Japan and Christianity

In Shutting Out the Sun the author compares Christianity in Korea and Japan. A Japanese man once told me that Christianity isn't popular in Japan because many Christian ideas are already included in Japanese culture especially--jiri and ninjo. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Christianity was popular in Japan long ago until 1614 when Tokugawa Ieyaso banned Christianity and expelled all Christians and foreigners.

This could be a reason why there are still traces of it in their culture.

As for Christianity not being popular in Japan, Japanese people just aren't religious in general. I mean, yes, they do practice shinto and Buddhism in their daily life, but it's more because of tradition than religion.

Honestly, I don't know much about Japan. These are just my observations... they could be off. I don't want to come off as a Japan know-it-all. To contradict myself, I see a lot of people wearing Buddhist prayer beads, but unlike Christians, they don't talk much about their faith.

Christianity isn't popular in Japan but other types of new religions and cults are, often to disasterous effect as Om Shinrikyo. When I first went to Japan Bhagwan was very popular with young people, many who went to India to live at ashrams. In the 90's and up to today Rastafarian practices are very popular. Many Japanese seem to love anything "ethnic" and exotic, especially if it involves travel to strange countries, wearing unusual hairstyles (dreadlocks), music such as chanting or reggae, psychic adventures, fortune telling, unusual foods (ital) and taboo activities (free sex or smoking ganja). When these are wrapped up with spiritual experiences they really go for it. Marginalized Japanese as students, women, the underemployed, jibun sagashi (searching for one's self) types seem vulnerable to these new religions because current Japanese society with its emphasis on materialism doesn't offer them much.

The 16-17c history of Christianity in Japan is a very interesting topic. You might be interested in the Wikipedia article on "Hidden Christians" ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirishitan ). Basically, Christianity was stamped out in the 17c. when Japan closed itself off definitely from the outside world. Isolated pockets of Christians survived, especially around Nagasaki, for 250 years, until Japan opened again, after 1851.

The Jesuits who spread Christianity in the early period were both helped and hindered by the ways Christianity did and did not match up with Japanese religious culture.

As far as Christianity is concerned certain trappings of it are still popular today because Japanese consider it a "romantic" religion. Many brides choose a Christian wedding and people throng to churches at Christmas to see candlelight services. When the Jesuits came there were probably similarities between Amida-kyo and Christianity because both promise salvation and going to paradise after death. Japanese today seem more interested in the here and now and only religions that offer something tangible for daily life attract them. For example Buddhist sects that encourage chanting to rev oneself up are popular in Japan as well as in other countries.

Awe man, Japanese Christion style weddings tee me off just a little. It seems so fake and material to me... unless they're actually Christian. But then they'd probably actually be married in a chapel rather than a chapel themed wedding parlor.

Anyways, I was wondering why you say Tenrikyo is dangerous? I live pretty close to Tenri so I've been to their main temple(?) as well as know several people who practice tenrikyo. I never got a dangerous vibe from them. They also have the best ramen!

I don't think anyone mentioned anything about Tenrikyo. I said Omu Shinrikyo was dangerous because the leader Asahara got some of the members to gas attack the Tokyo subway in 1995.

Those guys were seriously dangerous. It's a miracle they didn't pull off something much more damaging.

Doh! My mistake (^_^;)

As for the gas attack, some of the attackers are still wanted. The attack was also recently mentioned in the documentary "Hackers Wanted"

Sorry, off topic.

Have you heard of the writer Shusaku Endo? He was a Catholic writer and he theorised that one of the reasons the Japanese don't take to Christianity is that they understand the stern Father image of God but the not His loving aspect. I think the book that explains what I'm trying to say clearly is A Life of Jesus where he tries to explain Christianity to the Japanese.

So, what changed in Japanes (or Catholic?) culture between the great success of the Jesuits in Southern Japan and today?

11: For one thing a lot of the Catholic community was centered in Nagasaki and the US dropped an atom bomb on them.

In Cranes at Dusk, there's a really interesting discussion about the difference between Christianity and Shintoism. It takes place after WW2. A shinto priest lets his daughter go to the Christian church and she asks her father about the differences and what she does not understand.

On the other hand, Suzuki has remarked that the image of the crucified Jesus is repellant in a culture raised in Buddhist traditions.

Roman Catholic proselytizing was perceived as subversive to the interests of the nation by the Shogunate.

1. Much of the success of Christianity was due to the fact that when the daimyo Omura Sumitada converted he ordered the compulsory conversion of subjects in his domain.

2. He also turned over adminstration of Nagasaki to the Jesuits.

3. Two other daimyo converted, and they too brought about the mass conversion of their subjects.

When Hideyoshi encountered the Jesuits and Christians in his Kyushu campaign he was displeased with the Jesuit role in Nagasaki, their interference in local politics and stories of their intolerance toward other religions.

He promulgated decrees designed to bring the new religion under national control, recalling the unrest and violence created by the Ikko sect. He ordered the expulsion of priests, and forbid the practice of compulsory mass conversions - limiting conversions to individuals. The Jesuits were adroit at conforming, or appearing to do so, to the new regime; however, Spanish Franciscans and Dominicans later arrived and were arrogant in their defiance of the law.

The Shogun Ieyasu doubted Christian loyalty as they were notable among the supporters of Hideyoshi. Convinced that the foreign priests and the the Christians were indeed a subversive threat as the Ikko sect had been, the government launched on a full scale elimination of Christianity as a national menace.

Christianity made a negligible imprint on Japanese culture. Japan's small numbers of "Hidden Christians" on the whole created a bizarre secret cult in their years of isolation whose members sometimes resisted the advances of Christian missionaries when Japan readmitted them many years later, and whose practices sometimes shocked the Western Christian missionaries.

#1: I don't quite see how giri and ninjo manifest themselves in Christianity.

#3: So in this respect Japanese kids are similar to their peers in other countries. Witness all the white kids with dreadlocks, the popularity of the Moonies throughout the world, and the ease with which people, especially young people still trying to figure out how best to live, fall for whatever metaphysical nonsense is flavor of the month.

#6: Of course Christian-style weddings in Japan are fake and material, but certainly no more so than most of what the rest of the wedding-industrial complex cranks out in Japan and elsewhere. And the young Japanese couple I saw get married at one of these "Christian" ceremonies (the choir sang beautifully) seemed to enjoy the hell out of it, so where's the harm?

#9: I believe the last Aum fugitive just turned himself in a month or so ago. He had to go to a couple of police stations before he was allowed to do so. The first officers to whom he tried to surrender himself thought he was a crank and told him to hit the road.

#11: I don't know what, if anything changed, but I will say that--massive generalization warning--most of the Japanese I know just don't care much about religion. They tend to be quite earthy and materialistic, and see very little need for metaphysical explanations of reality or a dogma by which to guide their lives. That's not to say they are anti-religion. As noted, they tend to think it's all kinds of fun to get married in a chapel, to visit Shinto shrines at New Years, and would probably hire Buddhist priests to preside at their funerals. And that would be the same person doing all of these: religion is not thought to be important enough that one should fret about contradictions.

Question: Before Christianity was stamped out in Japan how popular was it? What percentage of Japanese would have called themselves Christians?

For some reason most of the Japanese people I knew in Japan were interested in religion and spirituality. One man had a hobby of visiting bars and "snacks" along the Chuo line and talking to different people who were into various religions. A certain type of interest group would always be in a particular bar. I didn't go because I don't drink that much and also couldn't afford Japanese bars. Other people were into spoon bending and pyramid power. One friend of mine formed a company called ESPA and channels the power of the universe to people over SKYPE--he earns a good living I think. I lived next to "chanters" and another friend tried to recruit me into a "chanting" group--I didn't go for it. I had a male roommate, a Butoh dancer, like myself, who went to sweat lodges and did vision quests in Tokyo. Other friends, so-called intellectuals, spent long hours discussing how to start religions, since they were so popular in Japan. Some people are "chick magnets" or "dude magnets". I guess I am a "spiritual magnet" since I seem to attract this kind of person. I thought this would end when I came back to the US but recently I have been told that a Lakota medicine man in Lower Brule, South Dakota has seen a vision of me and I am to receive a Sioux name in a few days because I have been helping a family on the reservation. I have the same birthday as Gandhi so maybe I should start my own religion for aimless young (or not) Japanese.

susieimage -
That was the most interesting story I've heard in a while. Quite interesting how you've become a "spiritual magnet"!

Just thought of a book. a life of Jesus is supposed to be how a Japanese views Christianity. Or rather, how he would present Christianity to the Japanese.

Btw, can anyone explain giri and ninjo to me? Or their kanji?