subjects, but
FEUDALISM 43
worshipped by them almost as a god ; while the
Shogun resided at his own capital, and virtually
governed the country. It was not, as has been
supposed, that the Emperor was spiritual and the
Shogun temporal head. The Shogun only ruled
in the Emperor s name. "Though individual Em
perors have been dethroned," writes Mr. Griffis,
"the prestige of the line has never suffered. The
loyalty or allegiance of the people has never
swerved." The dynasty is the oldest in the world.
The greatest of the Shoguns though he did Hideyoshi.
not claim the, title himself was Hideyoshi, better
known as Taiko Sama, who was born in a little
village called Nakamura, near Nagoya, and was
contemporary with our Queen Elizabeth. His
name is still a household word among the people,
and he is everywhere worshipped as a god under
the name of Toyokuni. It was he who banished
the Jesuit missionaries of whom we shall hear more
presently. On his death in 1 598, one of his generals,
lyeyasu, of the Tokugawa clan, usurped power, and j
after a severe struggle totally defeated his rivals on a
plain called Sekigahara, not far from Gifu, on Oct.
2nd, 1600. "This battle practically decided the
condition of Japan for over two centuries, the settle
ment of the Tokugawa family in hereditary succes
sion to the Shogunate, the fate of Christianity,
44
THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
Francis
Xavier.
Great
Success of
Jesuits.
the isolation of Japan from the world, the fixing
into permanency of the dual system of feudalism,
and the glory and greatness of Yedo as the Shogun s
capital."
III. THE JESUIT MISSION.
Marco Polo first revealed to Europe the existence
of Japan, in 1298, but it was not until 1542 that any
European reached the country, and then Portu
guese, Spanish, and Dutch traders literally poured
in. And they were not alone. In 1549 Francis
Xavier landed at Kagoshima, a port in the southern
island of Kiushiu, and subsequently proceeded on
foot in the depth of winter to Kioto, on the main
island. His reception, however, was not encourag
ing, and after about two years labours he left the
country.
Within five years his successors began to reap,
and Christian communities were rising in every
direction. Within thirty years the converts num
bered 150,000, and the churches 200. The Japanese
themselves give two millions as the figure ultimately
reached, but the Jesuits do not claim so many, and
perhaps half a million may be nearer the mark.
This was a great success ; to what is it to be attri
buted ? The answer is not far to seek. The
Jesuit priests gave the Japanese all the Buddhist
JESUIT MISSION 45
priests had given them gorgeous altars, imposing
processions, dazzling vestments, and all the scenic
display of sensuous worship but added to these
a freshness and fervour that quickly captivated
the imaginative and impressionable people. The
Buddhist preacher promised heavenly rest such
as it was only after transmigrations involving
many weary lives. The Jesuit preacher promised
immediate entrance into paradise after death to all
who received baptism. And there was little in the
Buddhistic paraphernalia that needed to be changed,
much less abandoned. The images of Buddha,
with a slight application of the chisel, served for
images of Christ. Each Buddhist saint found his
counterpart in Romish Christianity, and the road
side shrines of Kwanon, the goddess of mercy,
became centres of Mariolatry. Temples, altars,
bells, holy-water vessels, censers, rosaries, all were
ready, and were merely transferred from one reli
gion to the other.
There was also a political cause for the success
of the Jesuits. The Shogun of that day, Nobunaga,
hated the Buddhists, and openly favoured the mis
sionaries, thinking to make them a tool for his own
designs. Some of his subjects were ordered to
embrace Christianity or go into exile. The decree
was carried out with great cruelty. The spirit of
46 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
the Inquisition was introduced into Japan. Budd
hist priests were put to death, and their monasteries
burnt to the ground. The details are given, with
full approval, by the Jesuit Charlevoix in his "His-
toire du Christianisme au Japon."
Persecution. Rome in Japan took the sword, and perished
with the sword. Nobuiiaga s successor, the famous
Taiko Sama or Hideyoshi, found the Jesuits plotting
against his power ; and in 1587 he issued a decree
of expulsion against them. Under him and his
immediate successors, fire and sword were freely
used to extirpate Christianity. The unhappy vic
tims met torture and death with a fortitude that
compels our admiration ; and it is impossible to
doubt that, little as they knew of the pure Gospel
of Christ, there were true martyrs for His name
among the thousands that perished. They were
crucified, burnt at the stake, buried alive, torn
limb from limb, put to unspeakable torments ;
and historians on both sides agree that but few
apostatized. At length in 1637, the Christians
struck a last desperate blow for freedom. They
rose in Kiushiu, fortified an old castle at Shima-
bara, and raised the flag of revolt ; but after a
two months siege they were compelled to surrender,
and thirty-seven thousand were massacred, many,
it is said, being hurled from the rock of Pappen-
JESUIT MISSION 47
burg, near the harbour of Nagasaki. This was
their expiring effort.
IV. THE COUNTRY CLOSED.
The Christianity which Rome had presented Christianity
to the Japanese was thus formally suppressed ; Su PP ressed -
but in Kiushiu a considerable number of descendants
of the Roman adherents appeared when the country
was at last opened, and formed the nucleus of the
present Romanist community. Meanwhile, the
name of Christ, writes Mr. Griffis, was remembered
as "the synonym of sorcery, sedition, and all that
was hostile to the purity of the home, and the peace
of society." For two hundred and thirty years
the following inscription appeared on the public
boards at every roadside, at every city gate, and
in every village throughout the empire : "So long
as the sun shall warm the earth, let no Christian
be so bold as to come to Japan ; and let all know
that the King of Spain himself, or the Christian s
God, or the great God of all, if he violate this com
mand, shall pay for it with his head."
For two hundred and thirty years Japan was Foreigners
closed to the outer world. In 1624, all foreigners l
except Dutch and Chinese were banished from
Japan. At the same time, the Japanese were for
bidden to leave the country, and all vessels above
48 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
a very small size were ordered to be destroyed.
Even the Dutch had to submit to very humiliating
terms. They were entirely confined to a little
artificial islet, 600 feet by 200, in Nagasaki Harbour,
called Deshima ; and a strong Japanese guard
always held the small bridge connecting it with
the mainland. The Chinese were allowed to live 1
in Nagasaki itself, but at no other port.
Why were the Dutch exempted ? In the first
place it was because to them the Government owed
the discovery of the Jesuit plots. One of their
vessels intercepted a letter to the King of Portugal
asking for troops to overthrow the Emperor ; and
they eagerly seized the opportunity to discredit
their Portuguese rivals. In the second place, they
carefully abstained from all profession of Chris
tianity. One of them being taxed with his belief,
replied, "No, I am not a Christian ; I am a Dutch
man."
At intervals efforts were made to push open the
closed door, but in vain. Charles II. sent a vessel
to Japan, but it was not allowed to trade because
the Dutch had informed the Japanese authorities
that Charles had married the daughter of the King
of Portugal. In 1695, a Chinese junk was sent
away from Nagasaki because a Chinese book on
board was found to contain a description of the
Romish cathedral at Peking.
THE RE-OPENING 49
V. THE RE-OPENING.
The opening of Japan in modern times is due
to the United States. On July 8th, 1853, a squadron
commanded by Commodore Perry entered the Commodore
Gulf of Yedo bearing a letter for the Emperor of Perry.
Japan from the President of the United States. At
first the Shogun s officials refused to hold any com
munication with the Commodore, as a foreigner,
unless he would go to Nagasaki ; but after some
little delay his courteous firmness had the desired
effect, and a noble of high rank was sent to receive
the letter. Eight months later the Commodore
appeared again with a larger fleet and insisted
upon the conclusion of a formal treaty. Strenuous
opposition was offered by the Japanese, but after
prolonged negotiations a treaty of peace and amity
was signed on March 3ist, 1854, by which two
ports were opened to American trade. Other
nations were not slow to claim similar advantages,
but it was only under much pressure that the Japa
nese granted them.
The first treaty, though giving foreigners but Early
few privileges, opened the way for gaining more, J^ orei ? n
and in 1858, Townsend Harris, the representative
of the United States, after long and patient labours,
succeeded in negotiating a new treaty. A few
50 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
weeks later, Lord Elgin, fresh from his triumphs
in China, where the treaty of Tien-tsin had been
signed six weeks before, entered the Gulf of Yedo
with a British squadron and sailed right up to the
Shogun s capital, to the consternation of the authori
ties, who were shrewd enough to see that their old
policy of isolation could no longer be maintained,
and gave the British ambassador very little trouble.
Within a fortnight the treaty of Yedo was signed,
on August 26th, by which several ports were opened
and other important concessions granted. This
treaty, though several times supplemented, remained
the basis of our relations with Japan until August
ist, 1899, when our present treaty came into opera
tion.
The treaties of 1858 were obviously unfair to
Japan as they restricted her rights in regard to
imposing duties on imports and also provided for
a system of extra-territoriality, by \vhich foreigners
charged with crime were tried in the consular courts
of their own nationality. The latter provision was,
no dovibt, wise, in view of the condition of the country
at that time, but the rapid progress in Western ways
which began shortly afterwards soon rendered it
unnecessary, and the former restriction could never
be justified except by the assertion that " might is
right." For years Japanese statesmen laboured
THE RE-OPENING 51
to get these treaties revised on more favourable
terms ; but foreign nations held together, and to
formulate something that would be satisfactory to
them all, with their conflicting interests, came
finally to be regarded as hopeless. At last Great Treat
Britain decided to deal with Japan independently, Revision
and in 1894 the Japanese were rejoiced to hear
that a treaty had been signed by representatives of
the two countries which granted, after July, 1899,
judicial and tariff autonomy to Japan. British
subjects, after the same date, were to be permitted
to travel, reside and carry on business freely through
out the Empire. Similar treaties were afterwards
negotiated with other countries, and Japan soon
found herself received as an equal into the sister
hood of nations.
In order to dispose of the subject of treaties,
we have run ahead quite a distance and must now
return. The early treaties were never acceptable
to the Daimyos for two reasons : (i) They were
made by the Shogun, whose authority they were
loath to recognize, and (2) they admitted to the
sacred "land of the gods" the rude barbarians who
had caused so much trouble in bygone years, and
were therefore detestable, and to be kept out at
all costs. For ten years there was constant friction
and sometimes bloodshed, resulting on two occasions
52 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
in the bombardment of Japanese towns by foreign
ships. Finally a tremendous internal upheaval
took place, which is generally spoken of as the
"Revolution," but which the Japanese prefer to
call the "Restoration."
VI. THE REVOLUTION.
In the year 1868 Japan experienced one of the
most astonishing revolutions in the history of the
world.
What was this Revolution ? It was (i) the
abolition of the Shogunate after it had lasted, with
slight interruptions, for seven hundred years ; (2)
the resumption by the Emperor of the reins of
government ; (3) the voluntary surrender by the
Daimyos of their feudal powers and privileges into
the hands of the central government ; (4) the
adoption of the European system of Departments
of State, with a responsible minister at the head
of each.
Though to outsiders this great event seemed
sudden and to have been caused by the Shogun s
action in making treaties with foreign nations, it
had in reality many other causes and was the con
summation of a long period of preparation for a
change.
THE REVOLUTION 53
For a century or more the Daimyos had been Causes,
jealous of the exclusive powers wielded by the
Shogun, who was properly only one of themselves,
and gradually became more and more restive. At
the same time an important intellectual movement
was influencing the political views of the educated
classes. A revival of Chinese learning which
sprang up at the end of the seventeenth century,
imbued the Japanese mind with the ethics of Con
fucius, who taught lofty ideas of the reverence due
to the sovereign. The publication, in 1715, of
the "Dai Nihon Shi" History of Great Japan, in
243 volumes the great purpose of which was to
exalt the sole authority of the Emperor, powerfully
stimulated these ideas. A revival of Shintoism
also helped the movement for the study of the old
books of this cult, showed that the Emperor had
anciently been revered as the representative of the
gods ; and when the Revolution came, a cry arose
for the abolition of Buddhism, which was identified
with the Shogunate. The Shogun who made the
treaties with foreigners died shortly afterwards
under suspicious circumstances, and his successor
was brought into constant collision with foreigners
in consequence of the deeds of violence and blood
shed which the Samurai perpetrated at the insti
gation of the Daimyos. Gradually, however, they
54 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
began to discover that the treaties could not be
got rid of and that the admission of foreigners to
the country was not so prejudicial to their interests
as they expected it would be. This did not, how
ever, lessen their opposition to the Shogun, especially
as they had begun to feel that the very existence of
their nation depended on the consolidation of
authority.
How Accom- The party of progress, on the death of the Em-
plished. p cr or Komei in 1867, his son Mutsuhito being only
fifteen years of age, seized the opportunity to
push their designs. They persuaded Keiki, a timid
and vascilating man, to resign the Shogunate ;
and then, to insure complete success, on January
3rd, 1868, they seized the palace at Kyoto and pro
ceeded to administer the Government in the name
of the Emperor. Civil war ensued. In a
desperate battle fought at Fushimi, a place between
Kyoto and Osaka, which began on Jan. 27th, and
lasted three days, the Shogun s army was totally
defeated ; and, although the northern clans con
tinued the contest on their own ground, the Imperial
forces were everywhere victorious, and within a
few months the young Emperor was undisputed
ruler of all Japan.
The Shogun submitted at once and was allowed
to take up his residence in the city of Shizuoka.
THE REVOLUTION 55
where for many years he lived in retirement ; but
some time ago he removed to the Capital, where he
was often seen taking exercise on a bicycle on the
excellent roads in the neighbourhood of the palace
in which he used to live. Great clemency was
shown even to the leaders who held out longest,
and the very last to lay down his arms, a nobleman
named Enomoto, soon afterwards became his
country s representative at the court of St. Peters
burg, and subsequently held other high offices.
The young Emperor thus brought out from The Charter
behind the screen of ages and placed at the head Oath<
of the State, in the presence of feudal lords and
court nobles took an oath which indicated the
policy Japan was henceforth to follow and which
has been persistently adhered to ever since. It
is the proud boast of his subjects that this "Charter
Oath" of Japan was not obtained by coercion,
but voluntarily taken by their Emperor. It is
such an important document that the following
summary may at least be given :
1. A deliberative assembly shall be formed,
and all measures be decided by public opinion.
2. The principles of political and social econo
mics shall be diligently studied by both the superior
and the inferior classes of our people.
56 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
3. Every one in the community shall be assisted
to persevere in carrying out his will for all good
purposes.
4. All the old absurd usages of former times
shall be disregarded, and the impartiality and justice
displayed in the workings of nature be adopted as
a basis of action.
5. Wisdom and ability shall be sought after in
all quarters of the world for the purpose of firmly
establishing the foundations of the Empire.
Change of A few months later the court removed to Yedo
the seat of the former Shogunate, its name being
changed to Tokyo, which means "Eastern Capital";
Kyoto being re-named Saikyo or "Western Capital."
Within two years there followed another remark
able phase of this wonderful Revolution, or Resto
ration. It became clear to the victorious Daimyos,
under the influence of men who had seen something
Abolition of f Western civilization, that the weak point in the
Feudalism, new policy was their own feudal power, and that
if the Emperor was to reign over a mighty and
united empire, a centralized government was
essential. In the enthusiastic tide of patriotism
personal interests were swept aside, and the leading
Daimyos, to enable their country so said their
public manifesto "to take its place side by side
with the other countries of the world," voluntarily
NEW JAPAN 57
surrendered the whole of their feudal rights, lands
and revenues into the hands of the Imperial Govern
ment, and took the position of private gentlemen,
their retainers being exhorted to give their entire
allegiance directly to the Emperor. Thus the clans
were absorbed in the nation and the illustrious
career of New Japan was begun.
VII. NEW JAPAN.
In pursuance of the policy set forth in the Education.
Imperial Oath, the new Government immediately
began to employ foreign instructors in the army,
navy, public works and educational institutions
of various kinds which sprang into existence with
great rapidity. Several Protestant missionaries
from the United States, who had been in the country
since 1859, engaged in educational work in a quiet
way, because the teaching of Christianity was
strictly prohibited, now found greater opportunities
for usefulness. The most notable of these men in
this regard was Dr. Verbeck, who had much to do
with the founding of the Imperial University at
Tokyo, and for fifteen years was practically its head.
In accordance with another clause of the Imperial The Iwakura
oath that "wisdom and ability should be sought
after in all parts of the world," an embassy con
sisting of nobles and ministers of high rank, was
58 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
sent to America and Europe at the close of 1871.
It was headed by Prince Iwakura, the Minister of
Foreign Affairs, and one of the most enlightened
men of the progressive party. This was done on
the advice of Dr. Verbcck, who also mapped out
the course that was followed and of the seventy
persons composing the party about one-half had
been his pupils. One of the objects of this embassy
was to secure a revision of the treaties made by
the late Shogun. In this it failed, but many things
were learned in Western lands that had a great
influence on the future of Japan.
Progress. Space does not permit of even a brief sketch of
the wonderful progress made by Japan during the
past forty years, but the following list of important
events may help to give some idea of what has taken
place to those who have not kept themselves posted
on the subject.
1869. The Imperial Oath and the opening of
additional ports.
1870. Construction of lighthouses and tele
graph lines begun.
1871. Feudal System abolished ; Eta enfran
chised ; postal system ; mint and dock established.
1872. Imperial University founded and first
newspaper published.
NEW JAPAN 50
1873. Anti-Christian edicts withdrawn ; Gre
gorian Calendar adopted and first audience granted
by Empress to foreign ladies.
1876. Sunday proclaimed a national holiday.
1880. Prefectural Assemblies established and
Penal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure pro
mulgated.
1882. Bank of Japan opened.
1884. English introduced into High Schools.
1885.- Organization of Japan Mail Steamship
Company (Nippon Yusen Kaisha).
1889. Promulgation of the Constitution on
February nth, the reputed date of the foundation
of the Empire by Jimmu Tcnno, B.C. 660. Local
self-government established .
1890. First National Election and Imperial
Diet opened. Civil and Commercial Codes pro
mulgated.
1894-5. War with China and acquisition of
Formosa.
1897. Freedom of Press and Public Meeting
granted. Gold Standard adopted.
1899. Country fully opened to trade, travel,
and residence by revised treaties on terms of equality.
Marriage of Crown Prince.
1900. Participation with great powers of Chris
tendom in relief of Tientsin and besieged legations
at Peking.
60 TPIE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
Amongst the above the two important events
from the missionary standpoint are the withdrawal
of the anti-Christian edicts of 1873 and the pro
mulgation of the Constitution in 1889. This
" Magna Charta " of Japan granted not only political
and social privileges, but also religious liberty. The
twenty-eighth article reads as follows : "Japanese
subjects shall, within limits not prejudicial to peace
and order, and not antagonistic to their duties as
subjects, enjoy freedom of religious belief."
THE PERIOD OF PREPARATION 61
CHAPTER IV.
MODERN MISSIONS.
I. THE PERIOD OF PREPARATION.
1859-1872.
As the United States was the first nation to First Mis-
.. . j 1 1 r T 1 sionaries.
succeed in reopening the door 01 Japan, so her
missionaries were the first to enter it with the
Gospel ; and to the Protestant Episcopal Church
belongs the high honour of being the pioneer.
On May 2nd, 1859, two months before the time
set by the treaties for the admission of foreigners,
the Rev. J. Liggins arrived at Nagasaki, where he
was joined a month later by the Rev. C. M. Wil
liams, who, like himself, had for some time been
a missionary in China.
In October of the same year, Dr. J. C. Hepburn,
a medical missionary of the American Presbyterian
Board, landed at Kanagawa ; in November, the
Rev. R. S. Brown and B. D. Simmons, M.D., of
the Reformed Dutch Church in America, reached
the same port, and a week later the Rev. Guido
F. Verbeck, also of the Reformed Church, arrived
at Nagasaki. In the following April came the
Rev. J. Goble, who had been with Perry s expedi-
62 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
tion and was sent by the American Baptist Free
Missionary Society, and thus, within a year from
the opening of the treaty ports to foreign residence,
four American societies were represented by five
ordained and two medical missionaries.
For a period of ten years these four were the only
missionary societies occupying the field, but in the
year 1869 representatives of two of the most vigorous
organizations that have worked in Japan came upon
the scene. These were the Church Missionary
Society of England, whose first missionary, the Rev.
The CMS ^ eor 2 e Ensor, reached Nagasaki in January ; and
the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign
Missions (Congregationalist) , whose first repre
sentative, the Rev. D. C. Greene, arrived towards
the close of the year, and is still a vigorous mis
sionary in Tokyo. Each of these societies had
been encouraged to commence work in Japan by
having a large sum of money placed at its disposal
for this very purpose.
With the exception of the Woman s Union Mis
sionary Society of America, which sent some ladies
to Yokohama to open a school, no others entered
the field till 1873, when a new era began in the
history of the work. At that time there were, as
an active force in the field, twenty-one men and
five women. These thirteen years since the advent
THE PERIOD OF PREPARATION 63
of the first missionary have been aptly called the
Period of Preparation.
The pioneer missionaries were in circumstances
of no little discouragement and difficulty, not to Years
say danger, for several years after they entered
upon their work. The Government viewed them
with suspicion ; the people, though by no means
hostile, were distant and timid ; and all classes
dreaded Christianity as a pestilential creed whose
introduction would bring manifold evils upon the
country. Official spies were frequently sent to
the missionaries, ostensibly to make friends with
them, but really to discover what object these un
official and non-trading foreigners had in coming
to Japan. One man afterwards confessed that he
became Dr. Hepburn s teacher in the hope of finding
a good opportunity to assassinate him. Even in
private the greatest caution was necessary in dealing
with visitors ; for, so much were the consequences
of being suspected of favouring Christianity feared,
that whenever the subject was mentioned to a
Japanese he would involuntarily put his hand to
his throat as a token of danger to which the intro
duction of such a subject exposed him. Some
young men who, in these early days, came to a
missionary to learn a little English, purchased
copies of a book called "The Christian Reader,"
64 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
and at once erased the word "Christian" from the
title page and cover, for fear it would be noticed
by others and bring them into trouble.
Opportuni- Even then, when open missionary work was an
ties for Use- . i 1- 1
fulness. impossibility and any attempt at public preaching
would have invited disaster, the personal influence
of the missionaries was making itself felt, and the
disposal by them of numerous copies of the Holy
Scriptures and other books in Chinese which
were imported for circulation among the educated
Distribution classes, who studied and read Chinese as a classical
of Scriptures , -1,1 1 1 , r , ^
language earned the light or Christian truth to
places far away from the treaty ports. Almost
from the very first there were some earnest, though
timid, seekers after the truth, whose number in
creased year by year, and a few even ventured to
receive baptism privately.
A door of special usefulness was opened to the
missionaries by the desire of many young men to
Instruction receive instruction in the English language. In
in English. .1861, the Shogun s court itself, and many who
have since held high offices of state or other posi
tions of influence, were pupils of the missionaries.
They not only learned to read English, but some
of them afterwards became Christians ; while
others, who did not accept the religion of their
instructors, received ideas in regard to morals,
THE PERIOD OF PREPARATION 65
business, education, and the science of government
that affected their whole tone of thought and re
appeared in many of the reforms they afterwards
instituted.
The Restoration, at first, made no difference to Desire for
the missionaries. Notice was given by the Govern- Knowledge
ment that the old edict forbidding Christianity
was still in force, and the strictest watch should be
kept on all suspected persons, while rewards were
offered for such information as would lead to the
detection and arrest of those guilty of disregarding
the edict. There was, however, a noticeable
increase in the number of young men desirous of
learning what the missionaries had to teach in the
way of Western knowledge, and a great change was
at hand.
This Embassy, which left Japan in the autumn Neeshima
of 1871, proceeded first to the United States. Being j^ktira
without an efficient interpreter, Prince Iwakura, Embassy.
the head of the company, was glad to secure the
services of a young Japanese named Neeshima,
who, at the risk of his life, had run away from his
country some years before, and with great difficulty
had reached Boston, where he fell into the hands of
a kind Christian man named Hardy, by whom he
was being educated at Yale. Neeshima was an
earnest and well instructed Christian, and the
66 THE ISLAND EMPIRE oP THE EAST
members of the Embassy soon discovered two
things : (i) that Christianity, at least in its non-
Roman form, was not open to the objections they
had been accustomed to regard as inseparable from
it ; (2) that the Japanese intolerance of Christianity
was prejudicial to the interests of their country
in the eyes of the Western people. Accordingly,
in an early report to his Government the Prince
wrote : "We are fighting a good thing when we
fight ChrivStianity, and the edicts against it posted
up all over the Empire, are hurting Japan in the
eyes of the world. I think it would be well to remove
them."
Anti-Chris- This recommendation was soon acted upon,
Removed 8 an( ^ thc not ^ ces disappeared as if by magic. On
the morning of February igth, 1873, the missionaries
woke up to find them gone.
"The laws against Christianity arc not repealed,"
the Government said, "but the notice-boards are
no longer needed. They have been so long before
the eyes of the people that the laws are printed on
their minds." In spite of these explanations, the
people soon began to regard what had been done as
equivalent to the repeal of the edicts, and the
Government, anxious to avoid offending the Chris
tian sentiment of Western nations, was not averse
to such a construction being put upon its action,
THE PERIOD OF PREPARATION 67
and was better able to ignore breaches of the law
when its existence was less conspicuous.
Just one year, however, before the disappearance
of the old edicts, an event of great importance had
taken place. The missionaries living in Yokohama
had for some years observed the Week of Prayer A Week of
appointed by the Evangelical Alliance. In 1872
their prayers were particularly earnest and impor
tunate, and, for the first time, some of their Japanese
pupils attended and began to pray with them.
This was indeed encouraging, and was regarded as
a sign that the days of waiting were drawing to a
close. The prayer meetings were prolonged beyond
the customary week ; in fact they were continued
for three months, during which the first congre
gation of Protestant Christians in Japan was
organized with eleven members, nine of whom
(having been brought to a decision during the course
of the prayer meetings) received baptism at that
time.
This church, at first, did not belong to any par
ticular communion, but later on came into connec
tion with the Presbyterians. It was called the
Church of Christ in Japan, the name adopted some
years later by the several Presbyterian bodies when
they united in one organization.
THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
It is interesting to recall the fact that it was in
the year 1872 that the Archbishop of Canterbury
first asked that an Annual Day of Intercession for
Missions should be observed.
The statistics of this "Period of Preparation"
require few figures, as only fifteen converts were
reported during the fourteen years. Figures, how
ever, often do not represent the whole truth, and
this is certainly the case here. The real results
of the period were accurately but briefly sum
marized by Dr. Verbcck in a paper read before the
First General Conference of Protestant Missionaries
held in Yokohama in 1872, as follows :
1. The missionaries, as a body, had gained the
respect and confidence of the people.
2. The people no longer regarded Christianity
with horror and aversion.
3. Thousands of volumes of Chinese Bibles and
other Christian literature had been, circulated.
4. The Japanese language had been diligently
studied, and much useful literary work had been
done, including the translation of portions of the
vScriptures.
5. Much dispensary work had been done.
6. Education of the young of both sexes had
made a small beginning.
THE PERIOD OF PREPARATION 69
7. Foreign communities were regularly supplied
with services and preaching.
8. Many earnest prayers and supplications had
been offered.
9. One joyful day of harvest had come towards
the close of the period. These results certainly
represent thorough preparation for the work to
come.
II. THE PERIOD OF POPULARITY.
1873-1888.
The year 1873 marked the commencement of a Causes.
new epoch. As has already been stated, the edicts
against Christianity were taken down early in this
year. About the same time there came from Mr.
Mori, the ambassador to Washington, a draft of a
proposed Religious Charter, granting full religious
liberty, and also a pamphlet in which, while telling
what he had seen of Christianity, he said : "The
growing influence of the Bible is wonderful and
makes itself felt everywhere. The Bible contains
an overpowering force of liberty and justice, guided
by the united strength of wisdom and goodness."
Other influences tended to make the official and
educated classes regard religion with more favour.
There began to spring up a strong desire to Influence of
adopt Western customs and ideas. Christianity, World.
70 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
as the religion of England and America, was at
least worthy of attention. It soon became easy to
gather audiences to listen to preaching. The mis
sionaries had numerous callers, who came to inquire
about machinery, electricity, European customs,
Christianity, and other things that in the mind of
the people were closely associated. In a few years
Christian schools for young men and young women
became crowded. The movement continued to
gain strength until, in 1884, some statesmen and
public leaders began to urge that Christianity be
adopted as the national religion, one of them pro
posing that the Emperor at once receive baptism.
There were large additions to the churches, and, no
doubt, many were admitted whose mouths uttered
devout confessions while their hearts were little
affected by the truth. In looking back over those
days it is easy to see that with many persons the
Christian religion was regarded chiefly as bringing
good to the nation by advancing civilization.
Japanese preachers and foreign missionaries had
much to say of the fruits of Christianity as shown
in the history and present condition of Western
lands. An appeal to patriotism was that which
found the most ready response, and there was a
temptation to use it too constantly. Statesmen and
politicians who favoured constitutional government
THE PERIOD OF POPULARITY 71
and popular rights, invited preachers to hold meet
ings in the cities where they lived, believing that
the spread of Christianity would tend to advance
their ends.
It must not be supposed that all this could go Opposition
on without exciting opposition. In some places B U( jdhists.
the churches or the houses of Christians were
stoned, while preachers were occasionally assaulted.
Buddhist priests held meetings in which they
denounced Christianity and declared that those
who accepted it were traitors who wished to deliver
their country into the hands of foreigners. They
formed societies whose members promised that they
would have nothing to do with the foreign religion.
Some went so far as to oppose everything foreign.
One priest travelled about the country urging the
people not to use kerosene oil, since it came from a
foreign land, and they ought to be satisfied with
the light their fathers had used. Several tracts
against Christianity were issued by the Buddhists
and, in some cases, foreigners were employed to
compose them. Col. Olcott, the American theoso-
phist, who visited Japan in 1888, was hailed as a
valuable ally and employed to give lectures in
different parts of the country. This last experi
ment did not prove very satisfactory, and after a
few meetings the remaining engagements for lee-
72 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
tures were cancelled. The Buddhists also entered
the political arena. When several Christians were
nominated for the first Imperial Parliament, the
priests offered strong opposition, and it was a bitter
disappointment to them that a Christian was elected
in Kyoto, their stronghold, where they had been
most active in their opposition.
Imitation of A more commendable way of upholding Budd-
Ins^itutions ^ sm was ^7 the imitation of Christian institutions.
Where Christians established schools for young men,
the Buddhists built others under their own control ;
when the Christians had succeeded in arousing an
interest in the education of girls, the Buddhists,
unmindful of the low estimate they had always
put on women, opened schools for girls. In the
same way they speedily imitated Young Men s
Christian Associations, women s meetings, orphan
ages, temperance societies, summer schools, and
other institutions inaugurated by the Christians.
It has sometimes seemed as though one of the most
marked results of missionary effort in Japan has
been, as remarked by the "Japan Mail," to give a
new impetus to religious life in general, even to
H Buddhism, whose adherents could be heard saying,
"If we do not arouse ourselves, we cannot hope to
hold our own over against this energetic, inde
fatigable propaganda."
THE PERIOD OF POPULARITY 73
This period is remarkable for the increase it Increase of
witnessed in the number of Missionary Societies
and their agents, as well as for the growth of the
native churches. At the close of 1872 there w^ere
only thirty-one missionaries in the field, ten
years later there w^ere one hundred and forty-five,
and at the end of 1888 the number had increased
to 451 ; including 150 married couples, 27 single
men and 124 single women. That the efforts of
these labourers, gathered together from various
parts of America and Europe, had not been "in
vain in the Lord" is shown by the fact that the
single congregation of eleven members of the year
1872 had, at the close of. 1888, become a great
company of 249 congregations, 92 of w r hich were
self-supporting, with a membership of 25,514.
A native ministry was also being raised up, A Native
there being at the close of the period 142 native
ministers, and 247 unordained preachers and helpers.
In the same year the contributions of the native
Christians amounted to over $32,000.
The first Japanese to become a Christian minister
was none other than the able and devout Neeshima, Neeshima
before mentioned, who entered the Congregational
ministry in Massachusetts in 1874. The first
Japanese to be admitted to the ministry in Japan
was Mr. Sawayama, in 1877, also a Congrega-
tionalist and educated in the U.S.A.
74
THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
The Bible in The Translation Committee appointed by the
Japanese.
United
Work.
united conference of missionaries, held in Yoko
hama in 1872, proceeded with its work at once and
the whole of the New Testament was published
in Japanese in 1880. In 1878 a Translation Com
mittee for the Old Testament was appointed at a
"delegate convention" of missionaries in Tokyo ;
but in 1880 a new committee was chosen which
completed its labours in 1888, so that since that
date the Scriptures have been in circulation among
the Japanese and copies have been accepted by
their Majesties the Emperor and Empress. About
that time the British and Foreign Bible Society
and the American Bible Society made an arrange
ment for co-operating in the work of circulating
the Scriptures and, under a committee called "The
Bible Societies Committee for Japan," splendid
work has been done which has been increasing
rapidly from year to year.
As indicated by the United Conferences already
mentioned the spirit of union and co-operation has
been strong among the Christian communions, other
than the Greek and Roman, in Japan, from the very
commencement of their work. Two Bible Societies
have for years been working as one, and the same
may be said of the Religious Tract Society of Great
Britain and the American Tract Society, both of
THE PERIOD OF POPULARITY 75
which early sent their representatives to co-operate
with the missionaries. More than this has, how
ever, been accomplished. In 1877 the several
Presbyterian bodies joined in the organization of
"The United Church of Christ of Japan," which
is still the largest body of Protestant Christians in
the Empire, and has exerted a mighty influence for
good. Ten years later the various branches of the
Anglican communion united in one Japanese Church
known as the NIPPON SEI KOKWAI, with which we
shall deal more at length later on. About the same
time an earnest effort was made to unite the Church
of Christ, mentioned above, and the Congregational
churches, which ranked next to the Presbyterians
in numbers and probably equalled them in influence.
This effort culminated in complete failure, but is not
unlikely to be taken up again, and it is interesting
to note that the rock on which the plan for union
split was not doctrine, but church government.
Space does not permit of anything in the way of
detailed reference to the great educational mis
sionary work which was begun in the period under
review, and which has done much to produce th?
large number of competent native workers of both
sexes now taking such a prominent part in the
work of the various churches founded by the mis
sionaries. For the same reason, one can only
76 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
mention other important forms of work, more or
less Christian and missionary in character, such as
hospitals, orphanages, the Red Cross Society, the
Young Men s and Young Women s Christian Asso
ciations, Publishing Houses, Temperance Organi
zations, etc.
III. THE PERIOD OF REACTION.
1889-1(899.
The great movement in favour of Christianity
reached its height about the year 1888, and it was
not long before indications of a change of attitude
on the part of a considerable number of the people
became apparent. This is not to be wondered at,
for there had been such a craze for things foreign
that occidentalization had been carried to an
extreme, and there can be no doubt that, under
these circumstances, Christianity had been accepted
by some at least simply as a part of Western civi
lization.
There were, of course, other reasons among
which may be mentioned :
Rising i. A feeling of resentment against the Christian
Spirit 1 ** 1 nations of the West for refusing to revise the one
sided treaties made with Japan years before when
she was not in a position to know what she was
doing. Conservatives were not slow to take ad van-
THE PERIOD OF REACTION 77
tage of this to stir up a strong anti-foreign senti
ment. "Preserve the national spirit" became the
watch-cry of many, and it is not to be wondered
at that even Christian ministers and prominent
laymen should have been affected by this national
spirit, and began criticizing the missionaries as well
as the countries from which they came.
2. Doctrinal discussions arose among pastors Doctrinal
and evangelists, many of whom could read English l erences -
books and magazines, and thus learned of the
theological unrest of other lands. The Unitarians
of America sent a missionary or two who scattered
their literature throughout the country, and suc
ceeded in shaking the faith of some. Certain
young men also who had been to the United States
for theological training, probably more for the sake
of showing that they had learned something new
that the missionaries did not teach than that they
believed the teaching themselves, gave utterance
to novel views of various kinds.
3. The war with China in 1894-5, also affected National
Christian work unfavourably in two ways ; it
tended to "stimulate both the military spirit and
the national confidence to a harmful degree" ; and
it contributed largely to the development of material
prosperity which proved so engrossing to many,
that their moral and religious impulses were deadened,
7 8 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
to the hindrance of Christian work. It should be
pointed out, however, that the war was also bene
ficial in some respects, particularly in providing
unusual opportunities for the circulation of the
Scriptures among the soldiers and in proving that
Christianity did not, as claimed by opponents,
weaken the feelings of courage and patriotism.
The Imperial 4. The Imperial Rescript on Education, issued
Education! 1 ^ n ^QO, has been widely, and to a large extent
successfully, used by the enemies of Christianity
who claim that Christian ethics arc not in harmony
with this document, and that those who acknow
ledge any other standard of morality as of equal
authority with the edict, are disloyal. In the
schools of Japan, once a year or oftener, it is read
with much ceremony, while the pupils, with their
heads reverently bowed, listen to its words. Since
it is regarded with so much honour, and references
to it are frequently made in the correspondence
of missionaries, it may be well to give the authorized
translation of the document :
"Our Imperial Ancestors have founded Our
Empire on a basis broad and everlasting, and have
deeply and firmly implanted virtue. Our subjects
ever united in loyalty and filial piety have from
generation to generation illustrated the beauty
thereof. This is the glory and the fundamental
THE PERIOD OF REACTION 79
character of Our Empire, and herein also lies the
source of Our education. Ye, Our subjects, be
filial to your parents, affectionate to your brothers
and sisters ; as husbands and wives be harmonious ;
as friends be true ; bear yourself in modesty and
moderation ; extend your benevolence to all ;
pursue learning and cultivate arts, and thereby
develop intellectual faculties and perfect moral
powers ; furthermore, advance public good and
promote common interest ; always respect the
Constitution and observe the laws ; should emer
gency arise, offer yourselves courageously to the
State ; and thus guard and maintain the prosperity
of Our Imperial Throne coeval with the heaven
and the earth. So shall ye not only be Our good
and faithful subjects, but render illustrious the best
traditions of your forefathers. The Way here set
forth is indeed the teaching bequeathed by Our
Imperial Ancestors, to be observed alike by Their
Descendants and the subjects, infallible for all ages
and true in all places. It is Our wish to lay it to
heart in all reverence, in common with you, Our
subjects, that we may thus all attain to the same
virtue."
It is a singular fact that the Department of
Education is one of the most conservative institu
tions in Japan. It has often failed to keep pace
8o
THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
Opposition
Challenge
with the general progress, and it was here that
reactionary spirit lingered longer than anywhere
else.
It has sometimes been stated that the object of
tho Japanese educational system seems to be to
train officials along narrow lines rather than to edu
cate the people generally on broad and liberal prin
ciples. No doubt much improvement has recently
taken place but the most serious opposition encoun
tered by missionaries so far has come from the school
teachers, including, at least a few, educationalists
of high rank.
In 1897 a movement, which seemed to be in the
interests of a revived and modified Shintoism, was
inaugurated. Its promoters, among whom were
included professors in the Imperial University and
other influential men, issued a challenge to all
Japanese Christians asking them to return plain,
unequivocal answers to certain questions of which
three were as follows : " (i) Can the worship of His
Sacred Majesty, the Emperor, which every loyal
Japanese performs, be reconciled with the worship
of God and Christ by Christians ? (2) Can the
existence of authorities that are quite independent
of the Japanese state, such as that of God, Christ, the
Bible, the Pope, the head of the Greek Church
(Czar), be regarded as harmless ? (3) Can the Jap-
THE PERIOD OF REACTION 81
anese who is a faithful servant of Christ be regarded
at the same time as a faithful servant of the Em
peror and a true friend of His Majesty s faithful
subjects ? Or, to put it in another way, is our
Emperor to follow in the wake of Western Emperors
and pray, Son of God, have mercy on me ?"
The above will give some idea of the questions
Christian workers in Japan have had, and still have,
to meet and it will be seen that all is not plain
sailing.
Though various influences, such as have been Progress
mentioned, hindered the growth of the church, it
must not be thought that no progress was made.
"The sifting process that took from the churches
many who were not true believers has had its advan
tages. What shook the faith of some made that of
others stronger and more intelligent. The gross
immoralities into which some fell, who were once
preachers, but had wandered far from the faith,
showed to others how necessary it is to cling close
to the Divine Saviour. Though it has been less easy
than it once was to get people to attend preaching
services, Christian ideas have more and more found
their way into the minds of the people. In the
secular periodicals there is a frequent use of Chris
tian phrases, or even of verses from the Bible, show
ing that new thoughts are influencing the minds of
82 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
men. Knowledge of Western lands and Western
literature is familiarizing educated people with new
ways of regarding the universe and mankind.
Probably many who would not care to acknowledge
it ha\^e almost unconsciously come to a belief in
one God who rules the world, and towards whom
they have duties. When, with clearer eyes, we can
look back over the completed history of the evange
lization of Japan, we may find that the years which
seemed so full of difficulties and discouragements
were really as fruitful as those when men seemed
eager to hear the Gospel preached and when large
numbers were seeking admission to the churches."
IV. THE PERIOD OF REVIVAL.
1899.
We come now to the present period in both the
secular and the Christian history of Japan. It \vas
ushered in by the new treaties which went into effect
in July and August, 1899.
New _ The close of the nineteenth century saw New
Japan not only admitted theoretically by new treaties
loathe comity of nations, but also practically en
gaged, in alliance with the great powers of the West,
in maintaining in China the principles of Occidental,
or Christian civilization. In fact, in those Boxer
disturbances of 1901, the Japanese behaved with
THE PERIOD OF REVIVAL 83
more Christian spirit than the soldiers of some of
the so-called Christian nations themselves.
The second year of the twentieth century saw
Japan s claim to be a world power still further recog
nized and confirmed by the Anglo-Japanese Alliance.
One way in which the new regime under the re
vised treaties has directly benefited missionary
work is by throwing Japan wide open, not only for A Wide-
travel without the vexatious passport system, but
also for residence without restriction. The result
has been that missionaries are now more widely
scattered over the empire than they formerly were.
Moreover, under the new codes and laws, mission
property can be securely held by mission bodies duly
incorporated. Thus missionaries are setting up
more Christian homes as object-lessons of Christian
truth. And a significant illustration of the unre
stricted field open to Christian propagandism in
Japan is the fact that a Mission ship, the "Fukuin
Alaru," is permitted to cruise freely among the
islands of the Inland Sea, with the stars and stripes
flying from the masthead.
The establishment of a Woman s University in Female
Tokyo in the opening year of the new century may
not improperly be considered as a fruit of mission
work. Female education in Japan owes all that it
is to-day to the Gospel. At first it was almost en-
84 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
tirely in the hands of missionaries, who alone seemed
to realize the necessity of a better training for the
mothers of the nation. And it was the benefits of
these schools that aroused the government and in
dividuals to more earnest effort in behalf of public
and private institutions for female education. The
Christian kindergartens too are model institutions,
whose good influence is more and more coming to
be recognized even in official circles. And it is most
encouraging that the principal institutions for both
the lower and the higher education of women are
largely under Christian influence.
Foreigners There is now a greater appreciation of a sym-
;rs metrical, three-sided training of body, mind and
heart than ever before both for men and women.
Foreigners are again welcomed as teachers of Eng
lish, and are generally employed through the agency
of the Young Men s Christian Association, in order
that men of good character may be secured, instead
of being selected, as they formerly were, with a view
to getting only those who were not biassed in favour
of Christianity. They are now allowed, in most
cases, to carry on Bible Classes among the students
outside the school premises, which was strictly for
bidden in years gone by, and arc proving themselves
a great assistance to the Christian cause.
THE PERIOD OF REVIVAL
The wedding of H.I.H. Prince Haru and the
birth of three sons as legitimate offspring of a
monogamic union, have caused great rejoicing
throughout the country and especially amongst
those who have been striving for the abolition of
concubinage and the recognition of the Christian
ideal of home and marriage.
Another of the great Christian movements of the Social
period along the same lines is the crusade against
the social evil. Already thousands of women have
been freed from a most terrible form of slavery,
public opinion has been aroused and the tone of so
ciety has been considerably purified.
Work amongst factory girls has assumed con
siderable importance and is being carried on vigor
ously in many places by missionary ladies and
Japanese Bible-women, while an increasing number
of Japanese pastors and catcchists arc turning their
attention more to those who have been brought to
a condition of poverty by misfortune or crime.
This period is also showing a great increase in United
the ways and means of union or associated effort . Effort -
The conferences of missionaries held in Tokyo in
1900 and 1909 have given a great impulse to every
thing of this kind. The Japanese Sabbath Alliance
is an effort in this direction and the united evangelis
tic campaign of 1901 and the more recent special
86 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
work at the great Expositions held at Osaka, Nagoya,
Nagano and Fukuoka are object lessons of what is
possible in this line.
The plan for the union of the several Methodist
bodies which was under consideration for a long time
has been carried out and seems to be working satis
factorily and there is a hope, cherished by not a few
missionaries and others who are acquainted with
what has been accomplished, that Japan may yet
lead the way to the re-union of Christendom.
V. THE MISSION OF THE ORTHODOX
RUSSIAN CHURCH.
This Mission is in some respects a remarkable
one. It was officially begun in Tokyo in the year
1871, but for ten years before that date preparatory
work had been going on.
In 1 86 1 there came to Hakodate, as chaplain
to the Russian Consulate, a young priest named
Nicolai ; a man of remarkable size and ability, and
with a most attractive personality. He was not
a missionary, but set to work in earnest to acquire
a thorough knowledge of the Japanese language,
in which he made remarkable progress. After five
years he baptized a Buddhist priest with whom he
had become acquainted, and three years later a
physician. Returning to Russia in 1869, he persuad-
MISSION OF ORTHODOX RUSSIAN CHURCH 87
cd the Holy Synod to establish a mission in Japan,
and shortly afterwards was consecrated and sent out
to commence it. He established himself at Tokyo
in 1871, where he continued to reside till his lamented
death took place in March, 1912. Bishop Nicolai
never had at any time more than four Russian mis
sionaries with him, frequently only one or two,, and
sometimes he was left for a long period to carry on
the work of the mission single handed. He gave
himself almost entirely to the work of training
Japanese as priests and catechists. Some of the
ablest of his men went to Russia for further training
and the others were sent out into all parts of the
Empire. Some failed, but others did remarkably
well, with the result that before his death the mem
bers of his church in Japan numbered more than
30,000. For a long time these Greek Church
Christians used the version of the Scriptures issued
by the British and Foreign Bible Society, but a
few years ago the Bishop issued a translation he had
made himself. Bishop Nicolai always showed a
friendly spirit towards all Christians, being particu
larly cordial in his attitude towards the bishops and
other clergy of the Sei Kokwai. With large con
tributions from Russia he built a fine cathedral
in Tokyo, but continued to live a truly simple life
in one or two small rooms attached to it.
88 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
The Greek Church seems to have made but little
progress towards self-support and suffered greatly
at the time of the Russo-Japanese war. There are
indications also that many of the Japanese priests
and catcchists arc not satisfied with the extreme
ritual and some of the customs they are required
to observe. What effect the great Bishop s removal
will have on the work of the mission cannot be
foreseen, for it is beyond doubt that his personal
influence was very great.
VI. MISSION OF THE CHURCH OF ROME.
After the sad experience of the Jesuit Mission,
referred to in Chapter III, this Church did not
again send Missionaries to Japan till after the Pro
testant Missionaries from America and England
had got a good start. About the year 1873, how
ever, Roman Missionaries again appeared and began
to work very quietly. They were Frenchmen, how
ever, and not Jesuits, and soon were cheered by
finding traces of the work of their Jesuit brothers
which for two hundred and fifty years the Japanese
Government had tried its best to obliterate. Their
work has met with encouraging results and their
converts, who now number about sixty-five thou
sand including many children of non-Christian
parents are most numerous in those places where
the Jesuits were successful in years gone^by.
THE AMERICAN CHTRCH MISSION 89
CHAPTER V.
MISSIONS OF THE PROTESTANT EPISCO
PAL CHURCH OF THE U.S.A., THE
CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY, AND
THE SOCIETY FOR THE PROPAGATION
OF THE GOSPEL.
I. THE AMERICAN CHURCH MISSION.
As has been mentioned in a previous chapter,
the honour of sending the first Missionary of the
Anglican Communion to Japan belongs to the Prot
estant Episcopal Church of the United States. We
shall therefore commence our survey of what has
been done for the evangelization of Japan, by the
Anglican Communion at large, with a brief review
of the work of that mission and then proceed to deal
with the other members of the group in the order
in which they entered the field.
In "A Historical Sketch of the Japan Mission" Early
of this church we find the following account of the
origin of the work : "Early in 1859 the Rev. John
Liggins, who had been labouring for four years as a
missionary in China, visited Japan for the benefit
of his health and met with an unexpectedly cordial
reception from the Japanese officials. A few days
90 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
after his arrival in Nagasaki lie received information
that the Foreign Committee had appointed the Rev.
C. M. Williams and himself as missionaries to Japan.
Being already in the field Mr. Liggins at once en
tered upon his duties, and thus was established the
first Protestant Mission in the Empire of Japan.
Mr. Williams reached Japan, in the latter part of
June and in September of the same year Dr. H. E.
Schmid was appointed missionary physician."
Bishop In 1860 Mr. Liggins was compelled by continued
Williams. inearth to ret irc from the field and in the following
year Dr. Schmid was, for the same reason obliged
to resign. Mr. Williams was thus left alone and
remained so till 1871, though he continued to plead
earnestly for reinforcements. In 1865 he was conse
crated Missionary Bishop of China and Japan, in
all probability the most populous jurisdiction a
Bishop has ever had assigned to him. Episcopal
duties in China, of course, interfered seriously with
his work in Japan but in 1868, in order to spend as
much time as possible among the people to whom
he had become strongly attached and whose language
he had become familiar with, he took up his residence
in the city of Osaka which has ever since been one of
the principal mission stations of his Church. In
1874, another Bishop having been appointed to
China, Bishop Williams was given the title of Bishop
THE AMERICAN CHURCH MISSION 91
of Yedo (Tokyo) and removed to that city which then
became the headquarters of the mission. There he
lived and laboured with a devotion that has seldom
been excelled, if equalled, till 1889 when he resigned
his position as Bishop. He shortly afterwards re
moved to the city of Kyoto where he continued to
work as an evangelistic missionary till 1908. On
account of the civil war in the United States and
other causes this mission made but slow progress for
many years. In 1882, besides the Bishop, there
were five clergymen, one medical doctor, one other
layman and four single ladies from America in con
nection with the work. Of late there has been con
siderable development especially along educational
lines. The school which Bishop Williams began in
Tokyo with six boys is now one of the largest and
most successful institutions of the kind in Japan.
It is called St. Paul s College and in 1910 had 700 ,
College.
students. As there is every prospect of continued
growth an appeal has been made for funds to enlarge
the buildings, as has been done several times before.
The first home of St. Paul s School was a house
rented from Mr. Longfellow, son of the great Ameri
can poet.
The mission also maintains two excellent schools St. Agnes
for girls St. Agnes School in Kyoto, and St. Mar- Margaret s
garet s in Tokyo with a combined attendance of Schools
THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
St. Barna
bas and St.
Luke s
Hospitals.
Divinity
School.
Bishop
McKim.
nearly 400, of whom about one-quarter are Chris
tians.
This is one of the few missions in Japan devoting
much attention to medical work. St. Barnabas
Hospital under Dr. Lanning has been doing a good
work in Osaka for many years and St. Luke s in
Tokyo has been steadily establishing an excellent
reputation during the past fifteen years. On Feb.
nth, 1911, the latter received a present from the
Emperor accompanied by a letter "applauding its
excellent works of charity."
A Divinity School was begun by Bishop Williams
in 1878 and has continued to be an important part
of the work of the mission, which has the honour
of having produced the first Japanese clergyman of
our Church. After six years study in America he
was ordained in 1877 but after three years work
was deposed from the ministry at his own request
on account, as is believed, of some mental malady.
On the resignation of Bishop Williams in 1889,
the Rev. John McKim, one of the senior missionaries,
was appointed his successor and still continues to
fill the office with acceptance and success. In 1900
the Rev. S. C. Partridge, a missionary in China, was
appointed to the Jurisdiction of Kyoto which com
prises the work of the mission centering in that city
and extending to and including part of the city of
MISSION OF THE C.M.S. 93
Osaka. Bishop Partridge was consecrated in Tokyo, Bishop
that being the first occasion of such a service being
held in Japan. He continued his work at Kyoto
till 1911 when he accepted, an episcopal appoint
ment in the United States, being succeeded in March,
1912, by the Rev. St. George Tucker.
To indicate the progress made by this mission
the following statistics are given in addition to what
has preceded : Bishops 2, other missionary clergy,
23 ; Japanese clergy, 30 ; American doctors, 3 ; lay
missionary, i ; single ladies, 24 ; value of mission
property, $400,000.
II. MISSION OF THE C.M.S.
The Church Missionary Society of England had The Begin-
desired for a long time to begin missionary work in mng
Japan ; but it was not until the year of the great
revolution, 1868, that a fitting opportunity arose.
In that year an anonymous donation of 4,000 was
given to the Society to start a mission in that
country, and in January, 1869, the Rev. George
Ensor, whose name deserves to be remembered as
the first missionary from Christian England to the
newly-opened Empire of the far East, began the
campaign at Nagasaki, where the American Episco
pal mission was still located. Although compelled,
like all other missionaries at that time, to work very
94 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
quietly and cautiously, Mr. Ensor, who seems to
have acquired a working knowledge of the language
with great rapidity, baptized a few converts during
the first three years. In 1871 he was joined by the
Rev. H. Burnside, but both these brethren were
soon obliged, by failure of health, to retire from the
field * t*3**~ ^ nvUu.cUu/u^ . p . ? 3
In some respects this was a discouraging begin
ning but in 1873, when the remarkable course of
events in Japan seemed to indicate that ere long
"a great door and effectual" would be opened, the
Society was led to enlarge its plans and in the two
following years four new stations were occupied, viz.
Osaka by the Rev. C. F. Warren in 1873 ; Tokyo
and Hakodate, by the Rev. J. Piper and the Rev.
Walter Dening respectively in 1874 ; and Niigata,
by the Rev. P. K. Fyson in 1875. These stations,
with the exception of Niigata which was relinquished
in 1883, are still among the principal centres of
C.M.S. work in Japan. In 1874 the Rev. H. Eving-
ton joined Mr. Warren at Osaka which became the
headquarters of the Mission.
*Mr. Ensor, after a lapse of 36 years, returned to
Japan in 1908 and for two years did excellent work.
He died at Gibraltar on his way to England in 1910.
MISSION OF THE C.M.S.
With the exception of Mr. Dening who, after Excellent
beginning well, severed his connection with the
Society on account of a change in his theological
views, these men all did splendid work for Japan.
Mr. Warren, who had been a missionary in Hong
Kong, brought with him. a good knowledge of the
Chinese ideographs used by educated Japanese and
soon acquired a knowledge of the colloquial language
so that he was well fitted for both evangelistic and
literary work. He was a good preacher and an ex
cellent organizer. He also took a leading part in
the translation of the Prayer Book. He became
Archdeacon of Osaka and had the pleasure of seeing
two of his sons and one daughter, after being edu
cated in England, return to Japan as C.M.S. mis
sionaries. He continued in active missionary work
till his death, which occurred as the result of a fall
in 1899.
Mr. Evington, after doing valuable evangelistic Bishop
work in the Osaka district and elsewhere was conse
crated Bishop of Kyushu in 1894. Mr. Fyson Bishop
became an excellent Japanese scholar, took a leading
part in the translation of the Old Testament and
was appointed Bishop of Hokkaido in 1896.
Mr. Piper was only permitted to continue in
Japan for seven years on account of ill health but
during that time he did most valuable work for the
o6
THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
Bishop
Andrews.
Rev. John
Bachelor.
The
Strongest
Mission in
Japan.
Bishop
Poole.
cause of Christianity by preparing for the Japanese
New Testament a list of 12,000 references.
Other valuable men sent out during the seventies
were the Rev. Walter Andrews and the Rev. John
Bachelor. Air. Andrews, after some 30 years work
at Hakodate, was consecrated Bishop of Hokkaido
in 1909 and Mr. Bachelor, well known as the
"Apostle of the Ainu/ has continued his work
amongst that barbarous people since 1879. He has
been decorated by the Emperor of Japan and has
had the degree of Doctor of Divinity conferred upon
him by the Archbishop of Canterbury.
During the past 30 years the number of ordained
missionaries has steadily increased but the most
remarkable increase has taken place in the number
of single women. In 1909 the C.M.S. had the
largest body of missionaries in Japan belonging to a
single society, the whole number being 95, made up
of 22 married couples, one of the men being a
physician, i single man and 50 single women.
The first Bishop of the Church in England to
Japan was a C.M.S. missionary who, however, had
not previously worked in Japan, but in India. This
was Bishop Poole, who was consecrated in 1883, but
died within two years. In return for this, it might
perhaps be said, that Japan afterwards furnished a
Bishop for another part of the world-wide field in
MISSION OF THE C.M.S. 97
the person of Archdeacon Price of Osaka, who was
consecrated Bishop of Fuhkien, China, early in
1906.
While not neglecting educational work, the C.M.S. Strong
missionaries in Japan have devoted themselves in e *
particular to direct evangelistic work. They have
always been characterized by readiness to co-operate
with the missionaries of other societies in special
efforts to reach the people with the Gospel. As an
example of this we might quote the United Evangelis
tic Effort made to reach the people attending the
Japanese National Exhibition held in Osaka in the
spring and summer of 1903. In this effort C.M.S.
missionaries took a prominent part both in making
the plans and in carrying them out. Just what the
results were can never be known but when it is
learned that out of the four millions who attended
the exhibition, nearly a quarter of a million heard
something of Gospel preaching at the ten meetings
which were held daily for five months by the workers
of six different denominations, few will be disposed
to doubt that much good was done. During this
campaign over 200 Bibles, 14,000 New Testa
ments and nearly 4,000 single Gospels and other
portions of the Scriptures were sold and 1,200 New
Testaments were presented to exhibition officials.
98 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
Since the C.M.S. has provided nearly half of
the missionaries and other workers of our communion
in Japan, and the same proportion of the member
ship of the Church is the result of their work, fuller
Principal reference to this Society would not be out of place
Centres of if space for doing so were at our disposal. As it is,
we can only refer to two or three of the many places
where interesting and successful work is going on.
J i /? 6 i < " ity From the commencement of the Society s
or Osaka.
work in Japan the city of Osaka has been a C.M.S.
stronghold. Here we find four organized con
gregations, two of which are entirely self-
supporting and the others nearly so, ministered
to by clergymen trained in the C.M.S. Divinity
School. They do not yet possess imposing build
ings but the oldest of the number, Holy Trinity,
dates back to 1877, when Bishop Burdon of Hong
Kong paid a visit to the young C.M.S. mission,
dedicated the first church and confirmed seventeen
candidates who were presented as the first fruits of
the mission by the Rev. C. F. Warren. This
church has been enlarged twice and is now seeking
a better site on which to erect more suitable build
ings. It was for many years under the pastoral
care of one of the first converts of the mission and
is now served by the Rev. N. Fukada who took a
MISSION OF THE C.M.S. 99
post graduate course at Wycliffc College, Toronto,
in 1910-11.
Here we find the principal educational insti- Educational
r ,-, /-> T\/r o Institutions,
tutions of the C.M.S. comprising :
(a) HOLY TRINITY DIVINITY COLLEGE, which Holy Trinity
was formally opened by Bishop Poolc in 1884, college
has done a steady and valuable work for the Church
by training young men for evangelistic and pastoral
work. In common with all schools of the kind in
Japan, the chief difficulty has been to secure a fair
number of spiritually minded men of satisfactory
education. Several of the graduates have been
ordained and are working satisfactorily in various
parts of the Empire. Two of the ordained gradu
ates, the Rev. S. Koba and the Rev. P. Y. Matsui,
have done good work as teachers in the College.
The latter came to Canada for a post graduate course
at Wycliffe College in 1905, and since then two other
graduates, the Rev. P. G. Kawai and the Rev. N.
Fukada, have done the same.
(b) THE BISHOP POOLE MEMORIAL SCHOOL is a Bishop Poole
boarding and day school for girls with a course cover-
ing eleven years. Graduates from the upper school
receive Government certificates of higher degree
than those granted by the Osaka Government School
for girls, on account of the superiority of the English
course.
TOO
THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
The history of this school is a record of splendid
success. The work commenced in 1879 with four
teen scholars, and for several years was carried on
under great difficulties on account of having to move
from one rented house to another several times.
In 1889, however, the present buildings were erected
at a cost of over $7,500, the money having been col
lected in England by the widow of the late Bishop
Poole after whom the school was named and the
Ven. Archdeacon Warren. The new building was
formally opened in 1890 and Miss K. Tristram, B.A.,
who still continues to occupy that position, was instal
led as Principal. Since that time progress has been
uninterrupted and the Christian influence of this
school has probably been unsurpassed by any other
in the land. Two of our M.S.C.C. missionaries,
Miss Shaw and Miss Bowman, have taught in this
school the former during the whole of her first
term, 1904-1910, and the latter for two years.
A Great At the beginning of 1906, on the occasion of a
mission held by the Rev. Barclay F. Buxton, who
for many years laboured as a C.M.S. missionary at
Matsuc, a great awakening took place in connection
with which over one hundred and twenty girls and
several teachers professed faith in Christ as their
Saviour and declared their decision to live for Him.
A strong missionary spirit has always characterized
MISSION OF THE C.M.S. i oi
the Christians of the school. Teachers for several
Sunday Schools are supplied from the ranks of the
older girls, many of whom, after completing their
course, become earnest Bible-women. In 1910 the
number of girls in attendance at this school was 188
of whom 90 were Christians.
(c) MOMOYAMA MIDDLE SCHOOL. This name Mpmoyama
has only been used for a few years to designate a school,
school which was begun in 1884 in a little room con
nected with Holy Trinity Church where at the end
of the first year the scholars numbered only twenty-
six. In 1890 the present building was erected in
which there are dormitories for 50 boarders and
class rooms for 450 boys. All the dormitories have
generally been occupied and usually about half the
number of boarders, as well as a fair number of day
boys, have been Christians. During 1910 there were
450 boys in the school of whom eighty per cent.
attended Bible Classes and a larger number were
baptized, than ever before. The educational enact
ments of 1899 seriously affected all schools of this
class by depriving their graduates of the privilege
of postponing or shortening their term of military
service, as graduates of Government schools are
allowed to do. It seemed at first as if these privileges
could not be secured without seriously interfering
with the religious work of these private schools but
102 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
at length a way out of the difficulty was found in an
agreement that the religious part of the instruction
should be given outside the regular school hours.
On this condition the school was given the status
of a Government Middle School with the result that
a larger number of pupils has been secured. There
has also been a larger attendance of boys at Bible
Classes and more have been baptized, either before
or soon after leaving school.
Factory Osaka being a manufacturing city there is a large
number of girls employed in cotton mills and other
places of that kind whose condition appeals strongly
to Christian workers. For some years C.M.S. mis
sionaries have carried on work amongst these girls
and one of our Canadian ladies, Miss Archer, was
for some time engaged in it.
2. The City Whether wisely or not, the C.M.S. has never
given as much attention to the Capital as it has to
some of its other stations. Seldom has there been
more than one of its missionaries residing there, and
for some time it was left entirely to Japanese work
ers. Steady progress has been made, however, both
in the city and the out-stations in Chiba Prefecture
which is included in the Tokyo district. Undoubt
edly this great city, with its 2,000,000 souls
amongst whom are tens of thousands of students
from all parts of the Empire who, when away from
MISSION OF THE C.M.S. 103
home, are much more accessible than they are in
their native villages presents a splendid field for
various forms of evangelistic effort. There are three
prosperous congregations in Tokyo which are the
outgrowth of C.M.S. work; one of them St. Paul s
being entirely self-supporting. The most striking
feature of the work in the city, however, is Whid-
bourne Hall so called after a clergyman in England Whidbourne
who contributed the greater part of its cost but Ha11 *
generally spoken of in Japan as the Ginza Mission
House, on account of its situation in a street called
Ginza, the busiest thoroughfare in the city.
This is the finest mission hall in Japan and here
preaching is carried on almost every evening through
out the year, followed by instruction of inquirers in
a large room over the hall.
Many thousands of Chinese young men have Chinese
studied in Japan during the past few years, chiefly
in Tokyo, where the number at one time reached
13,000 but at the end of 1910 had decreased to
about 4,000. Nearly all these students have pro
gressive ideas and the importance of Christianizing
them before they return to China is beyond question.
The missionaries of all denominations in China
realized this some time ago and arranged to send a
capable Chinese pastor and an experienced mission
ary to work amongst them. The C.M.S. furnished
104 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
Hokkaido
The Ainu.
Rev. John
Bachelor.
the latter two for a while when the number of
students was over 10,000 and encouraging results
are evident.
In the islands of Hokkaido and Kyushu, where the
C.M.S. is the only society of our Church at work, it
may be said that the principal cities have been occu
pied and encouraging work is going on but progress
has been retarded for some time past by a decrease
in the number of missionaries.
Bishop Andrews of Hokkaido" has already been
mentioned. The people of that island differ from
those of the other parts of the country owing to the
fact that many of them are colonists from the South
and, as such, are generally more easily reached on
account of the fact that they are separated from the
village and family shrines of their birthplaces and
other things which prove, in many cases, real hind
rances to open confession of Christ. It is in this
island that a remnant of the aboriginal inhabitants
of Japan are found among whom an interesting
work has been done by the Rev. John Bachelor,
already referred to as The Apostle of the Ainu"
and who is the chief source of our information about
that curious people. The Ainu were visited by the
first C.M.S. missionary to Hakodate but in 1879
Mr. Bachelor began regular work among them.
Living for months in their dirty huts he studied their
MISSION OF THE C.M.S. 105
language which had never been written, made a
grammar and dictionary and proceeded to translate
the Scriptures, the Prayer Book and hymns, writing
them in Roman letters which he taught the people
to read as he instructed them orally. The first
Christian Ainu was baptized in Dec. 1885. At the
end of 1891 there were nine Christians among them
but a greater ingathering took place in 1893 when
171 were baptized, many of them being at Piratori
the old Ainu capital where Mr. Bachelor wrote,
Every woman in the place has accepted Christ as
her Saviour." The besetting sin of the Ainu is
drunkenness to which the men in particular are ter
ribly addicted and which has proved the greatest
hindrance to Christian work. Splendid progress
has, however, been made. There are now schools
for the children and a "rest house in Sapporo where
sick persons and those who wish to break off the
drink habit are dealt with according to their needs.
The number of converts is about one-tenth of the
total population of about 16,000.
In Kvushu the oldest work is, of course, at,,
Kyushu.
Nagasaki which was for some time the most impor
tant station and the place where the first bishop, Dr.
Evington, resided. On account of the development
of other ports Nagasaki is gradually losing its im
portant position as a commercial emporium and, on
io6 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
Bishop
Lea.
First Mis
sionaries.
Rev.
A. C. Shaw.
account of its situation on the extreme western side
of the island, is not a convenient centre from which
to visit other parts of the diocese so that Bishop
Lea one of our Canadian missionaries who was
consecrated as bishop of Kyushu in 1909 thought
it advisable to remove the episcopal residence to
Fukuoka which, although much smaller than Naga
saki, is the educational centre of the island and
rapidly growing in importance in other respects.
The work in Kyushu has been almost entirely
evangelistic. Coal mining and manufactures are
developing rapidly and there seems to be a good
opportunity for reaching the working classes.
III. MISSION OF THE S.P.G.
The S.P.G., like its sister society, the C.M.S.,
began its work in Japan with funds specially con
tributed for that purpose. This step was taken in
1873, the year in which the C.M.S. began vigorously
to extend its operations when a great forward move
ment was made possible by the removal of the old
edicts against Christianity.
The first missionaries of the S.P.G. to Japan were
the Rev. W. B. Wright of Dublin, and the Rev. A. C.
Shaw, a Canadian and graduate of Trinity College,
Toronto, who was then engaged in parochial work
in England. These answered the call for men to
MISSION OF THE vS.P.G. 107
open a mission for the S.P.G. in Japan. It is an
interesting reminiscence that they were taken leave
of at a special service held in the C.M.S. chapel when
Bishop Wilberforce, who had laboured so hard to
bring the two Societies together, gave the valedictory
address only a few days before his death in July, 1873,
Arriving in Japan on September 2oth they estab- Tok y-
lished themselves at Tokyo where they cultivated
friendly relations with some of the Buddhist priests,
and within a few months were allowed to open ser
vices for Europeans in a disused temple. During
the first two years, which were largely spent in the
study of the language, they baptized five converts,
who were shortly afterwards confirmed by Bishop
Williams of the American Church Mission. Their
work continued to prosper ; and when Bishop Burdon
came from Hong Kong in 1876, they were able to
present to him for Confirmation fifteen men and
three women.
Both missionaries at first worked principally in Work in
connection with schools. Mr. Shaw held classes
for "moral, really Christian, science" in the large
school established by the late Mr. Fukuzawa, a
leading Japanese of wide intellectual influence, in
whose home he lived for more than three years. As
direct evangelization became easier, more attention
io8 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
Kobe.
Reinforce
ments.
Early
Difficulties.
was given to public preaching and with most en
couraging results, as is shown by the statement that
by the end of 1877 nearly 150 converts had been
baptized.
In September 1876 two more S.P.G. missionaries
reached Japan and settled in Kobe. The C.M.S.
missionaries at Osaka, twenty miles distant, had been
doing a little work in this place -principally in the
way of holding English services for the foreign resi
dents but on the arrival of their S.P.G. brethren
gladly handed the work over to them.
The missionaries sent to this place were the Rev.
H. J. Foss and the Rev. F. B. Plummer. Within
two years Mr. Foss was permitted to baptize the
first convert resulting from their work, but immedi
ately afterwards was called upon to part with his
companion, who, on account of ill health, was com
pelled to return to England. In 1883 his wife s
health necessitated Mr. Wright s withdrawal from
the work in Tokyo, and Mr. Shaw in the capital
and Mr. Foss in Kobe, 370 miles apart, were left
alone to carry on the work of the S.P.G. in Japan.
For many years no reinforcements were sent, but
strength and grace were give to these two brethren
to persevere, and, after proving themselves worthy
in every respect, both were honoured by promotion
to positions of dignity in the Church whose foun-
MISSION OF THE S.P.G. 109
dations they had taken a prominent part in laying.
In 1888 Mr. Shaw was appointed Archdeacon of Mr. Shaw
Tokyo, by the late Bishop Bickersteth, and continued Archdeacon.
in charge of the S.P.G. work there till his
lamented death in 1902. In 1895, he was
formally thanked by the Japanese Government
For his services rendered to Japan in one of the
most critical periods of its history by writing and
correcting misapprehensions about the country from
time to time." Upon his death the Emperor paid
his widow the further honour of presenting her with
the sum of $500 "in token of his Imperial apprecia
tion of the Archdeacon s services to the country."
Mr. Foss was consecrated Bishop of Osaka in BisJlo P
1897, and continuing to live in Kobe where he com
menced his work in Japan, he has since that time
had the episcopal oversight of the work of the S.P.G.,
which he was chiefly instrumental in building up,
and the much more extensive work of the C.M.S.,
in that part of the country.
As its failure to send out reinforcements would
suggest, the work of the S.P.G. in Japan is not
nearly so extensive as that of the two other societies
already dealt with.
In 1890 the D. & F.M.S. of Canada commenced J he o -
D. <K r.
sending out missionaries in connection with the and the
S.P.G. and in this way two men were added to the StP - G -
i io THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
list in the following five years, but in 1899 the con
nection between the Canadian missionaries and the
S.P.G. was discontinued.
Community In 1887, Bishop Bickersteth organized two
Community Missions, St. Andrew s for men and
St. Hilda s for women. These worked in close con
nection with the vS.P.G. mission in Tokyo from the
commencement and their relations have since become
more intimate so that for all practical purposes
these missions now form part of the S.P.G.
Very early in his work Mr. Shaw erected a neat
little brick church on a splendid site on the outskirts
of Shiba Park. This church was called after St.
St. Andrew s Andrew, and later on the Community Mission bear
ing the same name found a home in a house adjoining
it. The Rev. A. F. King, now Archdeacon, has
from the beginning been head of this mission which
now has on its staff one Canadian, the Rev. Wm.
Rev. W. C. C. Gemmil of Almonte, Ont. There are at present
six churches in Tokyo connected with the S.P.G. and
the stations of Yokohama, Chiba, Shizuoka, Numazu
and Hamamatsu each has a resident missionary.
St. Hilda s House has since it was opened been the
centre of a good deal of active work among women,
there being in connection with it a boarding school
for girls, a training school for Bible- women, an
embroidery school, an orphanage, a home for aged
MISSION OF THE S.P.G. in
women and a hostel for girl students at Koishikawa
besides a branch house at Numazu. Early in the his
tory of the S.P.G. mission some good work was done Work
among the women by Miss Hoare, an English lady^^^
sent out by the Society, and her sister. Lately
there has been considerable development in work for
women. Miss Weston has obtained a position in the
Peeress School, which was established by the Em
press for the education of the daughters of the nobil
ity, and which is attended by 600 girls among whom
are princesses and all ranks of the nobility, together
with daughters of professional men and rich mer
chants. There is also a home for girl students.
There has been development also in the work at
Kobe. In the city there are now two churches, one
of them being under the pastoral care of the Rev.
N. Kakuzen who graduated from Trinity College Rev - N -
and was ordained by the Bishop of Toronto in 1894.
Two other stations also are in charge of missionaries
viz. the Island of Awaji and the city of Okayama.
In the city of Kobe itself there are two schools Schools,
in connection with the S.P.G., one for boys in which
Japanese, Chinese, Europeans and Eurasians are
educated together under the management of Mr.
H. Hughes who has been in charge since the foun
dation of the school in 1878. The girls school was
begun in a small way in 1889 and has grown steadily.
ii2 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
The number of pupils is nearly 100, of whom about
a quarter are Christians.
At the close of 1909 there were in connection with
the S.P.G., including Bishops Foss and Boutflower
and the members of the two communities, 7 married
clergy, 8 single clergy, 2 laymen and their wives,
and 24 single women missionaries, a total of 50.
At the same date the number of Christians in con
nection with the various congregations was about
2,000.
JUDGE FUJITA, NAGOYA.
p. 129
f
I Cool KK RoMINSON.
MRS. ROBINSON. P-H3
PRELIMINARY ORGANIZATION. 113
CHAPTER VI.
MISSION OF THE M. S. C C
PRELIMINARY AND MISSIONARY ORGAN
IZATIONSTHE M.S.CC ITS FIELD-
SOUTHERN GROUP OF STATIONS.
I. PRELIMINARY ORGANIZATIONS.
The Church of England in Canada was slow in
entering upon missionary work, particularly in for
eign lands. This was due in large measure to the
habit acquired of looking to the mother Church for
help on every possible occasion. The S.P.G. and
the vS.P.C.K., assisted liberally in the provision of
clergymen and churches for the new settlements ;
and the C.M.S. evangelized almost the whole of the
Indian population of the country. This fostered
the idea that we were really too young and too weak
to undertake any missionary work. From an early
date something was done by the stronger congrega
tions to help the weaker through diocesan Church
Societies, and there were collections occasionally for
the funds of the English societies mentioned.
The Synod of the Province of Canada in 1873
formed the Diocese of Algoma and adopted it as a
ii4 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
Canadian mission field. Its support was at first
secured by means of printed appeals and by the Bish
op in person. It was felt, however, that a different
method must be adopted and in 1883 the Domestic
and Foreign Missionary vSocicty was formed by the
Provincial Synod , on the same model and bearing the
same name as a similar organization in the Church in
the United States. The method adopted by this
Society was to issue an appeal for Domestic Mis
sions at Ascensiontide and another for Foreign Mis
sions at the Epiphany season. The funds resulting
from the former were sent to Algoma and the North
West and those received in answer to the Epiphany
Appeal were sent to England three-fifths being given
to the S.P.G. and two-fifths to the C.M.S. This was
undoubtedly a great improvement on the former
method but the weak point in the system, as regards
Foreign Missions, lay in the fact that our money
Weakness went to support missionaries who were not Canad-
Method. i ans an( l f r wnom the Canadian Church had no
direct responsibility. This was soon realized, and
in 1886 the question of sending out our own Canad
ian missionaries to heathen lands was discussed by
the Board of Management with the result that a
resolution was passed, declaring that the time to do
this had arrived. An offer of service was almost
immediately received, but, while it was being con-
PRELIMINARY ORGANIZATIONS 115
sidered, letters came from England indicating that
the action taken by the Board was likely to have the
effect of encouraging the Societies there especially
the vS.P.G. to withdraw part of the assistance they
had been giving to Canada. To prevent this, the
proposal to send out foreign missionaries was
dropped till the matter could be discussed, and an
understanding arrived at, with the S.P.G. This
involved delay and four years passed before the
Board sent out its first missionary, the Rev. J. G.
Waller, who went, not simply as a Canadian mission- Rev. J. G.
ary supported by and responsible directly to the Waner > * 9
Board, but as a missionary of the S.P.G. paid, as
was arranged, out of the funds sent to that Society
from Canada as part of the Epiphany collections,
but through the regular S.P.G. channels.
In 1885 the Woman s Auxiliary* was organized The W.A.
also on the same lines as the similar organization in
the United States, and soon began to display much
vigour.
Early in 1888 the graduates of Wycliffe College, Wycliffe
Toronto, then only thirty-three in number, decided
to send the Rev. J. Cooper Robinson and his wife Rev< j
to Japan as their own missionaries. This step was Cooper
taken owing to the fact that Mr. Robinson, who 1
had already volunteered his services to the D. &
*See pp. 159 to 168 for full account of W.A. work in Japan.
n6
THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
Rev. J. Mac-
queen Bald
win, 1889.
Rev. H. J.
Hamilton.
1892.
Miss Trent,
1894.
The
C.C.M.A.
1895.
F.M.S., was unwilling to go out except as a Canadian
sent and supported directly by the Church in Canada.
They arrived in Yokohama on Sept. i5th of that
year, the first foreign missionaries sent out by
Canadian Churchmen. They were welcomed most
heartily by Archdeacon Shaw of the S.P.G. him
self a Canadian and other missionaries, in the
absence of Bishop Bickerstcth, who was in England.
The next year the Rev. J. Macqueen Baldwin
went out to work with Mr. Robinson as an honorary
missionary, and he was followed by the Rev. H. J.
Hamilton, in 1892. In 1894 Miss Trent volunteered
for work in Japan and her entire support was at
once undertaken by St. Paul s Church, Toronto, of
which she was a member.
Offers of service continued to reach the Com
mittee of Wycliffe Missions, and it became clear that
the simple organization that had been formed by
the graduates of the College was no longer able to
cope with the work before it. It was also seen that,
while it was desirable that our missionaries should
go out directly from Canada, be supported by Can
ada, and maintain the closest possible relations
with their native country and Church ; to send one
here and another there, and leave them to work in
dependently of the missionaries of other Church so
cieties, would be conducive neither to economy,
PRELIMINARY ORGANIZATIONS 117
efficiency, nor comfort. Thus the idea of connecting \
the Wycliffe missionaries with the C.M.S. in some
way arose, and its development resulted in the or
ganization of the Canadian Church Missionary
Association (afterwards called the Canadian C.M.S.)
which, at the close of 1895, took over the mission
aries who had been sent out in connection with
Wycliffe Missions up to that date.
Thus it came about that the Church which had
no missionary organizations till 1883, in a short time
had three ; the D. & F.M.S., the W.A., and the
C.C.M.A. There was, no doubt, a certain amount
of regret among those who had promoted the organi
zation of the D. & F.M.S., that the whole missionary
work of the Church should not be under the control
of that Board, but none could fail to see that the
vigorous work of the other organizations was doing
much to awaken interest in and secure support for
the cause. One difficulty in the way of bringing
both the W.A. and the C.C.M.A. under the control
of the Board of the D. & F.M.S. was the position
taken by that Board in regard to the designation
of funds, absolutely forbidding as it did anything
of the kind, either by individuals or congregations.
It was felt by both the other organizations that this
liberty was essential in order to maintain interest,
and secure generous nnancia|^help.
n8 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OP THE EAST
II. THE M.S.C.C.
In 1902 a long step forward was taken when the
General Synod formed the Missionary Society of
the Church of England in Canada. Almost im-
Unionwith mediately the Canadian C.M.S. offered to discon-
tinue to appeal for funds on its own account and to
join heartily in the general work of the M.S.C.C.
on condition that the fullest liberty should be allowed
in regard to the designation of funds and that its
candidates should if they so wished be sent out by
the M.S.C.C. to work in C.M.S. fields. This offer
was gladly accepted and the results of the union
have been most satisfactory.
At the time the M.S.C.C. was formed, the entire
staff of missionaries supported by the D. & F.M.S.
consisted of three married and two single clergymen
Foreign in Japan. At the same time the Canadian C.M.S.
had four married clergymen and three single women
in that country, as well as four clergymen and two
single women missionaries in other lands, making a
total combined force of 13 men and 16 women.
Since then three married couples, two single men
and four single women have been sent out, making,
with the alterations caused by withdrawals and
marriage, and the seven ladies who are missionaries
of the W.A., a total force of 54 foreign missionaries
THE M.S.C.C. FIELD. 119
at the end of August, 1911. This is certainly some
thing to be thankful for as a beginning and now, with
more information, better organization, increased
power and greater incentive to earnestness in the
work, more rapid progress should be expected in the
future.
III. ITvS FIELD.
For convenience of administration Japan with
the exception of the islands of Hokkaido and For
mosa, which have a somewhat different organization Districts.
is divided into forty-six districts called KEN (Pre
fectures), each of these being sub-divided into
GUN (Counties).
That part of the country in which most of the
M.S.C.C. missionaries are working, includes the
Prefectures of Aichi, Gifu, Nagano and Niigata, Prefectures.
which forms a continuous strip across the main
island almost at its centre.
Previous to 1880, when Prefectural Assemblies
were established, the old feudal divisions called
KUNI (generally translated provinces) were retained. Provinces.
These numbered 85, and as their names are still
frequently used it may be well to mention the seven
contained in our district. There are two in Aichi,
Owari and Miwaka ; two in Gifu, Mino and Hinda ;
two in Niigata, Sado and Echigo ; while Nagano
1 20
Tin-: ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
Prefecture coincides with Shinano KUNI, which is
also called Shinslru.
The following is the area, number of counties
and population, in 1903, of the four Prefectures
under consideration :
area
sq. miles counties population
Aichi 1863 19 1,637,440
Gifu 3999 8 1,041,883
Nagano 5084 16 1,273,284
Niigata 4910 16 7,923,363
Total 35856 69 5,875,970
It will thus be seen that our missionaries have
around them in this district more than one-ninth
of the population of Japan proper, and as many as
there were in the whole of Canada when the M.S.C.C.
was organized. What an opportunity ! What a
responsibility !
Groups of Cur missionaries in Japan are working in two
Missionaries groups which may be distinguished by the terms
southern and northern : each group having charge
of two of the Prefectures above mentioned, Aichi
and Gifu being the field of the southern group and
Nagano and Niigata that of the northern. To avoid
confusion it should be observed that, with the ex
ception of Aichi whose capital is Nagoya, each of the
Prefectures is named after its chief town.
M.S.C.C. FIELD. 121
The missionaries of the southern group were sent Southern
out by Wycliffc missions, the Canadian C.M.S., the Group *
M.S.C.C. and the W.A., and at the beginning of
1911 were as follows : (the date after each name
indicates the year the missionary went out). The
Rev. J. Cooper and Mrs. Robinson, 1888 (Wycliffc
Missions) ; the Rev. J. Macqueen and Mrs. Baldwin,
1889 (Wycliffc Missions) ; the Rev. H. J. and Mrs.
Hamilton, 1892 (Wycliffe Missions) ; Miss Trent,
1894 (Wycliffe Missions) ; Miss Young, 3895
(C.C.M.S., and W.A.); Miss Shaw, 1904 (M.S.C.C.);
Miss Bowman, 1907 (M.S.C.C.), and the Rev. R. M.
and Mrs. Millman, 1909 (M.S.C.C.). There arc
three centres of work, or stations as they are called,
viz., Nagoya, Toyohashi and Gifu.
The missionaries of the northern group were Northern
sent out by the D. & F.M.S., the W.A., and the Group
Canadian C.M.S. and are as follows : The Rev.
J. G. and Mrs. Waller, 1890 (D. & F.M.S.) ; the
Rev. F. W. and Mrs. Kennedy, 1894 (D. F.M.S.) ;
Miss Archer, 1899 (C.C.M.S.) ; the Rev. G. Egerton
Ryerson, 1900 (D. & F.M.S.), and Mrs. Ryerson, 1906
(M.S.C.C.) ; the Rev. Charles H. Shortt, 1900
(D. & F.M.S.) ; Miss Makeham, 1902 (W.A.) ; Miss
Spencer, 1905 (W.A.), and Miss Lennox, * 19 09
(W.A.) The centres of work in this district arc
Nagano, Matsumoto, Ueda and Takata.
122 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
Wo shall now proceed to consider somewhat in
detail the work of the missionaries in connection
with the various stations mentioned, and shall
commence where the foreign missionary work of
the Canadian Church was begun in 1888.
I. NAGOYA
This is the capital of Aichi Prefecture, one of the
most fertile and densely populated portions of the
Empire, where two good crops are produced every
year. That part of the Prefecture called Owari
has an average of over 1400 people to the square
mile, which is scarcely exceeded in any part of the
we >rld .
Rev. J. i t was lo this Prefecture that the Rev. J. Cooper
Robinson. Robinson was licensed by the late Bishop Bickersteth
at the close of 1888. Having reached Japan on
September i5th, Mr. and Airs. Robinson spent a few
weeks in Tokyo, and then took up their abode in
Nagoya at the end of November. They were glad
to find there four members of the Church, but these
all moved to other places within a few months, and
the missionaries had to commence their work at the
very beginning without interpreter or assistance of
any kind.
At that time Nagoya was the fourth city of the
Empire in population, but now occupies the sixth
NAGOYA 123
place on account of the more rapid growth of Yoko
hama and Kobe. It is the residence of the Governor
and the seat of the Prefectural administration ; a
great commercial, manufacturing, railway and re
ligious centre with an ever-increasing number of
important schools. It was always regarded as one
of the least-inviting places in Japan for missionary
work, and very little had been attempted till just
before our missionaries arrived, when it was occupied
by the Presbyterians, Methodists, and Roman
Catholics.
For several years there were many difficulties Initial
and, on not a few occasions, violent opposition was
encountered though always, owing to the watchful
ness of the police and may we not believe under
the protecting hand of our Lord, without injury to
His servants. Here, as in most other places, work
was begun by holding evening classes for young men
wishing to learn English, always a numerous class
in Japan, but from the commencement something
was also accomplished in the way of Christian in
struction. Very few of the young men had made
sufficient progress in English to profit much by
spiritual teaching in that language, but all could read
and understand the Scriptures and tracts in their
native tongue which were soon placed in their hands
and also given to others who would receive them.
124 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OP THE EAST
First As time went on and the missionaries became
Baptisms. .,.
better acquainted, they were able to utilize as inter
preters, not only such of their scholars as were the
most proficient in English, but one or two Christians
connected with other missions who kindly offered
their services, and so on Christmas Day, 1889, a
little over a year from the date of his arrival in the
city and about fifteen months after reaching Japan,
Mr. Robinson was privileged to gather in as the
first fruits of the mission, live persons a married
man, his wife and their infant daughter and two
single men who were all baptized at the same time.
This happy event took place just after the arrival
of the Rev. J. Macqueen Baldwin, the second clergy
man sent from the Canadian Church to the Land
of the Rising Sun.
Fi* st . A small shop was now rented as a mission house
Mission
House. and the evening classes held in it. Mr. Robinson
also secured a young man, who was a member of the
Church and understood English pretty well, to be
his language teacher and interpreter and with this
assistance regular Church services, instruction of
catechumens and preaching to the heathen were kept
up. About a year later he began to dispense with
the interpreter and to work directly with the people
by means of their own language which was much
more satisfactory. Mr. Robinson returned to Can-
First
Bap1
Fir;
Mi
Ho
NAGOYA 125
ada for his first furlough in June, 1894, having bap
tized in the four and a half years preceding that
date thirty-seven persons, four of whom afterwards
became his fellow- workers in the Gospel.
The Yoro-In, a home for destitute aged people The Yoro-In,
and orphan boys was opened after the great earth
quake in 1891 and for about fifteen years afforded
shelter, support and instruction for a considerable
number of distressed persons amongst whom a good
many baptisms took place. Two of the boys
brought up in this home served in the Japanese navy
during the war with Russia and each received a
medal in recognition of his services. The Home is
now used as a boarding house for students attending
various colleges and schools and is serving a useful
purpose.
ST. JAMES CHURCH was built in 1891 to take the
place of the rented mission home, in which the work
was begun in a part of the city containing a popula
tion of 40,000 people among whom no other mission
was at work. The building is in pure Japanese style
except that glass has been substituted for paper in
the windows and the chancel is supplied with proper
church furniture. The body of the church is a room
1 8 by 24 feet having the floor covered with the ordi
nary straw mats which are used in houses, temples,
etc., and sitting on these as they would in a temple
i 2 6 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
or at home the room will accommodate 120 people.
The church is now furnished with seats at the ordi
nary services but when it is necessary to accommo
date a large number the seats are removed and the
people sit on the mats in the old-fashioned way.
Persecution The violent opposition before mentioned all
of Converts. occurre( j cair irig these first few years and it is in
teresting to note that two, at least, of those who
were most pronounced in their hostility to the work
soon became earnest believers. Both belonged to
the military class, one being a man of about forty,
who was for some years afterwards a church warden;
and the other, a young school master, who became
a military officer and used, sometimes, during the
week, to go to the little church in order to have a
quiet place for prayer.
While the Constitution was intended to secure
perfect religious liberty for all, it could not, of course,
prevent quiet persecution by relatives or others, and
not a few of those who have been bold enough to
confess Christ have been sorely tried by the opposi
tion of the members of their families, supported by
neighbours and encouraged by the Buddhist priests.
A Church The experience of the church warden just men-
Warden s tioned may be cited as an example of what is not un-
Expenence.
common. In this case the man s wife was his
greatest opponent and persecutor and, for years,
NAGOYA 127
did all she could to make her husband s life miserable,
hoping that he would be induced to renounce his
faith in order to get relief. The effort, however,
was not successful, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ-
was again proved to be sufficient, and after ten years
the persecuting wife s heart was opened, she was
baptized and, since Christmas, 1901, has been serving
God with her husband whom she once treated so
badly. At the same service a man was baptized
whose wife had been a believer and had been praying
for her husband s conversion for more than ten
years. We thus see that God still works as in
Apostolic days in converting persecutors and answer
ing prayer.
In 1892 the Rev. H. J. Hamilton went out toReinforce-
reinforce the mission and during Mr. Robinson s j^xtenskm
absence on furlough he and Mr. Baldwin carried on
the work at Nagoya. After Mr. Robinson s return
in the autumn of 1895, the mission having become Rev. H. J.
affiliated with the C.M.S., the neighbouring C.M.S. Hamilton -
station at Gifu, which had just been left vacant, was
worked from Nagoya till the following spring when
Mr. Hamilton removed thither, and was for some
time the only missionary in that Prefecture with
1,000,000 souls.
At the same time it was decided to occupy the Toyohashi.
important town of Toyohashi, and Mr. Baldwin went
T28 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
to live there, thus leaving Mr. Robinson the only
clergyman for Nagoya, and the Province of Owari
Miss Trent, with over 870,000 souls. Two ladies had meanwhile
Miss Young. arrivcd . Miss Trent, in 1894, and Miss Young a
year later. Some of the first converts had by this
time become workers, and others were obtained
from the C.M.S. so that considerable extension of
the work took place in the next few years. Another
congregation was organized in the neighbourhood
where the missionaries lived, nearly two miles distant
from vSt. James Church, and a Central Mission
House was opened midway between the two churches
but further towards the centre of the city.
St. John s The new congregation was called St. John s and
like St. James, was without a church building for
some time. Mr. Robinson made what preparation
he could for building and after his return to Canada
in 1902 rather earlier than was expected on account
of Mrs. Robinson s illness Mr. Hamilton took
charge and succeeded before long in getting a building
erected which provides a convenient place for wor
ship and also contains class rooms for meetings of
various kinds and accommodation for a resident
worker. This congregation has made more rapid
progress than that of St. James and has had a pastor
in full orders since December, 1909, when the
Rev. H. Uno, who had served as deacon for several
NAGOYA 129
years was advanced to the priesthood by Bishop
Cecil Bout flower of S.Tokyo. The Revs. J. C. Robin
son, J. M. Baldwin and H. J. Hamilton were present
and took part in the service and the laying on of
hands. For some years past Mr. Hamilton has been
Secretary of the C.M.S. Central Japan Mission and
has had the assistance of the Rev. T. Makioka, an
elderly priest in the employ of the C.M.S.
vSt. John s has had the privilege of reaching a
number of the higher judiciary ; the Chief Justice
and three other judges of the Court of Appeal having
been baptized there since 1906. Four judges wives
have also received baptism as well as several other
members of their families.
Since 1906 the C.M.S. training institution for
Bible-women has been at Nagoya and has proved a
valuable adjunct to the work.
The three largest towns in Owari outside the Out-
city Ichinomiya with 20,000, Tsushima with 10,000
and Inuyama with 7,000 people, were occupied as
out-stations, a catechist being placed in charge of
each, as was done at the three centres in the city.
There are 212 towns and villages of over 1,000 people
each around Nagoya, and of these the three above
mentioned are the largest and most important. They
are all about the same distance from Nagoya and
from one another, and may be considered the strate
gic points of the district.
130 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
Ichinomiya. (i) Ichinomiya is a great business town but its
people have always been noted for irreligion and
immorality. The following remarks by the Mayor
to our catechist when approached on the subject of
Christianity a few years ago may be taken to repre
sent the attitude of the people generally. The
Mayor said, "I have no doubt that Christianity is a
very good religion, in fact the very best thing of the
kind, but the people of this place are not interested
in religion at present. Our object is to get rich and
Materialistic to make Ichinomiya the most prosperous town in
this part of the country. We will welcome to our
midst all who seem likely to assist us to achieve this
object ; thieves, gamblers, harlots, etc., if we believe
we can use them profitably. We don t think that
Christianity is likely to serve our purpose, and so
cannot encourage its propagation. Possibly when
we have accomplished our object there will be time
for religion and then we shall be happy to listen to
you." It is not often that one meets with such an
out-spoken individual, especially in Japan, but it is
to be feared that these words describe the object of
many in different countries, some of which have long
enjoyed the privileges of the Gospel. It has been
found, however, that God has some people even in
Ichinomiya. During Mr. Robinson s second term
of service in Japan five persons confessed their faith
NAGOYA 131
in Christ by baptism and there are now more than Baptisms.
30 persons connected with the congregation. They
have been able by the help of liberal contributions
from the W.A. in Canada and from other friends to
buy land and put up a suitable church, mission hall
and parsonage combined in one building.
An immense amount of the seed of the Word has
been sown in this place, chiefly by preaching and
distributing tracts at a great market which is held
six times a month and attended by tens of thousands
of people from the country round about.
(2) Tusuhima differs from Ichinomiya in being Tusuhima.
a very religious place with a famous Shinto Shrine
and numerous Buddhist temples ; progress here was
slow also but from a different cause. A few baptisms
took place but the resignation of a catechist in 1904
necessitated a discontinuance of the work for a while
and, as the Presbyterians were anxious to take it up,
it has not been re-occupied by our church.
(3) Inuyama was occupied in 1900. It is alnuyama.
stronghold of Buddhism and at first the priests
offered much opposition, which was probably more
of a help than a hindrance as it drew attention to our
work. During the first three years there were a few Buddhist
baptisms but progress was checked by the removal
of the first catechist whose health required a change
of climate. The place was visited for a time by the
THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
Work
Among
Soldiers.
Bishop Lea.
missionary and catcchist from Nagoya, seventeen
miles distant, but it has now once more a resident
catechist and the outlook is more hopeful. One
young man who was baptized here is now a catechist
in connection with the C.M.S. vSome of the neigh
bouring towns and villages arc visited by the catc-
chists of Inuyama and Ichinomiya but as there are
only three or four towns in the whole of Owari occu
pied by other missions the need of more workers is
most urgent.
Nagoya being the headquarters of the third army
division, large numbers of sick and wounded soldiers
and also Russian prisoners were brought there
during the late war, and for some time the mission
aries and catechist s were largely engaged in work
amongst these men. Permission was obtained for
some time to preach to the soldiers in the garrison
before they were sent to the front a remarkable
thing in view of the opposition of the military
authorities in former times.
Other missionaries who have worked at Nagoya .
are:
i. The Rev. Arthur Lea went to Japan in 1897
and for two years lived at Nagoya while studying
the language, removing to Gifu when Mr. Ham
ilton went to Canada on furlough in 1899.
TOYOHASHI 133
2. Miss Archer, who arrived in 1899, also lived Miss Archer.
at Nagoya during Miss Trent s absence of 18 months
in Canada.
3. The Rev. R. H. and Mrs. McGinnis, who went Rev. R. H.
to Japan in 1900 and laboured at Matsumoto and
Ueda in the northern district were transferred to
Nagoya in 1906 but resigned in 1909 and joined the
American Church Mission.
At the end of 1910, there were in connection with
Nagoya and its out-stations 272 baptized persons of
whom 150 were communicants.
2. TOYOHASHI.
This place was first visited by Mr. Robinson in
1893 when a lawyer with a large family, all of whom
were members of the Church, removed there from
Nagoya. Little, however, could be done in the way
of evangelization till the Rev. J. Macqueen and Mrs.
Baldwin took up their residence there in 1896.
Toyohashi is 44 miles east of Nagoya on the main
line of railway between Tokyo and Kyoto. When
first occupied it was a town of about 20,000 souls
where a regiment of soldiers was quartered, but a
few years ago it was made the headquarters of an
army division and the population has already more
than doubled and is still rapidly increasing. It is
the centre of a good farming and silk-growing dis-
134 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
Farming and trict and has one of the moist famous shrines in the
Distrfct )Wmg rountiy a ^ Toyokawa, a few miles away. The
people on the whole are not so bigoted and opposed
to Christianity as they arc in many parts and there
arc no serious difficulties in the way of evangelistic
work. Mr. Baldwin has never had more than two
catechists and only for a few years had he the assist
ance of a single lady missionary. Miss Archer was
stationed therefrom 1901 until 1904, when she came
to Canada on furlough, and was particularly en
couraged by the results of her work for children.
In addition to the ordinary preaching in the mis
sion house, English teaching was carried on for some
years in a school belonging to one of the church mem
bers and classes have been held for soldiers, police
men, etc. A number of women, wives of officers and
others, have been reached by the ladies and an en
couraging Sunday School has been maintained.
Mr. Baldwin has reported some striking cases of
conversion among men, and altogether the results
of the work that has been done have been encourag
ing.
An out-station was opened at Ono, a village 30
miles north of Toyohashi some years ago under in
teresting circumstances, and is now in charge of a
resident catechist who itinerates among the neigh
bouring villages. The latest statistics give the num
ber of baptized Christians at Toyohashi and Ono
as 65.
GIFU 1 3 5
3. GIFU.
This important city and Capital of the Prefecture
of the same name, has a population of about 40,000.
It is in the province of Miiio, only five miles from the Situation,
boundary of Owari and twenty miles north of
Nagoya, on the main line of railway. Itjies at the
foot of mountains which shield it from the north , and
from the top of which a splendid view is obtained of
the valley of the river Kiso both southward toward
Nagoya and north-eastward till it reaches the
mountains which separate Mino from Hida and Shin-
shu. On a conical hill east of the town stand the
remains of a castle built by the great warrior Nobu-
naga. One of the most interesting things about
Gifu is the curious method of fishing with cormorants,
which has been practised there continuously since
the days of the hero just mentioned and is to be seen
at very few other places in the world.
With the exception of a comparatively large plain
at the southern extremity, the whole prefecture is
very mountainous. Mount Ibuki, (4,300 ft.) marks Mount
its western boundary, and is also the dividing line
between the Canadian jurisdiction and Kyoto. It
is said that this mountain is famous for medicinal
herbs which are found in no other part of Japan, and
a tradition exists to the effect that they owe their
origin to seeds scattered on the mountain by Roman
136 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
Catholic priests, who were followers of Xavior.
The northern limit of the prefecture is marked by
Mount Mount Ontake (10,600 ft.) second only to Mount
Fuji in sacred character, and a line drawn from this
mountain in a southerly direction would indicate
very nearly the borderline between the missions of
Nagoya, Toyohashi and Gifu on the one hand and
Nagano, Matsumoto and Ueda on the other.
Beginning Missionary work in Gifu owes its origin to Mr.
of the Work. j ames Chappell, a young Englishman, who went
there as a school teacher in 1 88 7 . Under his teaching
several young men believed, and were baptized by
Archdeacon Shaw in October, 1888, when he visited
Nagoya to make arrangements for Mr. and Mrs.
Robinson to go there. The following February
Mr. Robinson visited Gifu and administered the
Holy Communion. It was his first Communion
service in Japanese and the first time of partaking
for most of those who joined with him. One of the
converts was a young man named Matsui now the
Rev. P. Y. Matsui of the C.M.S. Theological Col
lege at Osaka who took a post-graduate course at
Wycliffe College in 1904-5. Two others were Mr.
and Mrs. Mori who for many years have done such
excellent w r ork in the Blind School. Just before this
event the Rev. A. F. Chappell, then in deacon s
orders, came to Gifu with his wife and took his
GIFU 1 3 7
brother s place in the school where he continued for
a year or two and then joined the C.M.S. and Gifu
became a station of that Society. Mr. Chappell
retired from the work in 1895 and returned to Eng
land, and Mr. Hamilton took his place.
Mr. Hamilton did much to consolidate the work.
In the city a new church was built in the best pos
sible position, being in construction almost an exact
copy of vSt. James Church, Nagoya. The out- Extension
stations where catechists were stationed were regu-
larly visited, and efforts made to extend the work
to adjacent villages, while occasional meetings were
held in a large number of other places. As an illus
tration of the good that may be accomplished by
work of this kind the following incident is related by
Mr. Lea :
"A gentleman from Takada, a town sixteen miles
from Gifu, appeared at the missionary s house, pre
pared for a journey to Tokyo where he had decided
to begin business. He came with the request that
letters might be given him to present to a missionary
in Tokyo. He claimed to be a Christian of many
years standing, though not yet baptized. When
surprise was expressed that a Christian should have
lived so long in Takada unknown to the missionary
and Christians of the neighbouring towns he explain
ed it as follows : Many years ago Mr. Chappell
138 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
visited Takada and held meetings. I became a
Christian, though it was impossible for me to be
A Secret baptized, as that would have involved a declaration
Dtsciple. .
of my conversion to my relatives, which at that time
I was unable to ma :e. Now I am going to live in
Tokyo and I shall be free to confess the faith which
I have held so long. One of the converts baptized
by Mr. Hamilton was a judge who first came into
contact with Christianity by attending an English
class held by one of the lady missionaries in her own
house for three or four of the judges of the city. This
man has proved himself a thoroughgoing Christian
wherever he has gone and is now regarded as one of
the foremost laymen of the Church of Japan. A
number of families .since baptized, and who are a
great source of strength to the congregation, received
their first instruction about the same time but it was
reserved for others to gather them in."
It is interesting to note that at that time England
and two of her colonies were sharing in the work at
Gifu ; the Rev. H. J. and Mrs. Hamilton being from
Canada, Miss Pasley from New Zealand and Miss
Payne from England.
Gifu was one of the places which suffered most
severely by the great earthquake of 1891, being al
most completely wiped out by the fire which followed
the overthrow of its buildings. A large part of the
GlFU 139
relief work which followed that great calamity was
done in this neighbourhood, and it was at that time
that Mr. Chappell s attention was directed in a
special manner to the blind. As a result a Blind The Blind
Man s Club was organized which developed into School.
the Gifu Blind School, an institution which has been
most useful for years, emphasizing, as it docs
strongly, the practical side of Christianity. Mr.
Hamilton was largely instrumental in bringing this
school to its present efficient condition , but the efforts
of the missionaries would have accomplished little
without the devoted services of such persons as the
Principal, Mr. J. K. Mori and his wife. As has been
mentioned Mr. and Mrs. Mori were among the first
converts of the mission. At that time Mr. Mori was
a teacher in one of the public schools in which he
occupied a very good position. Later on he decided
to devote his life to Christian work and become a
catechist. While thus engaged he lost the sight of
his eyes but was not on that account to have his
work seriously interfered with. God was preparing
him for a position of great usefulness which, in many
respects at least, can be better filled by a blind man
than by one who can see. Without going into details
such as are given in the reports issued annually it
may be said that the school is doing its work quietly
and thoroughly, loyal to the principles on which it
140
THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
was founded. It has gained the confidence of all
who have come into contact with it, and its graduates
going into various parts have, we believe, become
little centres of influence for good, and are thereby
justifying the time and money spent on their behalf.
The most important out-stations connected with
Outstations. Gifu arc (i) Ogaki, a town of 30,000 people, ten
miles west of Gifu where at first the work was en
couraging and a little church was built. For some
years however, things went very badly but lately
there has been progress again, and the church has
been rebuilt on a better site.
(2) Imao and Jaiki, two towns about three miles
apart were first brought to the attention of the mis
sionaries at the time of the earthquake when Miss
Tristram of Osaka went to Imao with a Bible-woman
to assist in caring for the sufferers. Christian teach
ing was accepted by some and the work has gone on
ever since. Jaiki received the Word about the same
time and a little later a small church was erected
there by a few earnest believers.
(3) Kano, a village two or three miles from Gifu
has been the scene of an interesting work for many
years. The people arc mostly farmers who a few
years ago decided to observe Sunday as a day of rest.
In addition to the above, work has been carried on
with more or less encouragement and regularity at
Tarui, Sekigahara, Akasaka, Ibi and other places.
Farmers
Observe
Sunday.
GIFU 141
In 1900, when Mr. Hamilton returned to Canada
on furlough, the Rev. Arthur Lea, who had spent R ev. A. Lea
more than two years at Toyohashi and Nagoya,
was appointed to Gifu. While carrying on with
vigor the work already established, Mr. Lea, gave
considerable attention to work of a social reform
character which for some years past has been at
tracting an increasing amount of attention in Japan.
A home for ex-convicts was opened in the north-
cm part of the city and altogether about forty men
were allowed to leave prison to enter it during their
term of police surveillance. In addition to the good
effect this work had upon the men themselves, it
brought the missionary into contact with the police
and prison wardens thus affording other oppor
tunities of influence.
Another form of rescue work in which Mr. Lea Rescue
took part during the last two or three years preceding
his furlough, was in connection with the crusade
against licensed immorality which has been going on
for some time past. The work was begun by an
American missionary in Nagoya, through whose in
domitable perseverance the attention of the nation
was called to the fact that thousands of unfortunate
women who had been sold into lives of shame (in
most cases against their will) by parents or guard
ians, professedly for a term of two or three years,
were being held beyond the expiration of their con-
142 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
tract without hope of relief. This was shown to be
contrary to the civil code but great difficulty was
encountered in effecting their release. Daring the
first three years of this crusade, however, the number
of these women was reduced by over 14,000. The
number has, however, again increased and it is evi
dent that the nation is not yet ready for such a mea
sure of moral reform as was hoped for at one time.
Mr. Lea left Japan with his family in the spring
of 1905 for a furlough in England and Canada but
before their journey was completed he was called
First Break u P on t suffer a sad bereavement. Just as they were
in the Ranks, about to leave England for Canada, Mrs. Lea was
taken ill and a few days later passed away. This
is the only break that has yet occurred in the ranks
of our Canadian missionaries and the loss was felt
most keenly. After returning to Japan in 1906 Mr.
Lea laboured for three years in Tokyo and was then
appointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury to the
C.M.S. diocese of Kyushu, in consequence of which
his connection with the Canadian Church came to an
end.
Since Mr. Lea left Gifu the work there has been
entirely under the care of missionaries of the English
C.M.S. with the exception of Miss Bowman who
spent a short time there.
At the end of 1910 there were at Gifu and its out-
stations 133 baptized members of the Church.
NAGANO 143
CHAPTER VII.
MISSION OF THE M.S.CC Continued.
NORTHERN GROUP OF STATIONS
THE WOMAN S AUXILIARY.
i. NAGANO
The city of Nagano with 36,000 souls is beauti
fully situated at the foot of lofty mountains which
form an imposing background and almost surround
it. It is the capital of the Prefecture bearing the
same name which corresponds to the old province of
Shinshu and is situated in the very heart of Japan.
The town has a considerable trade in woven goods
and agricultural implements but the chief source of
its prosperity is found in its great Buddhist temple
called ZENKOJI, which is one of the most celebrated Zenkoji.
in Japan, as the throngs of pilgrims from all parts of
the country bear witness.
The great treasure of the temple which attracts Golden
so many worshippers is a group of golden images Images
representing Amida and his followers, Kwannon and
Daiseshi, which is said to have been made by Shaka
Muni himself and to have been brought nearly a
thousand years later as a present from the king of
Korea to the Emperor of Japan on the occasion of
the introduction of that religion into the country,
144 T HE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
in A.D. 552. Various efforts were made by the
enemies of Buddhism, it is said, to get rid of these
images but they could not be destroyed and finally,
after fifty years of trouble, they found a resting
place in ZENKOJI, which was founded in A.D. 602.
Of the present buildings, the main temple was erected
in 1701 but the chapel, in which the sacred images
are kept, is believed to date back to 1369. Age and
fire and war have left their marks on the great
wooden buildings but they still present an imposing
appearance. The principal festival is the DAI
NEMBUTSU, or Great Invocation of Buddha, held
annually on the 3ist of July ; but those held on the
vernal and autumnal equinoxes, and that on the
1 4th of March to commemorate the terrible earth
quake of 1847, when the whole city was destroyed,
are also great days. This is one of the places that
should be visited by those who think that the old
religions of Japan have entirely lost their hold upon
the people.
Rev. J. G. Such is the place to which the first missionaries
Waller. f tne D. & F.M.S. went in 1892. They had reached
Japan two years previous to that date and had been
stationed at a town called Fukushima, 166 miles
north of Tokyo ; but, on the division of Japan into
missionary jurisdictions that part of the country fell
to the American Bishop, and Mr. and Mrs. Waller,
Rev.
and 1
Walk
NAGANO 145
were transferred to Nagano so as to continue under
the English Bishop, Dr. Bickersteth.
For over two years strong opposition was en- Opposition.
countered from the Buddhist priests and others who
derive their livelihood from the fame of the great
temple. Meetings were disturbed, sign boards and
notices announcing services were torn down, and all
sorts of devices resorted to to annoy the missionaries
in the hope that they would become discouraged and
give up. Gradually, however, the mission won its
way and here, as in other places, Christianity began
to be respected by the more open minded of the
people.
In 1894 a dispensary was opened by a Canadian Church of
nurse supported by the Woman s Auxiliary* ; and in Our Saviour -
1897, with the assistance of his fellow-graduates of
Trinity College, Toronto, Mr. Waller was able to
erect a neat little brick church, called the Church of
Our Saviour, which at least convinced the people
that Christianity had come to stay. This is one of
the few brick churches in the country and while not
large is of particularly solid appearance.
The first converts were mostly railway employees
and local officials who are often moved from place to
place and thus do not make a stable congregation,
but, as time passed, more of the permanent residents
of the city were reached.
*See work of the W.A., page 159.
THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
Out- Within two or three years of their arrival in
Nagano, work was commenced in some of the sur
rounding villages and in one of these in particular
much encouragement was met with, thirteen adults
being baptized at Christmas, 1896. The name of
liyama. this place is liyama. It is situated among the hills
about twenty miles from Nagano from which the
journey is accomplished by train, boat and JINRIK-
ISHA. It was formerly a bustling place on the route
of the packhorse traffic by which goods were dis
tributed before the advent of the railway. It is still
a fairly prosperous country town and there are
earnest people connected with the little congregation,
some of them coming from places as distant as eight
miles on the occasion of the monthly visits of the
missionary.
Mr. Waller After nearly eight years service Mr. and Mrs.
Waller took a furlough in Canada with their children
and were absent over two years on account of illness.
Their departure from Nagano elicited from all
classes a demonstration of good will which was in
striking contrast to the hostility manifested by many
six years before. During Mr. Waller s absence the
work of the station was under the superintendence
of a Japanese clergyman and made encouraging pro
gress.
NAGANO 147
After their return the good feeling between theDevelop-
missionaries and the people of the town increased,
and for some time Mr. Waller devoted part of his
time to teaching English in the CHU GAKKO, which
corresponds to our High School, and this gave him
greater influence with the teachers and scholars as
well as with the people generally. He was allowed
to hold Bible classes in the school buildings after
school hours and Bishop Awdry on more than one
occasion was invited to address the school on some
moral or ethical subject. The outlook, therefore,
in this great Buddhist centre is decidedly hopeful,
and if reinforcements could be sent, there could be
a vast extension of the work.
During Mr. Waller s second furlough in 1907-8
the Rev. F. W. Kennedy took charge of the mission
and during this time an interesting interdenomina
tional mission work was carried on in connection
with an exhibition in Nagano. For the last two
years Nagano has been in charge of the Rev. J. I. Rev. J. I,
Mizuno who is the son of a Shinto priest and was izuno *
destined for the same office. He first studied Chris
tianity in order to refute it, but became a Christian
and was baptized by the Rev. Mr. Wright in the
early days of the S.P.G. work in Tokyo. In 1908
Mr. Mizuno visited Canada and England. He is a
man of considerable ability as a writer and preacher
in his own language.
148 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OP THE EAST
2. MATSUMOTO
Matsumoto is a town in the centre of the province
of Shinshu with a population of about 35,000 people.
Until the railway was built in 1902 it was cut off en
tirely from the outer world and was reached from
First Efforts. Ueda, one good day s journey on foot over two ranges
of mountains. The expression used by St. Paul when
writing to the Ephesians, "Having no hope and with
out God in the world must certainly have come into
the mind of the first missionary who began Christian
work in this place, for the people were practically
without religion, all the chief Buddhist temples hav
ing been destroyed at the time of the revolution.
Christianity was first taught in Matsumoto by the
French priests, then the Presbyterians and Metho
dists followed. Finally representatives of the
Church of England in Canada opened up the present
work. The Rev. Masazo Kakuzen came in 1893
and he and his wife and child were the first resident
Christians of the Canadian Church Mission. The
oversight of this work passed from the Rev. J. G.
Waller to the Rev. F. W. Kennedy, on his arrival
in the field in the autumn of 1894 and has been in his
charge up to the present time, except during 1907-8
when he was at Nagano, and also when he was absent
on furlough. The following ladies have at different
Rev. M.
Kakuzen.
Rev. F. W.
Kennedy.
MATSUMOTO 149
times worked in this town : Miss L. W. Paterson,
Miss Alice Shackleton, Mrs. Rowe and Miss Make- Workers,
ham, the last arriving in 1902 and being at present
in charge of St. Mary s Home. Miss Lennox joined
the staff in 1909. Matsumoto is the place where
the missionary and his colleagues live, and the centre
from which three places Suwa, twenty miles ; Fu-
kushima, thirty-seven miles and lida, sixty miles,
distant have to be visited. Over one hundred
Christians in all have been baptized, and although
a great many of these have moved away to other
parts of the country others have come in to take their
place, so that the number of those who have to be
looked after remains about the same. In 1899
through the kindness of the Alumni of Trinity Col
lege, Toronto, a sufficient sum of money was raised
to erect a building for meetings and preachings.
As there was at first no Church building this place
was also used for Christian services, but now a nice xhe Church
little church has been built and is called "The * the
Church of the Holy Cross." ly Cross
St. Mary s Home is an important feature of the
Matsumoto Mission, it was begun by Miss L. W.
Paterson in the spring of 1897 with Miss Hide Ichi-
mura as Japanese assistant. This is purely a work
among young Japanese women and girls. A branch
of the Women s Auxiliary is doing good work, and
a chapter of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew formed
150 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OP THE EAST
Organiza
tions.
Nose San.
in 1902 continued for sonic time. Besides these a
very live institution, a young men s association
called the Wednesday Club, is doing an excellent
work among the young men of the town. Three
Sunday Schools are in good running order, one in
the centre of the place, one to the north in Arigusaki,
near the missionary s home and the other to the
south of the town near the railway station. About
loo children in all attend these schools. As an illu
stration of the good work being done reference might
be made to two of the girls in St. Mary s Home.
Nose San was baptized when eight years old and
has been the means of bringing her father, mother
and brother into the Church. When she was four
years old she attended our Sunday School, and made
up her little mind to be a Christian. Her mother,
who had received baptism at the hands of the Pres
byterians, called on the native pastor of that body,
and asked him to baptize her, but she refused saying
that if she became a Christian she would be baptized
only by the teachers of the Sei Kokwai. Mrs. Nose
finally consented to her little daughter s request, and
a few years afterwards she herself with her son was
confirmed. The son became a member of the Church
Committee, and the father also soon began to study
Christianity, and has been baptized and confirmed.
MATSUMOTO i s i
Nigishi San, whose Christian name is Sada, Nigishi San.
attended Mr. Ryerson s Sunday School in Naoetsu.
Her brother was also a member of the Church Com
mittee. It was evidently his good life and example
which led his little sister to go to Sunday School to
hear about Jesus Christ. She became most enthusi
astic over her new study, and in all weathers walked
some four or five miles to school. When the weather
was too bad or the snow too deep her brother, who
was an engine driver, would meet her at Naoetsu
station, buy her a ticket and send her back safe and
sound to her home in Takata.
3. UEDA
The Ucda Station embraces a district about 35
miles long and TO miles wide. It lies chiefly along
the banks of the Chikuma river and is very thickly
populated. The chief industry in this part of
Shinshu Province is silk raising. There is hardly a
family that is not connected in some way with the
silk industry, and that means that when the silk
worms are small there is a great falling off in the
congregations for the silk worms have to be attended
to night and day.
The chief place in this district is the town of Ueda.
It is on the line of railway running from Tokyo to
Naoetsu, and is situated about 112 miles from Tokyo.
152 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
Rev. R. H.
McGinnis.
It has a population of between 25,000 and 30,000
with primary and middle schools for boys and girls,
and a sericulture school where certain other branches
of agriculture arc also taught.
The work in Ucda was begun by the Rev. R. H.
and Mrs. McGinnis in the fall of 1901. Up to that
time there had been no attempt made to plant our
church there and so the missionaries had to begin at
the very bottom. In the summer of 1905 Mr. Mc
Ginnis wrote as follows :
"As we look back over the past three and a half
years work, we feel that we have great reason to
thank God for what He has permitted us to do.
"Some of those who have been baptized have gone
off to America, to China and to other places in Japan,
but we still have about 40 communicants on our list.
However, owing to the war, nearly 10 of our young
men have been called out already for military service
and others will follow shortly. The building we have
used as a Mission Hall from the commencement of
Equipment, our work here is now altogether too small and when
we have large meetings we are compelled to rent
buildings which are, as a rule, in a different part of
the town and not suitable for our work. I have
hope, however, that the W.A. will come to our assist
ance and help us to get a church home for the Ueda
Christians.
Mission
UEDA 153
"The present building is well situated for our work.
The ground floor is used for me etings for unbelievers
and on the second floor we have an upper room
fitted up for our church services. Owing to help
received from the W.A. and friends at home I am
thankful to say that we have everything necessary
for carrying on our services decently and in order.
"In a group of our people taken in a corner of the
upper room recently there were three school teachers,
two bank clerks, students, mechanics, etc. One of
the ladies was Miss Midorikawa, daughter of Judge
Midorikawa of Tokyo. She belongs to the third
generation of Christians in her family and a more
earnest and more fully consecrated person it would
be hard to find in any country. She is the only one
of the group who was not confirmed here.
In olden times Ueda contained a castle which was
the residence of the Feudal Lords among whom the
country was divided. All that is now left of what
was once a great establishment are the walls sur
rounding the castle enclosure and one of the watch
towers. The castle grounds are now used as a public
park and contain a building which we sometimes hire
for meetings on great occasions such as the visits of
the Bishop. There is also a Shinto shrine in these Shinto
grounds which the people have erected to the memory ]
of their Feudal Lord. The priests from this shrine
154 T HE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
Out-
Stations.
Sakaki.
Karuizawa.
have sometimes attended our meetings. The mis
sionaries house is some distance from the Mission
Hall in the north-east part of the town in what was
formerly known as the Samurai (warriors ) dis
trict. Here there are classes or meetings almost
every day of the week. Just outside the city there
is a temple more than a thousand years old, which is
famous on account of being one of a number which
were built about that time by order of an Emperor
who became a Buddhist priest. Just now the people
living in that neighbourhood are taking a great in
terest in Christianity. We frequently have classes
there for Bible study and several young men have
intimated their desire to be baptized.
At SAKAKI, about eight miles from Ueda, work
has been carried on in succession by Methodists,
Presbyterians, and now by our Church. After years
of labour by different foreign and Japanese workers
very few results are to be seen. A poor old couple
living in a miserable little house are the pillars of the
little congregation. They have a wonderful influence
over the young children of the village of whom about
seventy-five are enrolled in the Sunday School, and
we hope that as they grow up they will become mem
bers of the church.
Karuizawa situated at the foot of Mount Asama,
an active volcano, is a noted summer resort. There
UEDA 155
is a church here which was built for English services,
but it is also used for Japanese services. Evangelis
tic meetings are also held twice a week in a house in
the centre of the village. One year some 1,200 sol
diers were sent here, and as a result of work among
them several became Christians.
In addition to the above there are four or five
places where meetings are held and where there are
sir all groups of believers."
Since 1909 the Rev. J. G. Waller has been in
charge. The mission-house and the land upon which
it stands now belong to the mission, and will be an
excellent site for a church. Recently an interesting
work has been carried on by a series of visits to all
the villages within reach of Ueda. In some of them
hitherto quite unknown Christians have been found
who are connected with no Christian body whatever.
4. ECHIGO
Those who think of Japan as a land of flowers
and sunshine are surprised when they hear of the
winter snows of the province of Echigo. The pre
vailing winds in that season are from the northwest
and the moisture they gather on the Sea of Japan
condenses when the mountains are reached and falls
in the form of snow. Four or five feet on the level Heavy
is quite a common depth near the coast and further
156 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
inland it is often much deeper. In the towns it is
thrown from the roofs and in the streets reaches a
height of ten or fifteen feet. The houses are built
to meet these conditions with passage ways in front
running along either side of the street and through
these people walk, occasionally having to pass
through a tunnel at the intersection of a cross street.
The weather, though not very pleasant, is yet much
warmer than in the higher altitudes of the province
of Shinshu. In spite of the winter the province is
not a poor one, the great plain surrounding the mouth
of the Shinano river being one of the richest rice-
Industries, growing districts in the country. Petroleum is found
in considerable quantities and there are a number of
large refineries. All of these are entirely under
Japanese management though the International Oil
Co. (connected with the Standard Oil Trust) had,
at one time, an extensive plant in Naoetsu. Fishing
is the chief industry in the coast towns and villages
and when the men are away in their boats many of
the women have a life of hard toil. They help in
unloading the ships, carrying on their backs large
loads of a hundred or more pounds from the beach
to the warehouses. They may also be seen harnessed
to carts, toiling, pulling, struggling, while the per
spiration pours from strained faces. Needless to
say this life develops a roughness and coarseness not
ECHIGO 157
found among the women of other parts, and on the
other hand a spirit of independence.
The first church work in Echigo was begun in First Work
1875 under the Rev. P. K. Fyson of the C.M.S., in Nii S ata -
(afterwards Bishop of Hokkaido) in Niigata, the
capital of the Prefecture, then one of the five open
ports, but unfortunately it was abandoned in 1883.
About ten years later a catechist was stationed in
Takata, but was soon transferred to the adjoining
town of Naoetsu, where work has been carried on to
the present time (1911). Naoetsu is situated just Naoetsu.
about opposite Tokyo on the west coast, is a calling
place of many of the coast steamers, and from its
position as a railway terminus, for some time prom
ised to be a growing town. This promise, however,
has not been realized, owing partly, perhaps, to some
destructive fires, and the town remains much what
it was ten years ago. But in 1901 the missionary
outlook was good ; the large oil refinery had just been
built ; there was some foundation in the work of the
catechist s covering several years, and it seemed,
therefore, a suitable place to station missionaries.
The Rev. Charles H. Shortt and the Rev. Egerton Rev. C. H.
Ryersoii were transferred there from Nagano, where R ev> Egerton
for a year they had been studying the language and Ryerson.
preparing for work, under the guidance of the Rev.
J. G. Waller. They had been sent out by the
158 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
Nagaoka.
Mr. Shortt
in Tokyo.
D. & F.M.S. and the Alumni Association of Trinity
College, Toronto.
The chief railway town is now Nagaoka, a town
of considerable size, (35,000) in the midst of a dense
population. It is the centre of the oil industry, has
large Middle and Normal. Schools, and is altogether
an important place. A catechist has now begun
work there with good promise of success.
In 1904 the Rev. C. H. Shortt removed to Tokyo
and a few months later Mr. Rycrson. came home on
furlough, leaving the province without a resident
missionary. Concerning Mr. Shortt s removal to
Tokyo, Bishop Awdry in one of his pastoral letters
wrote as follows : "The Rev. C. H. Shortt of the
Canadian Mission has been transferred from the
provinces to work among the students of Tokyo, for
which he has a special gift. Six students from the
Higher Normal School and from the great educational
institution founded by Count Okuma in the suburb
of Waseda, board in Mr. Shortt s house and many
others frequent it for religious and other teaching.
He lives with them as one of themselves and if he
could procure a much larger house in that vicinity
it would be filled. There is an immense capacity for
usefulness in this institution which is already doing
much good. It costs the Canadian Church nothing
beyond Mr. Shortt s salary."
WOMAN S AUXILIARY 159
After Mr. Ryerson returned to Japan in the Mr - Ken-
spring of 1906 it was arranged that he should go tOR ye ^ S Qn ex-
Matsumoto and that Mr. Kennedy, whose family change
would spend most of the time in Tokyo in order to S
secure educational advantages for the children,
would take charge of the work at Niigata. This
he did, residing at first at Nagaoka, and afterwards
at Nagano, when he became sole missionary for two
Prefectures. In 1909 on Mr. Shortt s return from Mr. Shortt
furlough he was sent to take charge of the Echigo Takata.
work, which then consisted of a catechist and his
congregation at Takata, and a congregation at Nao-
etsu. Takata was chosen as the centre, for since it
has beccme the headquarters of an army division
it has recovered its ancient importance. Formerly
it was a castle town and has always been a great
Buddhist centre, there being no fewer than two hun
dred and eight temples, large and small in the town.
A new mission house has been built, and well fulfils
its purpose. In 1910 new work was begun in Niigata
the capital of the Prefecture with a resident catechist.
WORK OF THE WOMAN S AUXILIARY.
In the year 1891, the W.A., which since its for
mation in 1885, had practically confined its interests
and assistance to Canadian Missions, extended its
limits and widened its field of labour.
i6o
THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
Miss
Sherlock.
Nagano. The Board of Management of the Domestic and
Foreign Missionary Society in that year, requested
the W.A. to provide the salary of a lady missionary
at Nagano. This was heartily agreed to, and the
responsibility was assumed as a Provincial pledge,
shared by the six Diocesan branches then organized.
In April, 1891, Miss Sherlock of Southampton,
Ontario, a trained nurse, applied for the position and
was accepted. She left Toronto in October of the
same year and arrived in Japan on November 8th.
On her journey out, however, she met her future
husband, and shortly afterwards withdrew from the
work to be married.
A successor to her was found in the person of
Miss Smith. Miss Jennie Smith, also a qualified nurse, who was
accepted by the Board and sent to Japan in 1892.
Miss Smith carried on the work of medical mission
ary at Nagano with untiring zeal, and it was largely
due to her efforts and representations that the build
ing, known as the Hospital of the Canadian W.A.,
was established. Her letters urged so strongly the
need of some such building, and the establishment of
a dispensary for the treatment of Japanese women,
that at the Triennial meetings of 1895 and 1898 the
united thank offerings were devoted to the fitting
up and needful expenses of the hospital building ; in
1895, a grant was also made for the salaries of nurses
and native doctors and the purchase of drugs.
Hospital
Work.
WOMAN S AUXILIARY 161
That this hospital has been instrumental in
bringing many Japanese women to the knowledge of
Christ, and that its ministrations have proved a
great blessing to the poor, is a subject for deep thank
fulness. The splendid work done by Miss Smith
won the confidence of the people of Nagano, and
when her furlough was due, in the spring of 1897,
she nobly determined not to leave Japan until she
saw the long-looked-for hospital completed. In the
early part of the year 1900, in response to an urgent
appeal from her, for needed supplies for the hospital,
the W.A. contributed gifts of household linen and
hospital appliances. Some of the branches also,
in response to a special appeal to them, gave a
number of articles towards a sale to be held in Japan
in the interests on the hospital. These things were
sent out in the care of a missionary returning to
Japan, but before they reached their destination
Miss Smith s health broke down and she returned to
Canada in the spring of that year, bringing with her
Miss Hamaguchi, a Japanese worker, who had re- Miss Hama-
ceived training in the hospital. It was thought guc K
desirable that Miss Hamaguchi should pursue her
medical studies, and attend lectures at one of our
Canadian hospitals, and she spent almost a year at
the Kingston General Hospital where she made many
warm friends, and received much kindness from the
members of the Ontario Branch.
1 62 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
In 1901 the W.A. were notified by the Secretary
of the D. & F. Board, that owing to the condition
of Miss Smith s health she would be unable to return
to Japan, and were requested to find a suitable per
son to succeed her. Endeavours to secure a medical
missionary were continued until the spring of 1901,
when Bishop and Mrs. Awdry, on their way to Eng
land, passed through Canada. The Bishop kindly
held several interviews with W.A. members, and
gave it as his opinion that owing to the establish
ment by the Japanese government of hospitals and
branches of the Red Cross Society in many parts of
Japan, the need for medical missionaries was not so
great as it had been when there were none to do this
Evangelistic work unless the Church provided them. He thought
an evangelistic worker would be of greater assistance
to Mrs. Waller in carrying on her work among Japan
ese women in Nagano. Efforts were then made to
supply this need, but it was not until the spring of
Miss L 95? that a suitable worker was secured in the per-
Spencer. son of Miss Ethel Spencer, a daughter of the Rev.
Canon Spencer of Niagara, and a graduate of Trinity
College, Toronto. She was recommended by the
W.A. and accepted by the Board of the M.S.C.C.
and in October started on her journey to Japan, in
company with several other Canadian missionaries
on their way to different fields of labour. On her
WOMAN S AUXILIARY 163
arrival in Tokyo she was a guest of Bishop and Mrs.
Awdry for two weeks, after which she took up her
residence at St. Hilda s House, where she found the
regular life and daily services very helpful. Arrange
ments were also made for a six months course of
study of the language at a school for foreigners, after
which she began her work at Nagano, where she
continued until her furlough in 1910. Miss Archer,
who was transferred from the southern district, lived
with Miss Spencer at Nagano for about two years
carrying on work chiefly at the out-stations.
For some years after Miss Smith s departure
from Nagano, the work at the dispensary was car
ried on regularly and successfully. When Miss
Hamaguchi returned to Japan in the spring of 1902
the Bishop placed her in charge as head nurse, but
in 1903 she resigned her position, married one of the
doctors, and they both left for another part of the
country. About this time it was decided by the New
Canadian Committee in Japan that the site of the Dls P ensar y-
hospital building was not sufficiently central for
the proper development of the work, and that it
would be desirable to sell and build others in a better
location. A new building was therefore erected on
the main street of the city midway between the
famous old temple of Zenkoji and the railway station,
where numbers of pilgrims alight for periodical
i6 4
THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
Matsumoto.
St. Mary s
Home.
Miss Pater-
son.
visits to the shrine. In this building which was
erected partly with W.A. money from the sale of
th^ hospital, and partly by the Alice Rogers Memor
ial Gift from the Ontario W.A. two distinct kinds
of work were carried on, viz., evangelistic work by
preaching to non-Christians on Sunday nights and
special occasions, and medical work through the
dispensary for the poor, with a physician and two
nurses in daily attendance 1 , and Christian workers
always at hand to talk to the people as they waited
their turn. The war with Russia interfered so
seriously with the staff, some of the doctors and
nurses being sent to the front that the work had
to be discontinued, and it has not been considered
advisable to begin it again.
The interests of the Women s Auxiliary also ex
tended to Matsumoto, for there is situated St.
Mary s Home, which was established and built at
her own expense by a member of the W.A., Miss
Louey Paterson, a former officer of the Provincial
Board of Management, who in the year 1894, re
signed her position as Dorcas Secretary, volunteered
her services for work in the foreign field, and went
to Japan as an honorary missionary. She first
laboured under the Rev. J. G. Waller at Nagano as
a teacher, but in the year 1897, fully realizing that
the work in eastern lands among women was par-
WOMAN S AUXILIARY 165
ticulaiiy difficult and not satisfactory without some
training institution for women workers, she gener
ously devoted some of the means God had given her
to the erection and endowment of St. Mary s Home.
While in Mat sumo to she also started a class for
men, and a number of young Japanese received in
struction from her, some of them afterwards becom
ing Christians. Shortly after establishing the Home,
Miss Paterson s health failed, and she reluctantly
gave up the work so dear to her, but before leaving
vShe offered the building as a gift to the W.A. Since
the law in Japan does not permit foreign societies
to hold property, it was considered desirable that
the Home should be under the control of the Bishop,
and the Canadian and Japanese clergy, therefore,
the W.A. decided gratefully to decline Miss Pater-
son s kind offer, and she was asked to communicate
with the Bishop of South Tokyo, and request him
to take charge of the Home after her departure.
There was difficulty in finding a suitable person Miss Shack-
to take up Miss Paterson s work. Mrs. Rowe, Mrs.
Kennedy s mother, added as much of this as she
could to her other duties, but this arrangement
could not be permanent. In December, 1900, the
Bishop placed Miss Shackleton, an English lady
missionary from Tokyo, in charge of the Home, and
the W.A. on his advice accepted her as their mission-
A-- S^r^rintenGer.T o: The K.ITK
^, , -___ , v .-->-c
is^^i brT cX^rrjini-Lionv. she he];s- :he Rev. F W.
v-^rme~y : y ~v~i>::i:_^ rc m^^r.y ;:j c Chn^tian wcrrnen.
^Tji 5:i>ir^ c vantrejisrjc 1 v^-ork ;hrcnigiicvii: The
Bea:"-: :- the rirlr- Tvh:> h^ve l>een irained a? Bit>le-
wcrnen. ^m:c^ n h .tz: are I c-rrrniira San, Tanaka
San, C^ctzn San ani ethers., scene have laken up the
c- Lliint: :: rr.ir^.. and have Lieen sent to ST. Luke s
Hos^tal. ToiTx- j. for training, and one has taken a
theological ccrjrse at ST. Hilda s House. Ichimura
ssrccr: 2^1 - f-r ,- Tbr "W i i^>; -j
168 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
Triennial meeting in 1908 voted part of the funds at
their disposal towards the erection of the church at
Miss Matsumoto, which was opened in 1910. In 1909
Lennox. Miss Lennox, who is a doctor as well as trained nurse
and kindergarten directress, was sent to Matsumoto
where it is confidently expected that she will prove
a great source of strength to the work after she has
acquired a sufficient knowledge of the language.
Other Places I Since 1897 the Huron Diocesan Branch has
Helped by
the W.A. provided a certain sum annually towards the support
of Miss Young at Nagoya, in whose kindergarten
work the Junior Branches are much interested, and
contribute towards its support.
2. A considerable sum has been contributed to
wards the purchase of land and the erection of mis
sion buildings at Ueda.
3. The Blind School at Gifu has been assisted
by contributions sent to the Rev. Arthur Lea and
his successors.
4. Besides gifts of money, several of the Mission
Stations in Japan have received donations of Com
munion vessels and linen, Church furnishings, etc.,
contributed by branches or individuals through the
Dorcas department.
THE JAPANESE CHURCH 169
CHAPTER VIII.
THE JAPANESE CHURCH CANADIAN MIS
SIONARY JURISDICTION.
I. THE JAPANEvSE CHURCH.
(NIPPON SEI KOKWAI.)
Having referred to the work of the various Church
Missions operating in Japan, it will now be in order
to give some account of the formation of the Church
which has been the outgrowth thereof. It may
safely be said that no missions in modern times have
resulted so quickly in the organization of a Church
as the Anglican Missions in Japan.
Reference has already been made to the first Preparatory
English Bishop in Japan, the Rt. Rev. Arthur W. Work *
Poole, who after a brief episcopate of less than two
years was called to higher service on July i4th, 1885.
The man chosen to succeed Bishop Poole was Bishop
the Rev. Edward Bickersteth who, like his prede- Bickersteth.
cessor had been a missionary in India, but in connec
tion with the S.P.G. He was, however, connected
with the C. M.S. in many ways, his grandfather hav
ing been Secretary and his father, then Bishop of
Exeter, one of the staunchest friends of that Society
during his whole life. Bishop Bickersteth was con
secrated in February, 1886, and proceeded at once
170 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
to Japan, reached Nagasaki on April i3th, his sup
port being undertaken, as in the case of Bishop
Poole, jointly by the C.M.S. and the S.P.G.
Steps had already been taken by the three Mis
sions of the Church to provide a PRAYER BOOK for
the use of all and the time now seemed ripe for further
co-operation. Bishop Bickcrstcth realized this be
fore reaching Japan and immediately set about his
work with this constantly in view. Speaking to
Mr. Imai, (now the Rev. J. T. Imai, a prominent
Japanese clergyman) the morning after his arrival
the Bishop said : "The Church of Japan must be
the Church of Japan ; the Prayer Book of that
Church must really be its own Prayer Book. Japan
will receive no Western type of the faith ; although
receiving, as is necessary, the framework of the
Church from abroad, she will complete her ecclesias
tical organization on her own lines."
As he came into contact with the missionaries
and gave expression to these views he was greatly
rejoiced to find that many of his fellow- workers were
quite in sympathy with them and ready to follow
his leadership in the matter of developing them.
About three months after Bishop Bickersteth s
arrival the annual Conference of C.M.S. missionaries
was held in Osaka and it was there that the prelimi
nary step was taken which within a year led to the
THE JAPANESE CHURCH 171
full organization of the Japanese Church. That
step was the passing of the following resolution :
"That, taking into consideration the existence of Preliminary
three Episcopal Missions, in this country, two of teps *
which are in connection with the Church of England
and one with the Protestant Episcopal Church of
America, and being convinced that co-operation
between these three societies, and visible union
among the native Christians connected with them,
is necessary to the establishment of a strong Epis
copal Church and a necessary preliminary to any
wider union of Christians in Japan on a permanent
and satisfactory basis ; and further, noting that for
some time past united action has existed among the
various sections of non-episcopal communions, to
the manifest increase of their strength and influence,
and that efforts are now being made, especially by
the native Christians, towards unity among the
different communities themselves the annual con
ference of the C.M.S., now sitting in Osaka, wishes
to suggest to the bishops and clergy of the American
Church and the clergy of the S.P.G. the desirability
of holding a general conference of the three missions
on this subject at an early date."
This suggestion being accepted by the American
Church Mission and that of the S.P.G. the conference
desired was held almost immediately. It was pre-
172 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
United sided over by Bishop Williams and after the subject
Conference, j^ -fo cen care f u iiy discussed it was decided to hold a
conference of delegates appointed by each mission
in July.
The two bishops at once set to work to draft
Canons in order to have a definite scheme to set be
fore the forthcoming conference. The claims of
ancient precedents were carefully considered in con
nection with the more recent Canons of the American
and New Zealand Churches as representative of
present day needs.
The matter was also referred to the Archbishop
of Canterbury (Dr. Benson) and the presiding bishop
of the American Church, from both of whom en
couragement was received, and finally the conference
met, as Bishop Bickersteth wrote, "not to constitute
a new Church for our native brethren in the faith
but to promote her organization as an entity separate
from the parent Churches of her communion." The
draft of a Constitution and Canons submitted by the
bishops received, on the whole, the approval of the
delegates and the discussion passed off most har
moniously, everybody, as Bishop Bickersteth wrote,
"trying to contribute rather than to oppose, to build
up rather than to overthrow.
Formal The movement thus happily inaugurated was
)n consummated in the following year when another
THE JAPANESE CHURCH 173
united conference of the three missions and the first
Synod of the Japanese Church took place at Osaka First Synod
,, f Feb. 8, 1887.
commencing on February 8th and continuing tor
six days. On the first three days the missionaries
and Japanese met separately, in order that both sec-
tions might debate with the utmost freedom. On"
the remaining three days they met together, and
finally approved the constitution of the Church.
This important gathering comprised nineteen for
eigners, including Bishops Williams and Bickersteth
and fourteen other clergymen ; the three Japanese
deacons who had recently been ordained, two in
connection with the American Mission and the other
of the S.P.G. ; and fifty Japanese lay delegates from
the various congregations of the three Missions. By
the testimony of all parties, the proceedings were
characterized by much kindly and harmonious feel
ing, as well as by animation and frankness. Bishop
Bickersteth wrote about the meeting thus : "The
C.M.S. missionaries passed a unanimous vote of
satisfaction ; those of the S.P.G. were pleased,
and the Japanese were delighted at having done the
thing with us."
The name, NIPPON SEI KOKWAI, means literally, Name, Con-
" Japan Church" (NIPPON signifying Japan, Ssi * and
holy, KO public and KWAI meeting or society.- - SEI
KOKWAI is the word used in the Creed to translate
Holy Catholic Church.)
174 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
The most important debate of the Synod took
place 011 the question of including the Anglican
Prayer Book and Articles in the Constitution of the
new Church. A Japanese version of the former, with
slight modifications to cover the variations in the
American book was actually in use, and the articles
were being taught, at least to the C.M.S. divinity
students ; but it was felt that ultimately the Japanese
themselves would have to decide what their Prayer
Book should contain and it was obvious that articles
which were the outcome of the struggles of a Euro
pean Church in the sixteenth century could not be
expected to be permanently suitable for a young
Asiatic Church with totally different surroundings.
The Americans wished to exclude them altogether ;
but Bishop Bickersteth did not feel able to consent
to this at so early a stage and finally both the Prayer
Book and the articles were accepted provisionally.
The first two articles of the Constitution were
as follows :
Articles "I. This Church doth accept and believe all
the Canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testa
ments, as given by inspiration of God, and as con
taining all things necessary to salvation, and doth
profess the faith as summed up in the Nicenc Creed
and that commonly called the Apostles Creed.
THE JAPANESE CHURCH 175
"II. This Church will minister the Doctrine and
Sacraments and discipline of Christ, as the Lord hath
commanded, and will maintain inviolate the three
orders of Bishops, Priests and Deacons, in the Sacred
Ministry."
The other articles defined the constitution and
powers of the Synod, which at first met every two
years, and the Canons contained regulations regard
ing candidates for orders, lay ministrations, local
church councils, etc., and instituted a Missionary A Missionary
Society of the Nippon Sei Kokwai. Society.
Although the Japanese Church was thus regularly
and properly constituted in communion with the
Church of England and the Protestant Episcopal
Church of the United States, it was evident that
much further work would be required to bring every
thing to completion. Parts of the Prayer Book
had not yet been translated and those already in use
required revision, while man} additions to the
Canons were necessary. Both these matters were
taken up by the second Synod, which met in the
spring of 1889 and was attended by the first mission
ary of the Canadian Church.
At this Synod the question of revising the Prayer Prayer Book
Book was delegated to two committees, one to deal evisl
with the translation and the other structural details.
These committees were not able to complete their
1 76 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
work for the next Synod but at that held in 1893,
four years after their appointment their reports were
ready and were most thoroughly discussed by the
Synod, the Japanese clergy taking a prominent part
in the debates. Several radical alterations were pro
posed, especially in the Communion service but they
were all rejected so that no striking changes were
made. As the clerical part of the Synod was largely
composed of English and American missionaries it
was but natural to expect that preference would be
shown by each for the forms they had been accus
tomed to but it was noticeable that the differences
of opinion expressed generally indicated divergence
of theological views rather than nationality.
The revised Prayer Book finally came into use in
1895 and seems likely to remain as it is for some time
to come.
Distinguish- ^ e principal differences noticed by one accus
ing Features, tomed to the English Book of Common Prayer would
probably be as follows :
The Rubrics are more elastic, providing not only
for shortening the services but for considerable vari
ation in their use.
The lectionary contains no lessons whatever from
the Apocrypha. Additions have been made to the
opening sentences in Morning and Evening Prayer
while the prayer "For all sorts and conditions of
THE JAPANESE CHURCH 177
men" and "the General Thanksgiving" are printed
in the services where they are used.
After the Creed the Lord s Prayer and "lesser
Litany are omitted. Prayers for missions, cate
chumens and persons travelling have been added to
the occasional prayers.
The Epistles and Gospels are not printed in the
Prayer Book, their places in the Bible only being
given.
In the Communion service the most noticeable
difference consists of the addition of the prayer of
consecration from the American Book as an alter
native.
The Athanasian Creed is inserted before the
Ordinal but its use is left entirely to the discretion
of the minister.
After the Ordinal follow a service for the conse
cration of Churches and another for the induction
of ministers, taken from the American Book.
Then follows an appendix containing:
(1) Rules for the shortening of services.
(2) Family Prayers, from the American Book.
(3) A form of prayer for the Emperor s Birthday,
modelled on the English form for the King s Acces
sion.
(4) A form of Harvest Thanksgiving, from the
American Book.
178 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
(5) Intercession for Missions.
(6) A service for admitting catechumens.
(7) A service for licensing catechists.
Marriage As was anticipated the work of framing additional
canons proved more 1 difficult than that of revising
the liturgy especially in regard to those dealing with
the questions of marriage and divorce.
In order that this may be better understood it
may be well to refer to certain fundamental differ
ences between the ideas of the Japanese and our
selves in regard to the object of marriage.
AYith us marriage generally takes place from
motives of personal happiness or individual self-in-
Japanese terest, whereas in Japan, where the family is the
Marriage social unit, it is entered upon primarily in the in
terests of the family. The law requires that no
family once registered shall be allowed to die out.
Each family has a head who must provide an heir
to succeed him. The wife of this head of the family
is usually chosen for him by his relatives and if she
proves unsuitable for her position by failing to give
him an heir, his duty to his house requires him to
employ other means of procuring this absolutely
necessary person. He may divorce his wife and try
another or, if unwilling to do this, take a concubine
with the hope of succeeding in that way. If this
also fails, or if he prefer not to resort to it, he must
THE JAPANESE CHURCH 179
adopt a boy from another family which has one or
more to spare, but heir he must have.
In families where the children are all girls a hus
band is chosen for one of them, usually the eldest,
and this man takes the family name of his wife and
becomes the head of the house as an adopted son.
It will thus be seen that to frame a law which,
would uphold the sanctity of Christian marriage
without running counter to the Japanese code of
social ethics is a matter of no little difficulty and it
will not be considered remarkable that it has not
yet been accomplished.
Marriage in Japan, in the eyes of the law, is Civil and
simply a matter of registration and so it has been cal Marriage
ordered by the Church that the marriage service Laws,
may not be performed for those who have not been
registered as man and wife and are not consequently
legally in that condition and would not be made so
by the performance of a service of which the law
takes no account. On the other hand the Church
cannot always permit its service to be used by those
whose union the civil law may have already sanc
tioned.
Discussion of this subject has been principally Points of
centered on two points (i) marriage with a deceased 1 cu y *
wife s sister and (2) marriage of divorced persons.
The stricter party in regard to both these points has
180 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
Extension
of the
Episcopate.
always been in the minority but very uncompromis
ing and the tendency now seems to be in favour of a
stricter canon than could have been passed some
years ago.
Mention has already been made of the appoint
ment of two Bishops to Japan by the Protestant
Episcopal Church of the United States and the
Church of England. After the resignation of Bishop
Williams, in 1890, Bishop Hare of South Dakota was
in charge of the American Mission for a while, and
it was then that a preliminary delimitation of their
respective missionary districts was agreed upon by
him and Bishop Bickersteth. Tokyo and Osaka,
being strongly occupied by both branches of the
Church, were regarded as common ground, but out
side these two cities boundaries were marked out.
This arrangement was accepted by Bishop McKim
on his appointment to the oversight of the work of
the American Church, and with some modifications,
was ratified by the Synod of the Japanese Church.
In 1896 the Synod formally recognized six QUASI
dioceses into which it had been suggested by the
Bishops that the country should be divided. Two of
these, North Tokyo and Kyoto, were assigned to
the American Church, and the remaining four, South
Tokyo, Osaka, Kyushu and Hokkaido, to the Church
of England. The following is the list of these Dio-
THE JAPANESE CHURCH 181
ceses and Bishops, with the date of each Bishop s
consecration, and the society by which he is sup
ported :
North Tokyo, John McKim, 1891, American Ch.
South Tokyo, Cecil Boutflower, 1903, S.P.G.
Osaka, Hugh James Foss, 1897, S.P.G.
Kyushu, Arthur Lea, 1909, C.M.S.
Hokkaido, Walter Andrews, 1909, C.M.S.
Kyoto, St. George Tucker, Am. Ch., 1912.
Heber James Hamilton, 1912, M.S.C.C.
According to this arrangement there are two
Bishops in one city and as the advisability of this
has not infrequently been questioned it may be well
to refer to the agreement made between Bishops
Hare and Bickersteth that "the residence and juris
diction of the American and English Bishops re
spectively should be determined by ready access to
each other and to centres of life and population,"
and, as there is in Japan "but one great centre of
life, thought and influence," Tokyo was retained as
the place of residence for the two Bishops whose
jurisdictions of North Tokyo and South Tokyo there
meet.
That the organization of the Japanese Church Bishop
was undertaken at an opportune moment, carried g^eth^s"
out on the right lines and in the proper spirit, its Leadership,
peace and prosperity up to the present time abund-
1 82 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
antly testify. That careful and thorough prepara
tory work has been done before he reached the coun
try, that his efforts were ably seconded by the de
voted missionaries of three Societies, and by faithful
"Japanese converts, may be fully conceded, but, that
the great success achieved in organizing the Church
was largely due to the wise and devoted Christian
statesmanship of the late Bishop Bickersteth is a
generally admitted fact.
Prosperity. Since its organization in 1887, the Nippon Sei
Kokwai has been the most prosperous Christian body
in the Empire, having increased in membership
nearly tenfold ; and lias constantly shown how
Japanese and foreigners, with very diverse ideas and
customs about many things, can, by the grace of
(jod, work harmoniously together. What the future
of this Church is to be the writer would not venture
to prophesy. There are indications that Japanese
Christians will not be completely satisfied till their
Church is as united and independent as their nation,
and that in all bodies there are those who have this
in view and are quietly working to bring it about.
Just what the result will be can only be conjectured
but it seems not improbable to some that it may be
the privilege of Japanese Christians to show their
perplexed brethren of other lands how our Lord s
prayer is to be fulfilled, "That they all may be one
THE JAPANESE CHURCH 183
as thou Father art in me and I in thee ; that they
also may be one in us ; that the world -may believe
that thou didst send me."
However this may be, it is evident that the most
important thing at present for all the Churches is to
become self-supporting, through an increase of
membership made up of all classes to be obtained by
active evangelistic effort ; and, in the case of the Sei
Kokwai, the establishment, as soon as it may be
advisable, of a Japanese Episcopate.
It is desirable therefore that we should con
sider the following subjects in this connection:
1. Self-support.
2. The necessity of evangelizing the masses.
3. Hindrances to the work.
4. A Japanese Episcopate.
i. THE QUESTION OF SELF SUPPORT is, of course, Self-
a matter of great importance in every mission field and uppor
one that all missionaries should keep constantly in
view and seek to promote. There are two chief
reasons for seeking to induce native churches to
provide for the maintenance of their own pastors
and others who will help in evangelistic work: (a)
to relieve the foreign missionary societies in order
that they may push on with the evangelization of the
184 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
regions beyond, and (b) to encourage a spirit of in
dependence and self-respect.
It was but natural to suppose that among an in
dependent people like the Japanese, the Christian
congregations gathered together by the work of
foreign missionaries, would be eager to provide for
themselves as soon as possible. In some cases this
spirit has been manifest from the early days, but in
a great many cases there has been a strong tendency
A Spirit of to seek independence in Church government while
dence? n doing very little evangelistic work and giving little
or nothing towards the support of native pastors.
To some extent this is to be accounted for by the
exaggerated ideas of the wealth of the missionaries
held by many Japanese on account of the differences
they see in the mode of living between the foreigners
and their own people. Very inferior houses and
simple food, from our point of view, appear to the
Japanese quite luxurious. It is also certain that
many missionaries have just as exaggerated ideas
of the poverty of the Japanese, and, considering them
unable to contribute towards Church support, have
not taught them sufficiently the duty of giving.
This is perhaps particularly true of missionaries from
England where so few congregations of the Estab
lished Church do anything to support the clergy.
This suggestion finds support in the fact that our
SELF SUPPORT
Church is noticeably behind others in regard to this
important matter and that some of the most back
ward places have been in the hands of English mis
sionaries who were themselves people of substantial
means. Another general reason for this backward
ness of Japanese Churches in comparison with those
which have grown up in less civilized, or quite un
civilized, lands, is the fact that the great majority
of their members are officials who are notoriously
underpaid, while feeling bound to keep up appear
ances ; and students who, as a rule, have a hard
struggle to get an education. It is gratifying, how
ever, to note that there is a growing sense of responsi
bility among Japanese pastors and Church members
in connection with this matter.
2. THE PRESENT NEED is evidently the evangeli- Evange ii za -
zation of the masses of the people and this is being tion of the
recognized more and more both by the missionaries
and Japanese Christians. Nearly all the work so
far has been done amongst the people of the cities
and large towns who do not comprise more than 20
or 25 per cent, of the population. The question,
however, is "Who are to do this work of reaching
the masses ? We would naturally say, "The Japan
ese Christians themselves," but strange to say they
seem to be looking to the foreigner to lead in the
undertaking and all the churches arc asking for more
i86 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
missionaries. One of the most prominent of the
Japanese Christians was heard to say not long ago
that he did not know how to undertake the work of
reaching the masses and that the Churches in Japan
would require missionaries for a long time yet "for
teaching, example ^nd inspiration."
3. HINDRANCES. These are undoubtedly greater
than they were some years ago and amongst them
might be mentioned the following :
Anti-Foreign ( a ) A ^4^ to somo extent of an anti-foreign
opirit.
spirit on account of the unfair dealing, criticism and
suspicion experienced at the hands of certain foreign
nations and people.
Self-suffi- (k) An increased spirit of self-sufficiency as a
ciency. J .
result or victory over two great nations in succession,
one of them being a so-called "Christian nation."
In this connection we might consider the question
of the deification of their country and their Emperor
by, at least, a considerable number of the people.
I shall here quote from some riotes on the subject
made by a friend who is familiar with the subject
and in a position to speak with authority.
" Thc doctrine of the divinity of the Emperor,
and bound up with it, the belief in Japan as a divine
country, different from other nations and with a
special mission of its own, is very highly valued
amongst the upper classes and military and naval
HINDRANCES 187
circles. The Imperial Household Department, well
backed up by the educational authorities, carries on
an earnest propaganda of this cult. The results are
good in so far as they foster a spirit of patriotism
but bad in so far as that patriotism is sometimes an
unscrupulous one. The chief hindrance to the full
acceptance of Christianity lies in the pride of the
people and their belief in Japan as a country with
a divine descent, and a divine mission peculiar to
itself. The acceptance of Christianity implies
sitting at the feet of Europe and America, and the
patriotic Japanese reverses the picture and sees
Western nations sitting at the feet of Japan. This
is the main difficulty and remains very often in the
individual Christian even after the reception of bap
tism. Another difficulty is the doctrine of a personal
God. God as we conceive of Him is, of necessity,
higher than the Emperor. That one fact is suf
ficient to condemn Him. Naval officers have been
heard to say that "His Majesty is God," and there
are University Professors who are very earnest in
the belief that to believe in a supreme God is treason
to the Emperor.
Two other objections will sometimes come from objections
the same mouth within an hour or two, Christianity to Christian-
is too individualistic" and "Christianity is too iy *
socialistic. These two objections usually mean the
icS8 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
same thing Christianity docs not harmonize with
the deification of the genius of Japan in the 2oth
century any more than it did with the deification
of the genius of Rome in the 2nd century."
It might be mentioned that both the Emperor
and the Crown Prince have shown interest in and
given assistance to philanthropic work carried on
by Christians, so that it is hoped they are not so
prejudiced against Christianity as some of their
subjects are and that the ideas above quoted may
gradually weaken and disappear.
Revival of (c) Another hindrance to the progress of Chris-
Buddhism. tianity is the rev j va i O f Buddhism that has taken
place during the past few years. The Buddhist
priests have lately roused themselves and organized
their parishes duplicating in almost every detail
the machinery employed by the Christian Churches.
Their teaching moreover, has been greatly altered
in many cases and now closely resembles Christian
ity. Some of them boldly assert that Buddhism
and Christianity are the same at the root but that,
having developed in Western lands under different
conditions, Christianity is not suitable for Japan.
The following quotation from the pen of the late
Professor Lloyd, who was a deep and sympathetic
student of Buddhism will illustrate what I have said.
HINDRANCES 189
"Amida is the one Buddha, a being of infinite
life and light, without beginning of life or end of days.
Countless ages ago he, out of his mercy, became man
and in his human form, and for man, undertook aus
terities and penances until he was able, as man, to
return to that glorified state from which he had
descended. But before returning he registered a
vow not to accept his glory until he had worked out
a way of salvation for mankind an easy way which
should not depend on man s individual virtues.
Having made his vow he established a paradise and
decreed that Faith, in his Name and vow should
suffice to enable the greatest sinner to enter in and be
saved. The germ of faith may be primitive Jewish
or Christian but be its origin what it will here is a
faith wonderfully like Christianity. It is theologi
cal, it recognizes man as a sinner, it preaches the
Gospel to the poor and it has a salvation by faith in
a saviour w T ho has done everything for the soul."
It may be, as an increasing number of Chris
tians are inclined to believe, that Providence intends
this teaching as a preparation for the Gospel in
Japan but we must observe that, notwithstanding
the revival and reforms that have taken place in
Buddhism, it still lacks moral and spiritual power. Lacking in
A comparison of the lives of Buddhist priests and spiritual 1
those of Christian ministers is the best illustration Powers.
igo THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
of the fundamental difference between salvation in
sin, as set forth above, and salvation from sin as
preached by our Lord and His missionaries.
(d) Another hindrance is the claim by educated
people that Christianity is out of date and losing its
hold on western nations. This is a hindrance which
is difficult to deal with in view of the circulation
Critical View which our western modern literature is now obtaining
{L 1- in Japan. As one writes, The Japanese is by nature
a higher critic. He has reformed his whole national
life in accordance with the most up-to-date ideas
that he could find, and he is fully convinced that
whatever is old-fashioned is necessarily antiquated
and useless. The appeal to antiquity is absolutely
nothing to him.
Materialistic (c) The thirst for gold and pleasure that is so
manifest in many countries of the West, has taken
strong hold of Japan and the tendency is to be
"lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God."
Old Super- (f) Finally I would mention amongst the hin-
StltlOIlS. j ... r 1 -i 1-1
drances the great mass of old superstitions which,
notwithstanding the prevalence of new ideas, are
disappearing but slowly, and the time honoured
custom of submitting all important matters to the
consideration of a family council. Thousands are
convinced of the truth of Christianity, and would
HINDRANCES 191
undoubtedly profess it, and receive baptism, were
it not for the restraint of relatives.
It will thus be seen that the Christian worker in
Japan has practically all the difficulties of Western
lands to encounter and many that are peculiar to
the country and of a very formidable character,
especially amongst the higher classes, but he can
have no doubt that the teaching of the Carpenter
of Nazareth, the fishermen of Lake Galilee and the
learned and consecrated tentmaker of Tarsus may
be relied upon to win amongst the common people
of Japan as well as in every other land.
4. A JAPANESE EPISCOPATE
Closely connected with the subjects just consid
ered, is that of a native Episcopate, for it is
accepted as a principle of missionary polity that no
nation can be fully evangelized except by mission
aries of its own race, and that to be truly strong and
useful a Church must be national with its own dis
tinctive characteristics. For some years past the
question of how and when a native Episcopate
should be established in the Japanese Church has Taken,
engaged the attention of persons of prominence in
the Anglican Communion, both in Japan and else
where, and perhaps in no country outside Japan has
more been said about it than in Canada. That it
I 9 2
THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
would not be wise, however, for the Canadian Church
Difficulties to take action in the matter at present seems to be
in the Way. made dear by thc following f acts
(a) The great English Societies and the Church in
the United States when enquired of as to whether
they would be willing to provide financial support
for Japanese bishops replied in the negative.
(b) Many Japanese leaders have pointed out
that to have bishops of their own nationality paid
and controlled by a foreign society would be incom
patible with the prevailing ideas of patriotism, and
that the Church is yet too weak to dispense with
foreign guidance and help.
(c) The General Synod of the Church of Japan
in 1908 passed a Canon on the subject, providing that
as soon as there are six fully self-supporting congre
gations in any large city or centre of population
provision for his support having been made by the
native Church a Japanese bishop may be conse
crated to have jurisdiction over these congregations
and others in the neighbourhood as they become self-
supporting, or, with the approval of the Missionary
Society assisting them, may wish to come under the
Japanese bishop. This scheme will gradually se
cure native bishops who will be chief pastors rather
than evangelists as all missionaries whether bishops
priests, deacons or laymen ; male or female are in-
THE CANADIAN JURISDICTION 193
tended to be. The idea of the Japanese evidently
is, to build up strong centres by doing evangelistic
work locally before undertaking responsibility for
the country at large.
At the General Synod of the Church in Japan
held in April, 1911, a document was presented by the
Bishops embodying the terms on which the Arch
bishop of Canterbury and the President of the House
of Bishops in the United States, proposed to confer
the Episcopate on the Church in Japan. Some dis
satisfaction was expressed by the Japanese leaders
in regard to the conditions proposed, and further
consideration of the question was postponed.
II. THE CANADIAN MISSIONARY JURIS
DICTION.
The idea of a Canadian Missionary Jurisdiction
has been in the minds of some of the missionaries and
others from the early days of the work, and as long
ago as 1896 the Bishops in Japan invited the Canad-
ian Church to undertake that responsibility. The
principal reason why this invitation was not accepted
was, no doubt, financial ; but it came to the Canad
ian Church at an inconvenient time, when an im
portant scheme of reorganization was being consid
ered and other matters had to be deferred. Another
reason that would undoubtedly have told against it,
was that the district suggested included only Shinshu
194 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
and Echigo, thus leaving out the older and larger part
Difficulties of the Canadian work. There were, however, physi-
ay cal difficulties in the way of uniting the two groups
of missionaries, for between their centres of Nagoya
and Nagano there were 150 miles of mountainous
country through which there was no railway, and
the distance around by Tokyo by rail is nearly 400
miles. It was, therefore, evident that until the pro
jected railway between the two places was completed
it would be impossible to have a united mission.
At the beginning of 1910, when the two ends of
this railway had approached within a distance of
thirty or forty miles of each other and it was evident
that communication would soon be opened, Mr.
More Robinson addressed a letter to the Board of the
| t e e c p e s nt M.vS.C.C, urging that steps should be taken to bring
the two separated groups of Canadian missionaries
together into one mission. The Board having ex
pressed sympathy with the scheme and readiness to
co-operate with the missionaries and .the Church in
Japan in carrying it out, negotiations were opened
with the Bishops and leading Japanese with the
result that, at the General Synod held in Tokyo in
April, 1911, a resolution was unanimously passed
setting apart the four Prefectures in which her mis
sionaries have been working for twenty-three years,
as a new missionary jurisdiction and inviting the
Canadian Church to take charge of it.
>
-" G
M O
THE CANADIAN JURISDICTION 195
At the meeting of the General Synod, held at
London in September, 191:, the invitation of the
Chureh of Japan was accepted and a Canon
passed authorizing the Board of Management
of the M.S.C.C. to appoint Bishops to Mission
ary Dioceses, subject to the approval of the House of
Bishops.
On April 18, 1912, the Board of Management met
at Toronto and chose the Rev. Hcber J. Hamilton,
M.S.C.C. Missionary at Nagoya, as Bishop of the
Canadian Missionary Jurisdiction in Japan and,
the House of Bishops having confirmed the choice,
Mr. Hamilton was communicated with by cable
and telegraphed his acceptance of the office.
Thus the scheme which has been under consider
ation for more than two years has been brought to a
happy conclusion and a great opportunity for in
creased usefulness is presented to the Canadian
Church.
Let us remember that "To whomsoever much is
given, of him will much be required," and say, in the
words of faithful Caleb, "Let us go up at once and
possess the land ; for we are well able to overcome
106 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
ADDITIONAL NOTE
While the foregoing pages were being printed news came
from Japan of an event of great interest, and possibly far-
reaching results to the Christian cause in that country, viz.,
the holding of a Conference of religious leaders at the in
vitation of the Minister of Home Affairs. The number
of delegates was 71, of whom 53 were Buddhists, 13 Shin-
toists, and 7 Christians, and all the principal religious bodies
of the Empire were represented except one sect of Buddhism
and the Church of Rome. The first meeting took place
at the Peers Club in Tokyo on Sunday, Feb. 26th, and
was opened by a brief address from Mr. Hara, the Home
Minister, in which he thanked the different religious bodies
for what they had done in the past " in directing the hearts
of the people and upholding public morality," and declared
that " with the progress of national affairs the country must
depend even more than in the- past on their efforts for the
healthy growth of (lie 1 spiritual life of the people and the
reform of social conditions."
Two days later these religious leaders came together
again, without any representative of the Government being
present, and passed a resolution pledging themselves
without compromising their own religious positions to work
earnestly for the social and religious welfare of the Nation,
and also expressing the hope that those in authority in the
State would seek to accomplish the same object by co
operating with religious teachers and leaders.
The general opinion of the press seems to be that Chris
tianity stands to gain largely by what has occurred. Whether
this prediction proves true or not we can at least be thankful
that at length our Holy Religion has been officially and
publicly recognized as a means of promoting among the people
that " righteousness which exalte th a nation."
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS 197
APPENDIX
Aim and Suggestive Questions for Each Chapter
These questions are intended, primarily, to
stimulate thought on the part of the reader.
A few of them, however, may also be used in
Study Class although care in selection should be
used by the leader.
CHAPTER I.
AIM To get a clear idea of Japan as a field for
Evangelization
QUESTIONS.
1. What are the advantages of Japan s position
and insular character ?
2 . What advantage is it to Japan to extend over
several degrees of latitude ?
3. What effect has the scenery upon the charac
ter of the people ?
4. Illustrate the influence which Mount Fuji has
upon the Japanese.
5. What climatic features are generally trying
to foreigners ?
THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
6. What effect has the development of manufac
tures and facilities for transportation had on mis
sionary work ?
7. Name some national characteristics of the
Japanese that should make them good mission
aries .
8. What are some of the moral and social prob
lems confronting Christianity in Japan ?
CHAPTER II.
AIM To study the literature and religions of Japan
as factors in the Missionary Problem*
QUESTIONS.
1. How far should a missionary be acquainted
with the language of the people among whom he
is working ?
2. What things should be kept in mind in trying
to master the language for evangelistic work ?
3. Is the familiarity of the Japanese with Wes
tern Literature a hindrance or a help to the spread of
Christianity ?
4. What emphasis would you place on literature
as an evangelistic agency in Japan ?
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS 199
5. Compare Christianity and Shintoism.
6. What do you think should be the attitude of a
missionary towards ancestral worship ?
7. How would you commend Christian patriot
ism to an ardent Shintoist ?
8. What do you consider the best features of
Buddhism ?
9. In what ways has Buddhism failed to meet
the needs of the Japanese?
10. How would a Buddhist regard the divisions
which exist among Christians ?
11. Is the present Buddhist revival a menace
or a stepping-stone to Christianity ?
12. Explain how a Japanese could conceive of
"a mosaic of religions."
13. Compare the ethical standards of Confu
cianism and Christianity ?
200 THE ISLAND EMHRE OP THE EAST
CHAPTER III.
AIM To appreciate the situation at the re-opening
of Japan,
QUESTIONS.
T. Compare the Japanese Empire, in age, with
the Roman Empire, the Papacy, the British Mon
archy and the United States Government.
2. In the days of St. Paul which was the more
promising race, the Japane.se or our Anglo-Saxon
ancestors ?
3. Since that time what has each race received
from without ?
4. What does the success of the Jesuit Mission
indicate in regard to Japanese character ?
5. Why have modern Missions a greater right
to survive than the Jesuit Mission had ?
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS 201
CHAPTER IV.
AIM To trace the development of Christian
work in Japan*
QUESTIONS.
1. Was there as much need at home in 1859 as
there is to-day ?
2. Compare the discouragements at home which
faced the early missionaries with those of mis
sionary volunteers to-day.
3. Compare the difficulties which faced them in
Japan with those of to-day.
4. Compare the encouragements of to-day with
those of 1859.
5. Were the results of the work of the early
missionaries as great as they had a right to expect?
6. What do the variations in the progress of
Christianity in Japan indicate as to the difficulties
experienced ?
7. Give reasons for the necessity of Bible trans
lation.
8. Give reasons for the unusual degree of or
ganization in so new a mission field.
2O2 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
9. Name and account for the problems which
confronted Christian Missions during the reaction
ary period.
10. How many of these survive to-day ?
11. In what way does the Anglo-Japanese
Alliance effect our responsibility towards Japan ?
12. What institutions in Japan are due to Chris
tian influence ?
13. Discuss the value of auxiliary missionary
agencies.
CHAPTER V.
AIM To understand the origin of the Nippon
Sei Kokwai*
QUESTIONS.
1 . How far have medical missions in Japan been
necessary or useful ?
2 . Considering the fact that Japan has a complete
secular educational system, what is the justifica
tion for Christian schools and colleges ?
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS 203
3. Describe the methods that the evangelistic
missionary uses to present the Gospel to the people.
4. What do you consider the most effective
evangelistic agency ?
5. How does the record of Anglican missions
Japan justify your opinion in regard to this ?
6. What should be the attitude of the missionary
towards church organization and the establishment
of a Japanese ministry ?
7 . Why were congregations organized in the early
Christian Church ?
8. Which of these reasons would be applicable
now to the Churches in the mission field ?
CHAPTER VI.
AIM To hear the Call of Japan*
QUESTIONS.
1 . How far was the Church of England in Canada
ready to undertake foreign missionary work in
1883 ?
2. Why was there so much hesitancy about be
ginning such work ?
204 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
3. Explain the connection between the D. and
F.M.S., the C.C.M.S. and the M.S.C.C.
4. Compare the density of population of Owari
with that of Canada and with your own County.
5. If you were sent out as an evangelistic mis
sionary, how would you begin ?
6. What are some of the disadvantages of using
an interpreter ?
7. What is the value of such institutions as the
Yoro-In, the Blind School, etc. ?
8. What effect does persecution generally have
on individuals and on Churches ? Why ?
9. Compare the average parish of a clergyman
in Canada with the district under the care of one
of our missionaries in Japan in regard to population,
church membership, workers, equipment, etc.
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS 205
CHAPTER VII.
AIM To hear the Call of Japan.
QUESTIONS.
1. What would lead non-Christians to worship
idols?
2. What is meant by an "out-station" ? What
is its place in evangelistic methods ?
3. What is the importance of Sunday Schools
for heathen children ? Compare and contrast
these Sunday Schools with your own.
4. What is a "mission hall" and how is it used ?
5. Which do you consider the more important
evangelistic work, that among students or that
among people of the artisan or fisherman type ?
Why?
6. Why are hostels for students important
agencies in missionary work ?
206 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
7. Illustrate the work of the W.A. in its relation
to the M.S.C.C. on the mission field by some con
crete examples.
8. If you had $10,000 to invest in missionary
work in Japan how would you invest it ?
CHAPTER VIII.
AIM To realize our responsibility to Japan.
QUESTIONS.
1. What have been the advantages of consoli
dation among the various branches of the Anglican
Communion in Japan ?
2. What are the most striking differences be
tween the Japanese liturgy and ours ?
3. What contributions may we expect Oriental
Churches (such as that of Japan) to make to the
interpretation of Christianity ?
4. Contrast Christian and heathen ideals in re
gard to marriage and the family.
5. To what extent should the Japanese Church
be independent of foreign influence ?
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS 207
6. How soon and to what extent should self-
support be urged upon the Native Church ?
7. What are the chief hindrances to self-
support in Japan ?
8. What is now the greatest opportunity before
the Japanese Church ?
9. What difficulties in evangelistic work in Japan
are also to be found in Christian work in Canada ?
10. What difficulties are peculiar to Japan ?
11. When should the Japanese Church have
Native Bishops ?
1 2 . How should the establishment of a Canadian
Missionary Jurisdiction promote efficiency in our
work in Japan ?
13. How docs it affect the responsibility of the
Canadian Church ?
14. What do you consider the great need of
missionary work in Japan to-day ?
15. What is the best thing I can do for Japan ?
16. Am I doing it ?
17. Why?
208 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
SOME USEFUL BOOKS ON JAPAN.
Arnold, Miss Alfreda : CHURCH WORK IN JAPAN.
Bacon, Miss A. M. : JAPANESE GIRLS AND WOMEN.
Bachelor, Rev. John : THE AINU OF JAPAN.
Bickersteth, Miss M. : JAPAN As WE SAW IT.
Chamberlain, Prof. H. B. : THINGS JAPANESE.
Clement, Prof. E. W. : A HANDBOOK OF MODERN JAPAN.
CHRISTIANITY IN MODERN JAPAN.
Davis, Rev. J. D. : A MAKER OF NEW JAPAN A BIOGRAPHY
OF DR. J. H. NEESHIMA.
Gale, Jas. S. : KOREA IN TRANSITION.
Griffis, Dr. W. E. : THE MIC ADO S EMPIRE.
JAPAN IN ITS HISTORY, FOLK-LORE AND
ART.
THE RELIGIONS OF JAPAN.
" VERBECK OF JAPAN.
THE JAPANESE NATION IN EVOLUTION.
Gulick, Rev. S. L. : THE EVOLUTION OF THE JAPANESE.
Imai, Rev. J. T. : BUSHIDO PAST AND PRESENT.
MacKay, Rev. G. L. : FROM FAR FORMOSA.
Mitford, A. B. F. : TALES OF OLD JAPAN.
Murdock, James : A HISTORY OF JAPAN (3 Vols.)
MURRAY S HANDBOOK FOR TRAVELLERS IN JAPAN.
Nitobe, Prof. : Inazo : BUSHIDO THE SOUL OF JAPAN.
Peery, Rev. R. B. : THE GIST OF JAPAN.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE GENERAL CONFERENCE OF PROTESTANT
MISSIONS 1900 1908.
Tamura, Rev. N. : THE JAPANESE BRIDE.
Tristram, Rev. Canon : RAMBLES IN JAPAN.
Uchimtira, K. : THE DIARY OF A JAPANESE CONVERT.
INDEX 200
A. PAGE
Aborigines 9
Agriculture 6
Aichi 118, 119
Ainu 9, 104, 105
Ainu, Apostle of 94, 102
Akasaka 140
Algoma 113, 114
Alice Roger Memorial Gift 164
Almonte no
American Board of Commissioners for Foreign
Missions 18, 62
American Prayer Book 174, 177
Amida Buddha 33, 143, 189
Ancestors : Imperial 78, 79
" Worship of 26
Andrews, Bishop Walter 96, 104, 181
Anglican Missions in Japan 169
Anglo- Japanese Alliance 83
Annual Day of Intercession for Missions 68
Anti- Christian Edicts 59, 60, 66
Archbishop of Canterbury 68, 96, 142, 172, 193
Archer, Miss 102, 121, 133, 134, 163
Asama, Mount 154
Awdry, Bishop 147, 158, 162
B.
Baldwin, Rev. J. Macqueen. . 119, 124, 127, 129, 133, 134
Baldwin, Mrs 119, 133
Banking System 9, 13, 59
Baptisms, First 124, 131
Bachelor, Rev. John 9, 96, 104, 105
210
THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE EAST
Bible . . 3. 2 3, 37. 69, 74, 80, 81, 177
Bible Classes 84, 101, 102, 147, 154
Bible Societies Committee 74
Bible Women 101,110, 140
Bickersteth, Bishop Edward. . . .no, 116, 122, 145, 169, 170,
172, 173, 174, 180, 181, 182
Bishops in Japan 90, 181
Bishop Poole Memorial Sehool 99
Blind vSchool 136, 139, 168
Boutflower, Bishop Cecil 112, 129, 181
Bowman, Miss 100, 121, 142
Brown, Rev. R. S 61
Buddha Amicla. . . .33, 34, 35, 40, 45, 143, 144, 189
Buddhists 30, 33, 35, 36, 37, 44, 45, 46, 72, 107, 145, 147,
154. 159
Buddhism. . . .24, 28, 30, 31, 36. 37, 38, 39, 40, 53, 72, 131,
144, 188
Buddhist Pope 35
Buddhist Temples 17, 20, 34, 131. 148
Burdon, Bishop 98, 107
Burnside, Rev. H 94
Bushido 39
C.
Canadian C.M.S 117, 118, 121
Canadian Missionaries 115, 119, 142, 162
Canadian Missionary Jurisdiction 135, 193
Challenge to Christians by University Professors .... 80
Chamberlain, Prof 14, 22, 36
Chappell, Mr. James 136
Chappell, Rev. A. T 136, 137, 139
Chiba Prefecture 102, 1 10
INDEX 211
Chinese 10, 13, 47, 53, 64, 68, in
Chinese Idiographs 95
China 2, u, 31, 34, 50, 61, 82, 89, 152
China, War with 59. 77
Chinese Students 103
Climate 4
Christianity Suppressed 47
Christmas Day 124, 127, 146
Church of Christ in Japan 75
Church of the Holy Cross 149
Church of Japan 169, 170, 172, 175, 191, 192
Church Missionary Society. .62, 91, 94 106, 109, 113, 114,
129,136, 142 157, 169, 171, 173, 174
Church of our Saviour 145
Church Warden s Experience 126
Codes 59
Community Missions no
Conference of Missionaries 68, 85
Confucianism 12, 24, 38, 39, 53
Congregationalists 62, 73, 75
Cormorants 135
Crown Prince s Marriage 59. 85
D.
Daimyos 19, 21, 42, 51, 52, 53, 56
Darwin s Origin of Species 24
Deification of Heroes 27
Dening, Rev. Walter 94> 95
Deshima 48
Difficulties of Early Years 63
Dioceses in Japan 180
Divinity of the Emperor 186
2J2 THK ISLAND K.MPJJ-M-. OJ- THK F,AST
Divinity School : ..................
Jjorc-.. J r 8
Doshi 8
jo-,, JJ} ; u.5, JJ7, JJ8, JIM, 144, 158,
JOO, J02
44, 47, 4^
H.
7
...... 5
. jj >; 155 iyj, j^4
. 57- 7^
... X
5 ^
Ernp 15, jo, 17, 20, 20, 28, 52, 70, 74, 80, 92, 143
j.54, J77, J8o, j>57
Ki;ipress . .20, 50, 74
English JiisLop. . H5 jr/ >> J ^ j
Krj^li.rj Jioox 1 -; 24
Kn^ish Jri H^h Schools 59
Englr-.h, Jn-lrucliorj in . . .... 63, 04
Hn^i -.h Services. . 108, 155
Knornolo, C>junt ............................... 55
insor, ]<ev. Ge.org ;.. 93, 94
>taji;ria ................. 2J
! Eurasians .................................. m
Evangelistic Work. . ......... 97, 155, j 62
Exeter, J3ishop of. . 109
Kxposi lions. . 80
Factory Girls 85, 102
Female Education 83
Feudalism 15.4^. 56. 58
Field of M.S.C.C. in Japan i ig
Foreigners Banished 47
Foreign Banks 13
Foreign Teachers 84
Formosa 2,15- 59, i H)
Fuji, Mount 23, 130
Fukxiin Marti 83
Fukada, Rev. N go, g7
Fukuoka 8(>, 106
Fukushima i4g
Fukuzawa 107
Fyson, Bishop g4, g5, 1 57
Gemmil no
General Synod of the Church of Japan 192, 193, 194
Gifu 5, 43, 119, 120, 121, 127, 132, 136142,168
Ginza Mission House 103
Goble, Rev. J 61
Gods, Myriads of 27
Gohei 28
Golden Castle ig
Golden Images, Amida and Kwannon 143
Gold Standard 59
Gospel Ship 83
Great Invocation of Buddha 144
Greek Church 74, 80, 86
Gregorian Calendar 59
Greene, Rev. D. C. . . 62
7* 79
:
216 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE SEA
Kodera, Mr 25
Kojiki 26
Korea . .2, 9, 15, 31, 34, 143
Kuni 119, 120
Kure 20, 21
Kwannon (Goddess of Mercy). 45, 143
Kyoto, City 16, 17, 34, 42, 44, 54, 56, 72. 89, 133
Kyoto, Dioeese 87, 92, 135
Kyushu Kiusbiu 2, 44, 46, 95, 105, 106, 142, 180, 181
L.
Lakes 3
Language 22
Lanning, Dr 92
Lea, Rev. Arthur (Bishop of Kyushu)
106, 121, 132, 137, 141, 142
Lea, The Late Mrs 142
Lennox, Miss 121, 149, 168
Liggins, Rev. John 61, 89, 90
Lighthouses 58
Literature 24
Longfellow, Mr 89
M.
Magna Charta of Japan 60
Mainichi Shimbun 25
Makeharn, Miss 119, 149, 166, 167
Makioka, Rev. T 129
Manufactures 7
Marco Polo i
Marine Products 6
Marriage Laws Japanese 178
INDEX 217
Materialistic Spirit 130, 190
Matsui, Rev. P. Y 99, 136
Matsurnoto 121, 133, 136, 148-151, 159, 164, 167. 168
McGinnis, Rev. R. H 133, 152
McKim, Bishop 92, 180. 181
Methodists 20, 86, 123, 154
Middle Schools 1 17, 156
Midorikawa, Judge 153
Mikawa 119
Millman, Rev. R. M. and Mrs 121
Minerals 6
Mino 119, 135
Missionary Society of the Nippon Sei Kokwai 175
Missionaries (1859), 61, (1888) 73
Mission House, First 124
Mizuno, Rev. J. 1 147
Momoyama 101
Morals 11,29
Mori, J. K., Mr. and Mrs 134, 137
Morrison, Mt 2
Mott, Dr. John R 16
M. S. C. C 21, 118, 120, 121, 194
M. S. C. C. Missionaries. 118, 121
Mutsuhito, Emperor 41 , 54
Nagano 119, 120, 121, 136; 143 147
Nagaoka 158, 159
Nagasaki 20, 47, 48, 49, 61, 62, 90, 93, 105, 106
Nagoya 5, 43, 86, 120 135, 168. 194
Nakamura 43
Naoetsu 151, 156, 157, 159
2 1 8 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE SEA
Native Ministry .............. 73
Nature Worship .......... 26
Naval College ............. 21
Navy ................ 125
Neeshima, Dr ............................... 1 8. 65, 73
Nestorian, Christians ........................... 3 1
New Japan ............... 57
Newspapers .................................... 25, 59
New Testament ............................ 37, 74, 96, 97
New Zealand ................................... 138, 172
Nichiren ....................................... 3 1
Nigishi San .................................... 15 l
Niigata ......................... 35, 92, 119., 120, 157, 159
Nippon Sei Kokwai ................. 17,75- 150. l6 9 18
Nippon Yusen Kaisha ........................... 59
N irvana ....................................... 34
Nitobe, Dr ..................................... 39
Xobunaga ..................................... 45, 135
Nose San ...................................... 150
Objections to Christianity ................... ... 187
Occidental Civilization .......................... 82
Ogaki ......................................... 140
Okayama ...................................... in
Okuma, Count ................................. 158
Olcot, Colonel ................................. 71
Old Japan ..................................... 42
Old Testament Translation .................... 74, 93, 172
Ono ...... 134
Ontake, Mount ................................ 136
Ontario W.A ...................... . 161, 164
INDEX 2 i g
Opposition 71, So, 145
Ordinal i?7
Orthodox Russian Church ..74, 80, 86
Osaka 17, 19, 54, 86, 90, 93, 94, 95, 97, 98, 102, 108, 136,
173, 178
Otani, Count 35
Otomi San 1 6
Outlook for Buddhism 36
Out Stations :
Of Nagoya 130, 131
Of Gifu H
Of Nagano 156
Of Matsumoto 149
Ueda 154
Ozaki, Mayor of Tokyo 17
Palaces, the two Great Divine 28
Pappenberg 46
Partridge, Bishop 92, 93
Patterson, Miss Louy W 149, 164, 165, 167
Pekin 48, 59
Penal Code 59
Periodicals, Religious 25
Perry, Commodore 49, 61
Persecution 46, 126
Physical Features 2
Piper, Rev. J 94, 95
Popularity, Period of 69, 76
Poole, Rt. Rev. Arthur W 96, 169, 170
Portuguese 44, 48
Postal System 9
220 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE SEA
Prayer Book Translation 170, 174 8
Prefect ural Assemblies 59, 119
Presbyterians. .. .20, 61, 67, 75, 121, 129, 146, 148, 152
Press, Freedom of 59
Preparatory Work 169
Preparation, Period of 61 69
Price, Ven. Archdeacon 97
Products 6
Progress 8 1
Protestant Episcopal Church of U.S. A 20, 61, 89, 93, 133,
171, 172, 175, 1 80, 181
Provinces 119
Provincial Pledge of W.A 160
Public Meetings, Freedom of 59
Q-
Queen Elizabeth 43
R.
Railways 8
Reaction, Peiiod of 76
Red Cross Society 39, 76, 162
Reformers of Buddhism 133
Reformed Dutch Church in America 61
Reinforcements 127
Religions of Japan 25
Religious Charter 69
Religious Tract Society 74
Re-opening of Japan 49
Rescript on Education 78
Rescue Work 141
Re-union of Christendom 86
Revival, Period of ... 8 1
INDEX 22 r
Revival of Buddhism 186
Revolution or Restoration 52, 53, 56. 65
Rice 6
Rivers 3
Roads 8
Roman Catholics 4 6 < 47. 88 . 1 23
Roman Lerters 23, 105
Rome, the Genius of 188
Robinson, Rev. J. Cooper 21, 115, 121, 122, 124, 127, 128,
129, 133, 136, 194
Rowe, Mrs 149. l6 5
Russia, War with 2, 28, 125, 164
Russian Prisoners 132
Russo-Greek Church 17, 86
Ryerson, Rev. G. Egerton 121, 157, 159
S.
Sabbath Alliance 85
Sado, Island of 117
Saghalien, Island of 2
Saikyo 56
Sakaki 154
Sake 7
Salvation IN SIN by Buddha 37
FROM SIN, by Christ 38
Samurai 42, 53, 154
Sapporo 105
Satou, Sir Ernest 26
Sawayama, Rev 73
Scenery 4
Schmidt, Dr. H. E 90
Scriptures, The : Distribution of 64, 78, 97, 123
Translation of. . 74. IO 5
222 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE SEA
Sea of Japan 155
Seaweed, Edible 6
Sekigahara . 43, 138
Self-sufficiency - 186
Self-support of Churches 183
Semi-Shinto Sects 29
Shackleton, Miss 149, 165, 166
Shaka Muni 143
Shaw, Ven. Archdeacon 106, 107, 109, no, 116, 136
Shaw, Miss L. L 121
Sherlock, Miss 160
Shikoku 2
Shimabara 46
Shin Sect of Buddhists 33~35
Shinran (Buddhist Saint) 31
Shinshu Province 135, 143, 148, 151, 156, 192
Shinto. . . .25, 28-31, 39, 40, 53, 80, 147
Revival of 30, 53
Sacrifices 28
Shrines 20, 28, 153
St. Andrew s Church, Tokyo 39
St. Andrew s Mission, Tokyo no
St. Barnabas Hospital, Osaka 92
St. Hilda s Mission, Tokyo no
St. James Church, Nagoya 125, 128. 137
St. John s Church, Nagoya 128, 129
St. Luke s Hospital 92, 166
St. Margaret s School 91
St. Mary s Home 149, 150, 164, 165, 166
St. Paul s Church, Toronto 1 16
St. Paul s College 91
Shogunate 16, 42, 43, 44, 49, 51, 53, 54, 58, 64
INDEX. 223
Shortt, Rev. C. H 121, 157, 158, 159
Silk-growing District 134
Situation and Extent 2
Six Fold Garden 21
Smith, Miss Jeannic 160-162
Snow in Echigo 155
.Social Reforms 85
Society for the Propagation of the Gospel
106-112, 169, 171, 173
Soldiers, Work Among 132
Southern Group of Missions 121
Spain, King of 47
.Spanish Traders 44
Spencer, Miss Ethel 121, 163
Spencer, Herbert 24
Steel Works 8
Students Bible Class 84
Sunday 59, 138
Sunday Schools 99, 134, 150, 154
Sun Goddess 26
Superstitions 190
Synod of Japanese Church I73~5
Synod of Province of Canada 113
St. Anges School, Kyoto 91
T.
Taiko Sama 43, 46
Taiwan 2
Takada, Gifu 137, 138
Takata, Echigo 121, 151, 159
Tanaka San 166
Tarui 140-
224 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE SEA
Telegraphs.. . 8, 58
Temperance Organizations 76
Temple, A Great 34
Tenrikyo 29
Tientsin 50, 59
Togo, Admiral 28
Tokyo, 5, 8, 16, 17, 19, 74- 83, 87, 94, 102, 103, 107, no, 122,
133. 142, 147, 151, 158, 1 80
Tokugawa Clan 43
Torii 28
Toyohashi 121, 127, 133
Toyokawa 134
Toyokuni 43
Tract Societies 74
Traditions, Early 41
Treaties, Foreign 49, 50, 82
Trent, Miss 116, 121, 128, 133
Triennial Meetings of W. A 160, 168
Tristram, Miss 98, 140
Trinity College, Toronto. 149, 158
Tsushima, Battle of 54
Tucker, Bishop of Kyoto 181
U.
Ueda 121, 133, 136, 148, 151, 168
Union of Methodist Bodies 86
Unitarians 77
United Conferences 74
United Church of Christ in Japan 75
United Evangelistic Effort 85
United States. . . .49, 57, 61, 65, 73, 77, 114, 115, 192, 193
University, Imperial 80
INDEX
University, Woman s 83
Uno, Rev. H. . 128
Verbeck, Dr. Guido F 57, 58, 61, 68
Volcanoes 1 54
\V.
W. A. Junior Branches 166
Waller, Rev. J. G 115, 121, 144 148, 157
Waller, Mrs 121, 144, 146, 162
Waseda University. 158
Warren, Archdeacon C. F 94, 95, 98, 100
Warrior s Way (Bushido) 39
Wednesday Club 150
Week of Prayer 67
Western Civilization 76
Western Customs 69
Western Type of Faith 1 70
Weston, Miss 109
Wmdbourne, Hall 103
Wilberforce, Bishop 107
Williams, Bishop C. M 61, 90, 91. 107, 172, 180
Woman s Auxiliary. ... 115, 117, 131, 145, 152, 159, 160, 162,
164, 167
Woman s University 83
Women Workers 147
Wright, Rev, W. B 106, 108, 147
Wycliffe College, Toronto 99, 115, 136
Wycliffe Missions 115, 116, 117, 121
Xavier, Francis 44, 136
226 THE ISLAND EMPIRE OF THE SEA
Y.
Yamada 28
Yedo 16, 42, 44, 91
Yedo. Gulf of 49, 50
Yezo 2
Yokohama 8, 18, 62, 67, 68, 74, no, 116, 123
Yoro-In 125
Yoritomo J2
Young, Miss 121, 128, 168
Young Men s Christian Association 72, 76, 84
Young Women s Christian Association 76
Z.
Zenkoji 143, 144, 103
Zipangu I
BV Robinson, J _ G.
The island empire of
.R6 the east
