Mr. Chairman, Brethren and Sisters: I thank you heartily for this great honor and privilege given to me and the church of Christ in Japan, which I represent here. My subject is the general conditions of Christianity in Japan.

      In the first stage of the modernization of Japan, Christianity was also welcomed by the progressive and high-spirited young men and women, in spite of the desperate opposition of the older people supported by the priests and teachers of the old beliefs. The condition of Christianity until about 1887 was thus, to use the Japanese phrase, "Like hoisting sails in a favorable wind." Indeed, it was hoped that the whole nation would fairly be Christianized before 1890, and that a majority of the members of the House of Representatives in the first National Parliament would be Christians. But the tide changed, in 1887, when the so-called Europeanization plan adopted by Marquis Inouye, then Minister of Foreign Affairs, for the revision of treaties, proved a complete failure, and things commenced to take an opposite course.

      People now cried, "Nationalism," instead of "Universalism;" and "Nipponism," instead of "Europeanism." "Loyalty and patriotism" and "Preservation of the national characteristics," were the pet phrases with everybody. "Civilization is refined barbarism" was the saying welcomed wherever it was uttered. Cautious foreigners had to say "Nippon," or "Great Nippon," instead of Japan, so as not to offend the national pride of the listeners. The movement of the reactionary spirit was discernible everywhere.

      Against this current of anti-foreign spirit, how could the Christian churches and schools patronized by foreigners hope to meet with the good feeling of the people? At this juncture the famous Imperial Rescript on Education was issued, and the conservative educationists used it as the deadliest weapon against Christianity, which they argued was fundamentally at war with the Rescript.

      In addition to this external pressure of anti-foreign reaction, there arose an internal agitation. This was the [157] uprising of the new theology. From about 1884 the new theology had been studied by several leading Christians, until, in 1887, there came from America Unitarian missionaries, and from Germany teachers of the Tubingen school, and a theological agitation was set on foot. Advocates of the new theology and free thought appeared from various quarters, especially from among the prominent Congregationalists, and filled the young and earnest Christians with doubt and uneasiness.

      Within recent years commerce and industry have made wonderful progress, and put up the social position of business men from the lowest to the highest, so that the larger salaries and higher social positions draw all the young men of promising ability to the business world. Even pastors and preachers are taken away from the field of the Lord, and those who stay in the field are considered to be incompetent to go upon the world's living stage.

      Within the last few years things have begun to take a better course. The signs of the times, which presage a bright future for the church, are discerned by the seeing eye.

      First, there is an incipient reaction from overnationalism, especially in the educational system. Both teachers and students are beginning to feel dissatisfied, and to seek for something without realizing what it is. When, three years ago, we established the Middle School department of our Sei Gakuin, or Drake College, as it is called by American friends, we had an assurance from the Vice-Minister of Education that the Educational Department had formerly had some unfavorable prejudice against Christianity, but that it had all passed away.

      The theory of the conflict between Christianity and the national character, which has long been hovering like a ghost in the air to the constant dread of feeble-minded Christians, has proved to be nothing but a mass of self-contradictions and old-fashioned bigotries, when crystalized into shape by the greatest scholar and the most formidable enemy of our religion.

      The second sign of the times is the reaction from overskepticism, especially among young men. The Kegon waterfall alone had been resorted to by more than two hundred persons in desperate straits, who committed, or attempted, suicide, since Fujimura Misawo, a noble youth of philosophical mind, leaped into the basin of the waterfall in his despair to solve the mystery of the universe. But now the young men who have kept away from the church are beginning to study the Bible, or to come into the church to seek for the truth and peace.

      The next is the reaction against excessive industrialism. The rapid expansion of commerce and industry of late has caused a great disturbance in the economic world. Many an old family is losing its hereditary property, while the imposing mansions of upstarts are building here and there. The prices of things are going up higher and higher to get on a level with the prices in the foreign markets, and living is becoming more and more difficult. There is already heard a cry of dissatisfaction about the distribution of wealth. Some are so radical that they take to socialism or communism, but many are beginning to feel that there is something which is more important than bread for the life of man.

      The next is the change of attitude towards Christianity as the result of the new international relations. Since Japan was recognized as a first-class power among the nations, she is trying to make herself worthy of the name, not only in military and naval forces, but also in commerce, industry, government, education, and every other respect in which the Powers in the Occident are great. Now, Christianity is the religion of all the civilized nations. What would Japan do with this religion? Would she become a Christian nation as all the other civilized nations are? Or would she dare to stand alone as an unchristian nation among them? As Japan has taken her position on the stage of the world as a champion of humanity, would she not adopt this religion of humanity? Hence it is an urgent necessity with men of patriotic blood to examine once more this religion of Jesus Christ.

      The next favorable influence is the rapidly increasing importance of Christian women in society. Since the [158] Japan-Russian war the social importance of women has increased with rapidity. Many societies of women, large and small, national and local, Christian and nonchristian, have sprung up and are working as active factors of society, and the most active members of them are Christian women, or at least what we call "sympathizers with Christianity," because until quite recently the higher modern education of women was done solely by Christian missionaries.

      Let me tell you one more element which will eventually undermine all the religions and traditions of the nation, and cause a great revolution in the popular thought and sentiment. It is a scientific and critical study of our history. Many discoveries have been made.

      First, that the so-called Shinto was not an original religion of Japan, it being established as a system of religion after the introduction of Confucianism and Buddhism, and that the original way of worshiping God was very much similar to Judaism.

      Second, that the Nestorian sect of Christianity came into China in the disguise of a sect of Buddhism, and held a great power during the To dynasty, and that the hundreds of Japanese priests and scholars who were sent to China studied this disguised Christianity and brought it back to Japan, and that it is the cause of such a resemblance between Japanese Buddhism and Christianity.

      Third, that it is probable that a Christian missionary came to Japan more than a thousand years ago.

[CCR 157-159]