was a Japanese
holiness
Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...
evangelist, known as "the
Dwight Moody of Japan" (Stark 28-29), who was the first bishop of the Japan Holiness Church and one of the co-founders of the
Oriental Missionary Society (now One Mission Society).
Biography
Personal history
Juji Nakada was born on 27 October 1870 in the northern town of
Hirosaki
is a Cities of Japan, city located in western Aomori Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 163,639 in 71,044 households, and a population density of . The total area of the city is .
Hirosaki developed as a jōkamachi, ca ...
in what is now
Aomori
, officially Aomori City (, ), is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Aomori Prefecture, in the Tōhoku region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 264,945 in 136,781 households, and a population density of 321 people per squa ...
prefecture, the son of Heisaku, "a
samurai
The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...
of the lowest rank in the
Tsugaru domain."(Goodman 48) His father died when Nakada was four leaving his family impoverished. He was raised in the
Methodist church
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
. After studying in the Methodist Too college (Daimyo School), in 1888 he enrolled in
Tokyo Eiwa Gakko, the forerunner of today's
Aoyama Gakuin University
is a private Christian university in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Originally established in 1874 by missionaries from the Methodist Episcopal Church, it was reconfigured in its current form in 1949 as tertiary component of the Aoyama Gakuin.
The u ...
, another Methodist institution. Pre-occupation with
judo
is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...
prevented his graduation. Nakada married on 23 February 1889. In 1891 he left to become a Methodist missionary to
Yakumo, a small village on the island of
Hokkaido
is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...
. He subsequently served in
Otaru
is a Cities of Japan, city and Seaports of Japan, port in Shiribeshi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan, northwest of Sapporo. The city faces Ishikari Bay and the Sea of Japan, and has long served as the main port of the bay. With its many historical ...
,
Etorofu island, and
Odate in
Akita Prefecture
is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu.Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005). "Provinces and prefectures" in ; "Tōhoku" in . Its population is estimated 915,691 as of 1 August 2023 and its geographi ...
.
On 20 March 1911, Nakada's wife died, leaving his only son, Ugo. Five months later Nakada married Ayame. On 14 September 1939, his second wife, Ayame, died of
uterine cancer
Uterine cancer, also known as womb cancer, includes two types of cancer that develop from the tissues of the uterus. Endometrial cancer forms from the lining of the uterus, and uterine sarcoma forms from the muscles or support tissue of the ute ...
. Ten days later, on 24 September 1939, Nakada died of intestinal tuberculosis at the age of 68.
Moody Bible Institute (1896–1898)
After the death of his first son, and the illness of his wife, Katsuko, Nakada experienced a deep crisis of faith. (Goodman 49) Nakada, while already an effective evangelist, experienced dryness in his soul: "'If I don't find the power of the Holy Ghost,' he told his wife before he left Japan, 'I'll come back, leave the ministry, and become a dentist.'"(McCasland 77)Soon after, in 1896 Nakada traveled to
Chicago, Illinois
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
and enrolled at the
Moody Bible Institute
Moody Bible Institute (MBI) is a private evangelical Christian Bible college in Chicago, Illinois. It was founded by evangelist and businessman Dwight Lyman Moody in 1886. Historically, MBI has maintained positions that have identified it as ...
.
While studying at MBI, Nakada befriended a
Western Union
The Western Union Company is an American multinational financial services corporation headquartered in Denver, Denver, Colorado.
Founded in 1851 as the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company in Rochester, New York, the co ...
executive,
Charles Elmer Cowman (1868-1924) and his wife,
Lettie Burd Cowman (1870-1960); and
Ernest A. Kilbourne (1865-1928) and his wife, Julia, (some sources say Hazel) through the Grace Methodist Episcopal Church. While studying at MBI he met holiness theologian Rev
A.M. Hills, who gave him a copy of his book "Holiness and Power". Mrs Cowman records:
As he earnestly sought to be filled with the HOLY SPIRIT, it was not long until his hungry heart was satisfied. Having come so definitely into the blessings, he soon felt strongly impressed that GOD would send him back to his people to preach full salvation to them.
Nakada was also influenced by the writings of
John Wesley
John Wesley ( ; 2 March 1791) was an English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a principal leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The societies ...
(McCasland 77); an association with J.R. Boynton, a Chicago physician who practised
faith healing
Faith healing is the practice of prayer and gestures (such as laying on of hands) that are believed by some to elicit divine intervention in spiritual and physical healing, especially the Christian practice. Believers assert that the healin ...
(Goodman 49); and
Martin Wells Knapp
Martin Wells Knapp (1853–1901) was an Americans, American Methodist minister who founded several institutions including the magazine ''God’s Revivalist'' in 1888, the International Holiness Union and Prayer League (which became the Pilgrim H ...
, who later founded
God's Bible School in
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
in 1901.(McCasland 77)
Return to Japan (1898–1900)
In September 1898 Nakada returned to Japan after meeting
Barclay Fowell Buxton, leaders of the English
holiness movement
The Holiness movement is a Christianity, Christian movement that emerged chiefly within 19th-century Methodism, and to a lesser extent influenced other traditions such as Quakers, Quakerism, Anabaptism, and Restorationism. Churches aligned with ...
in England. In 1899 Nakada was appointed a traveling
evangelist in the
Methodist church
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
, although he preached beyond that denomination. He was supported financially by the Cowmans and Kilbournes, who have formed the Telegraphers Missions Band in Chicago. Also in 1899 he started the Japan Holiness Journal.(Bays 486)
Central Gospel Mission (1900–1904)
In 1900 Nakada left the Methodist church and founded the Central Gospel Mission (Chuo Fukuin Dendokan) in Jinbo-cho in central Tokyo. The Cowmans arrived in Japan on 1 February 1901 as the first missionaries of the Pilgrim Holiness church. (Bundy 711) Soon after the arrival of the Cowmans, Nakada helped establish the Tokyo Bible Institute (later Tokyo Bible Seminary) and became its first president. The goal of the mission group, which by 1902 included Ernest and Julia Kilbourne and their three children, was to "establish self-supporting, self-governing, and self-propagating churches on the
William Taylor model" (Bundy 711). The hall held Bible classes in the daytime and was the venue for
evangelistic services in the evening. (Goodman 49) By 1903 the Central Gospel Mission had outgrown its hall and relocated to a new building in
Kashiwagi,
Yodobashi-cho.
Oriental Missionary Society (1904–1917)
In 1904 the name was changed to the Oriental Missionary Society (Toyo senkyokai) with an enlarged focus on all of East Asia, including
Korea
Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...
and
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
. A conflict between Cowman and Nakada over the leadership of the OMS resulted in a split in 1911, with the Cowmans heading the OMS and Nakada as the head of the new Japan Holiness Church (Nihon seikyodan). While there would be reconciliation later, there was lasting damage in the relationship.
Korea (1904)
During the
Russo-Japanese War
The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...
of 1904-1905 Nakada served as a chaplain under General
Kuroki Tamemoto.(Stark 481) Nakada secured permission from the Japanese government to minister to Japanese troops fighting in
Manchuria
Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...
. As he passed through Korea, Nakada preached "wherever the opportunity arose. Two Koreans in particular, Chung Bin and Kim Sang-jun, were profoundly moved by Nakada's preaching on "the glorious experience of sanctification....The two Koreans, burdened about their struggle for the life of holiness, were left with no source of spiritual guidance. Providentially, they met a Korean doctor who knew Nakada and had visited the OMS Bible Training Institute in Tokyo. He urged that they visit the school. Deciding it must be the place for them to hear more about the experience they were seeking, Chung and Kim unexpectedly showed up in Tokyo one day in 1904." Out of these contacts, Cowman and Kilbourne were able to start the OMS work in Korea in 1907.
Manchuria (1904–1905)
Nakada left Korea to serve as chaplain in Manchuria until the end of the Russo-Japanese War.
Evangelism in Britain and the USA (1906–1907)
In early 1906 Nakada went to
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales
* The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...
"ostensibly to rest and be spiritually recharged."(McCasland 93) While there he became friends with Scottish holiness preacher
Oswald Chambers
Oswald Chambers (24 July 187415 November 1917) was an early-twentieth-century Scottish Baptist evangelist and teacher who was aligned with the Holiness Movement. He is best known for the daily devotional ''My Utmost for His Highest''.
Youth a ...
. Nakada preached throughout the
British Isles
The British Isles are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner Hebrides, Inner and Outer Hebr ...
, including preaching holiness to the recent converts of the
1904–1905 Welsh Revival
The 1904–1905 Welsh revival was the largest Christian revival in Wales during the 20th century. It was one of the most dramatic in terms of its effect on the population, and triggered revivals in several other countries. The movement kept the c ...
(McCasland 94) with American
Quaker
Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally, others referred to them as Quakers ...
evangelist
Charles Stalker, and also throughout Scotland and England with Chambers. After almost a year in Britain, Nakada departed on 6 November 1906 with Chambers for the USA on the ''SS Baltic''. After a ten-day crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, Nakada and Chambers spent five weeks preaching on the East Coast, before moving to
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
to preach in the Christmas Holiness Convention at God's Bible School.[McCasland 104) Nakada travelled throughout the USA preaching often. He returned to Cincinnati in June 1907 to preach during another ten-day holiness convention. On 10 July 1907 Nakada and Chambers departed from Seattle, Washington on the ''SS Shinano Maru'', and arrived in Yokohama on 27 July 1907.(Stark 3ff).
Oriental Missionary Holiness Church (1917–1928)
In 1917 the Oriental Missionary Holiness Church (Toyo senyokai horinesu kyokai) was organised with Nakada as the first bishop.(Bays 486)(Goodman 50) Nakada wrote that the purpose of the new organisation was: "as the name indicates, a missionary society. Our purpose is simple: to propagate the complete Gospel, that is, the Foursquare Gospel (salvation, holiness, the Second Coming of Christ, and healing) all over Japan"(Goodman 50)
Second Advent Movement
On 6 January 1918, Nakada and
Uchimura Kanzō
was a Japanese author, Christian evangelist, and the founder of the Nonchurch Movement ( Mukyōkai) of Christianity during the Meiji and Taishō periods in Japan. He is often considered to be the most well-known Japanese pre-World War II pac ...
began the Second Advent Movement. Rallies were held throughout Japan with up to two thousand attending.
While Uchimura and Nakada were momentarily united by their shared devotion to preaching the Second Coming, there were significant theological differences between them. Uchimura, influenced by
neo-orthodox
In Christianity, Neo-orthodoxy or Neoorthodoxy, also known as crisis theology and dialectical theology, was a theological movement developed in the aftermath of the First World War. The movement was largely a reaction against doctrines of 19th ...
thought, rejected the idea of a literal millennium and calculating the dates of Christ's Second Coming. Nakada's beliefs that the
Jews and Japanese descended from a common ancestor and that the salvation of the Jews would result in the salvation of the Japanese resulted in Uchimura leaving in 1920.
Revival in Tokyo (1919–1920)
Toward the end of November 1919, as a result of evangelistic preaching and prayer, a revival broke out at the
Yodobashi
is one of the 35 former wards of Tokyo-Fu, Tokyo City. On October 1, 1932, the towns of Yodobashi, Okubo, Totsuka, and Ochiai were merged into Yodobashi ward. In 1947, it was merged with Yotsuya and Ushigome wards of Tokyo City to form the pr ...
Holiness church in Tokyo. It spread to other churches in the city. While not resulting in the conversion of non-Christians, according to Nakada it had the following results:
(1) the qualitative development of the membership;
(2) an increase in giving;
(3) the spiritual unity with men of other denominations (mostly pastors) who shared in the revival meetings;
(4) an increase in the spirit of evangelism. (McGavran 197)
Japan Holiness Church in America
By 1920, Nakada was "one of the most influential evangelists in Japan". In October 1920, Nakada toured the United States, preaching at several Japanese churches in Los Angeles. Initially some of the converts of the evangelistic campaign were nurtured by Nakada's son, Rev. Ugo Nakada.
By April 1921 this group became the first Japan Holiness Church in
San Lorenzo, California
San Lorenzo (Spanish language, Spanish for "Saint Lawrence, Saint Laurence") is a census-designated place, census-designated place (CDP) located in the East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area in Alameda County, ...
.
Nakada returned in 1929 to dedicate the church building on 13 October.(Koga 160) In 1920, Nakada also held meetings at
Asbury College in
Wilmore, Kentucky.
Japan Holiness Church (1928–1936)
In 1928 the Japan Holiness Church gained full independence from the OMS. (Bays 486) Nakada was able to say: "Our Holiness Church is, of course, not an agency of the European church, but a genuine Japanese church." (Dicker 159) The church had been truly indigenous since 1922. (Edwards 81)
Japan Holiness Church of Brazil (1929)
In 1929 Nakada visited the Japan Holiness Church of Brazil, which had been established by Takeo Monobe, a missionary from the Japan Holiness Church, in July 1925 primarily among Japanese immigrants (Mizuki 56; Edwards 81) Arriving in May 1929, Nakada spent five weeks in Brazil preaching and strengthening the church, which was a district of his denomination until its independence in 1934, when it became the Evangelical Holiness Church of Brazil (Igreja Evangélica Holiness do Brasil).(Mizuki 59)(Edwards 80-81)
Revival (1930–1933)
On 19 May 1930 there was another revival at the Tokyo Seminary (Tokyo Seisho Gakuin) of the Japan Holiness Church, as a result of the fervent prayer of the students.
Juji Nakada and Masakichi Ichimiya were leading them. In the evening of May 19, when about 70 coed students were praying for revival, a fire of the Holy Spirit poured down on them. The students and professors danced around the large Cowman Hall praising loudly; Yutaka Yoneda danced too much so he tore his Achilles’ tendon, and finally the floorboard of the hall fell out. A hymn that was sung at that time was the Seika No. 576, “The Holy Spirit comes.”
McGavran indicates:
When suddenly the prayer meeting turned into one of intensity and excitement, some students recognized this to be the revival and rushed to the homes of their professors with the news. They too joined the meeting and prayed shoulder to shoulder in loud voices. There were some who even began dancing. They continued to pray. When Nakada returned to Tokyo from his trip to Korea and Manchuria, he encouraged the Holiness churches in Tokyo to hold prayer meetings from May 30 to June 7. And on June 8, a Pentecostal meeting was held at the seminary. For the next two and a half years, various revival meetings were held in many different cities in Japan. The leaders of the Holiness Church traveled extensively, preached often, and prayed intensely. (197)
e fire of the Holy Spirit spread to Kansai
The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropoli ...
, the Nihon Dendotai Seisho Gakusha of Kobe
Kobe ( ; , ), officially , is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. With a population of around 1.5 million, Kobe is Japan's List of Japanese cities by population, seventh-largest city and the third-largest port city after Port of Toky ...
, the Osaka
is a Cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the List of cities in Japan, third-most populous city in J ...
Methodist Church, and to the Church of the Nazarene
The Church of the Nazarene is an evangelical Christian denomination that emerged in North America from the Wesleyan-Holiness movement within Methodism during the late 19th century.
The denomination has its headquarters in Lenexa, Kansas. and it ...
. For the revival rally of the Tokyo Seisho Gakuin of October 23, 3,000 people attended, and “the Preparatory Revival Alliance for the Second Coming” was organized. As the results of it, 4,311 were baptized and the membership reached 12,046 at the Japan Holiness Church, and it joined the rank of the Japanese large church. However, for the reason unknown the fire of the revival reached its peak at the meeting of the summer of 1933 (8th year of Showa) and it gradually cooled off.
From an initial membership of 1,600 and 46 churches in 1917, the Japan Holiness Church had 19,523 members in 1932. (Mullins, Christianity, 105) After 1930 the denomination's refusal to sanction
Shinto
, also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...
state worship led to increasing persecution.
Schism (1933–1936)
According to Goodman, "Nakada's shift of emphasis away from the salvation of individual souls to collective,
national salvation alienated some of his followers."(Goodman 57) As Yamamori suggests:
The doctrinal emphases had always been placed on justification, sanctification
Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...
, divine healing
Faith healing is the practice of prayer and gestures (such as laying on of hands) that are believed by some to elicit divine intervention in spiritual and physical healing, especially the Christian practice. Believers assert that the healin ...
, and the Second Coming of Christ
The Second Coming (sometimes called the Second Advent or the Parousia) is the Christian and Islamic belief that Jesus Christ will return to Earth after his ascension to Heaven (which is said to have occurred about two thousand years ago). The ...
. To this list, Nakada now wished to add a fifth point, that Christ's Second Coming would be possible only through the restoration of Israel. Therefore, he admonished the members to pray for this to take place. To many it seemed as though Nakada believed that by praying for the salvation of the Jews the Japanese race might be saved. This was in direct conflict with the traditional view that salvation was an individual matter."
As Bishop of the Holiness Church, Nakada expected all seminary teachers and pastors to accept his new vision, but many leaders rejected his authority, which led to a
schism
A schism ( , , or, less commonly, ) is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, suc ...
. Nakada fired five of the teachers at his training institute for refusing to teach his beliefs, and they responded by accusing him of
fascism
Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hie ...
. In October 1936 the church split into two separate denominations (both rendered in English as the Holiness Church) Kiyome Kiyoki led by Nakada, and Nihon seikyokai led by the defectors.(Goodman 57)
Death (1939)
Nakada's wife died on 14 September 1939 of
uterine cancer
Uterine cancer, also known as womb cancer, includes two types of cancer that develop from the tissues of the uterus. Endometrial cancer forms from the lining of the uterus, and uterine sarcoma forms from the muscles or support tissue of the ute ...
. Nakada died ten days later, on 24 September 1939, of intestinal
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...
.
Beliefs
Goodman describes Nakada's views as
chiliastic
Millennialism () or chiliasm (from the Greek equivalent) is a belief which is held by some religious denominations. According to this belief, a Messianic Age will be established on Earth prior to the Last Judgment and the future permanent s ...
fundamentalism
Fundamentalism is a tendency among certain groups and individuals that are characterized by the application of a strict literal interpretation to scriptures, dogmas, or ideologies, along with a strong belief in the importance of distinguis ...
. Nakada indicates that his views were influenced by
W.B. Godbey's Commentary on the Book of Revelation.
The Japanese and the Jews
Nakada was deeply influenced by American evangelist and
Christian Zionist William Eugene Blackstone
William Eugene Blackstone (October 6, 1841 – November 7, 1935) was an American Evangelism, evangelist and Christian Zionism, Christian Zionist. He was the author of the Blackstone Memorial (1891), a petition which called upon the United State ...
's 1878 book ''Jesus is Coming'', one of the first popular books to advocate the literal
premillennial return of Jesus Christ to restore Israel. Nakada's belief that the Japanese were the descendants of the ten
lost tribes of Israel
The Ten Lost Tribes were those from the Twelve Tribes of Israel that were said to have been exiled from the Kingdom of Israel after it was conquered by the Neo-Assyrian Empire around 720 BCE. They were the following: Reuben, Simeon, Dan, Naph ...
, and that
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
would be restored through the Japanese people, divided the Japan Holiness Church.(Bays 486)
Juji Nakada first preached about Israel's restoration at a 1931 camp meeting
The camp meeting is a form of Protestant Christian religious service originating in England and Scotland as an evangelical event in association with the communion season. It was held for worship, preaching and communion on the American frontier ...
on Japan's northern coast at Matsushima. For three days he preached on God's promises to Israel and implored Japanese believers to pray for the restoration of Israel and the salvation of the Jewish people....He wrote, 'We should not read books that defame the Jewish people (The Elders of the Protocols of Zion was a popular book in Nakada's day) nor should we despise and ostracize them.' He explained that the then current stream of immigrants back to Israel was 'to keep God's promise to Abraham
Abraham (originally Abram) is the common Hebrews, Hebrew Patriarchs (Bible), patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father who began the Covenant (biblical), covenanta ...
and to prove the certainty of the prophesy ic'
Nakada was also influenced in his thinking by the writings of
Nicholas McLeod:
The Japanese have been considered by some early travelers and explorers to be descendants of the Ten Lost Tribes. This theory was formulated by N. McLeod, a Scottish missionary who arrived in Japan in 1867. McLeod detailed his observations, interpretations and speculations in Epitome of the Ancient History of Japan, a book published in Nagasaki
, officially , is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan.
Founded by the Portuguese, the port of Portuguese_Nagasaki, Nagasaki became the sole Nanban trade, port used for tr ...
in 1875. He described what he thought to be proofs of the origin of the Japanese people from the Ten Lost Tribes. He endeavored in an elaborate way to reconstruct and explain the ancient Japanese history according to his interpretation of the Bible and its sacred history. McLeod's ideas were adopted by a number of European Christian missionaries, but they also became popular with some Japanese, especially among those who converted to Christianity. Bishop Juji Nakada (1869-1939), of the Holiness Church Movement, Dr. Zen'ichiro Oyabe, and Dr. Chikao Fujisawa, a lecturer at Nihon University
, abbreviated as , is a private research university in Japan. Its predecessor, Nihon Law School (currently the Department of Law), was founded by Yamada Akiyoshi, the Minister of Justice, in 1889. The university's name is derived from the Ja ...
, were among the most outspoken supporters of the theory linking the origin of the Japanese people to the Ten Lost Tribes. They described their findings and beliefs in books published in Japan during the first half of the 20th century.
In his 1933 book, ''Japan in the Bible'', Nakada indicated: "I should like to prove that Israelitish blood runs mixed in the Japanese veins and in this we are not without historical evidences." (44) According to Louis Kraar,
This nationalistic attitude reflects a theory, spread by Japanese Christian theologians in the 1930s, that the Japanese and the Jews sprang from a common ancestry. That notion appealed in part because it made the Japanese a chosen people--and provided a handy justification for imperialism
Imperialism is the maintaining and extending of Power (international relations), power over foreign nations, particularly through expansionism, employing both hard power (military and economic power) and soft power (diplomatic power and cultura ...
. Nakada Juji, the son of a samurai who studied at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, came home to preach that even Japan's military forces were playing a divine role.
According to Goodman, Nakada became a supporter of Japanese
militarism
Militarism is the belief or the desire of a government or a people that a state should maintain a strong military capability and to use it aggressively to expand national interests and/or values. It may also imply the glorification of the mili ...
because he believed the Japanese military were (unknowingly) serving God's purposes. (Goodman 53) Nakada "saw the Jews as mystical saviors whose redemption would ensure the political and military, as well as spiritual, salvation of the Japanese." (Goodman 39) Nakada wrote in ''Japan in the Bible'':
The Japanese are an inter-mixture of the three original races i.e. the Shemitic ic Hamitic
Hamites is the name formerly used for some North Africa, Northern and Horn of Africa peoples in the context of a Scientific racism, now-outdated model of dividing humanity into different races; this was developed originally by Europeans in suppo ...
, and Japhetic - for the Jews are the descendents icof Shem
Shem (; ''Šēm''; ) is one of the sons of Noah in the Bible ( Genesis 5–11 and 1 Chronicles 1:4).
The children of Shem are Elam, Ashur, Arphaxad, Lud and Aram, in addition to unnamed daughters. Abraham, the patriarch of Jews, Christ ...
, the Hittites
The Hittites () were an Anatolian peoples, Anatolian Proto-Indo-Europeans, Indo-European people who formed one of the first major civilizations of the Bronze Age in West Asia. Possibly originating from beyond the Black Sea, they settled in mo ...
, of Ham
Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term '' ...
, and the Ainus of Japheth
Japheth ( ''Yép̄eṯ'', in pausa ''Yā́p̄eṯ''; '; ; ') is one of the three sons of Noah in the Book of Genesis, in which he plays a role in the story of Noah's drunkenness and the curse of Ham, and subsequently in the Table of Nation ...
. (The Ainus should be classified among the white people as the Aryan
''Aryan'' (), or ''Arya'' (borrowed from Sanskrit ''ārya''), Oxford English Dictionary Online 2024, s.v. ''Aryan'' (adj. & n.); ''Arya'' (n.)''.'' is a term originating from the ethno-cultural self-designation of the Indo-Iranians. It stood ...
or Caucasian
Caucasian may refer to:
Common meanings
*Anything from the Caucasus region or related to it
** Ethnic groups in the Caucasus
** ''Caucasian Exarchate'' (1917–1920), an ecclesiastical exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Caucasus re ...
people). Thus, we see here the wonderful amalgamation of all three races in one wonderful Japanese race which cannot be found anywhere else...no other race has ever been the product of a supernatural welding of these three races. Here I again say that the Japanese must be a chosen people charged with a special mission toward the entire world. (44-45)
Ratana Church
When the founder of a
Māori
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
church,
Tahupotiki Wiremu Ratana was delayed by a dock strike in Japan in 1924 Nakada found the group suitable accommodation. Ratana had many similar ideas to Nakada, and in particular: ''"...thought that both Maori and Japanese were among the lost tribes of Israel..."'' and a strong bond was formed, which saw Nakada travel to
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
to co-conduct the second formal opening of the church's Temple at Ratana Pa.
Shrine Shinto
Nakada’s statement on the shrine issue appeared in the church publication, ''Friends of Holiness'', on 30 January 1930:
Some people in authority in the Bureau of Religions have set forth the idea that Shrine Shinto is not a religion, and thus have disposed of the issues very simply. In the name of ancestor veneration it has been schemed that everyone be required to bow at a Shinto shrine. But religion is not a thing that can be dealt with so simply at the hands of politicians who know nothing about spiritual things…. Even if one skillfully says that the religious content is negligible, to the average person’s life there could be nothing more intimately related than this existential religion. We have no choice but to here and now go on record that no matter what happens we will never bow at a Shinto shrine! The reason we make this clear is that we may be silenced by those who say that we are disloyal and lack filial piety. We are prepared to take Article Twenty-eight of the Constitution, that guarantees religious freedom, as a shield and argue our case ad infinitum. If there is an infringement of freedom of religion in any part of the country I hope that you will notify us immediately. We are prepared to face persecution! If it is the Lord’s will, at any time we are completely ready to become a sacrifice. This is the attitude with which we work. (translation by Merwin 1983, p. 266) (Mullins 273)
Ten years after this strong statement against shrine worship, Nakada’s followers would become the “sacrifice”. According to Mark Mullins:
Holiness members had refused to participate in jinja sanpai (shrine worship), and many kept their children from participating in shrine visits sponsored by the public schools. The Tokkõ also knew from a number of church publications that many Holiness leaders held essentially the same eschatological
Eschatology (; ) concerns expectations of the end of present age, human history, or the world itself. The end of the world or end times is predicted by several world religions (both Abrahamic and non-Abrahamic), which teach that negative world ...
views as the sectarian
Sectarianism is a debated concept. Some scholars and journalists define it as pre-existing fixed communal categories in society, and use it to explain political, cultural, or religious conflicts between groups. Others conceive of sectarianism a ...
groups that had already been investigated. While they refused to participate in Shrine visits, the Holiness leaders made every effort to express support for the emperor and (to my knowledge) never made any public statements against the war. As early as the third general assembly of the Holiness Church in 1932 (that is, almost a decade before it entered the Kyõdan), the church declared that it would protect and honor the central place of the emperor in obedience to the Scriptures (Romans 13). Almost a decade later (1941), at the first general meeting of block six (one section of the Holiness congregations that were incorporated into the Kyõdan), the service began with singing the national anthem, obeisance in the direction of the Imperial Palace, and silent prayer for those who had given their lives on the battlefield for the Emperor. On another occasion, the pastor leading a meeting of block six stopped the proceedings during a bombing raid by US planes and asked all those in attendance to pray for Japan’s victory and the safety of the emperor. These pastors were hardly political subversives, but their basic eschatological convictions nevertheless clashed with the claims of the state. In the end, a total of 131 Holiness clergy were arrested for violations of the Peace Preservation Law and abandoned by the Kyõdan in their time of trial. (Mullins 273-274)
Mullins indicates that 71 Holiness pastors were arrested and 14 were eventually sentenced. It was Nakada's belief in a literal thousand year reign of Christ that created the difficulties for the arrested Holiness members:
Fujikawa Takurō, the lawyer for thirteen Holiness ministers, argued that the investigators of this case ... mistakenly assumed that all Holiness ministers followed the interpretation of Bishop Nakada, who in 1933 developed the position that the salvation of the Jews and earthly return and millennial reign of Christ were indispensable ingredients of a biblical eschatology. According to Fujikawa, it was the belief in a literal one thousand-year reign of Christ that was creating the conμict with the government. In the appeal, Fujikawa explained that the reference to the millennial reign of Christ appears in apocalyptic literature
Apocalyptic literature is a genre of prophetical writing that developed in post- Exilic Jewish culture and was popular among millennialist early Christians. '' Apocalypse'' () is a Greek word meaning "revelation", "an unveiling or unfolding o ...
(Revelation 20:4) and should not be interpreted literally, as Nakada and some other groups had done. (Mullins 274)
Books by Nakada
*Nakada, Juji. ''Nihonjin to Yudayajin'' 日本人とユダヤ人
apanese and Jews Ed. by Okamoto Fumiko. Tōyō Senkyōkai Hōrinesu Kyōkai Shuppanbu, 1935
scan.
*Nakada, Juji. ''An Unknown Nation''. Trans. by B. Kida. Tokyo: Oriental Missionary Society, Japan Holiness Church, Publishing Dept., 1933.
*Nakada, Juji. ''Japan in the Bible''. Oriental Missionary Society, Japan Holiness Church, Publishing Dept., 1933.
*Nakada, Jūji, trans. ''Mattaki ai'' 全き愛
erfect Loveby J.A. Wood. Tōyō Senkyōkai Hōrinesu Kyōkai Shuppanbu, Shōwa 6
931
Year 931 ( CMXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
North Africa
* The Ummayad Caliphate of Córdoba invades and conquers the city of Ceuta, which was ruled by the Berber dynasty Banu I ...
Sources and further reading
*Bays, Daniel H. "Juji Nakada" in ''Biographical Dictionary of Christian Missions'', 486. Edited by Gerald H. Anderson. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1999.
*Bundy, David. "OMS International", 711. In ''Evangelical Dictionary of World Missions''. Edited by A. Scott Moreau. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2000.
*Cho, Chongnahm. "Theological Roots and Emphasis of the OMS-Holiness Church." , Focuses on Korean Holiness church.
*Choi, Meesaeng Lee. "Scriptural Holiness and Eschatology as a Vision of the New Creation: From the Story of Sang-Jun Kim and Juji Nakada". ''Journal of Sungkyul (Holiness) Theology'' 1
004 004, 0O4, O04, OO4 may refer to:
* 004, fictional British 00 Agent
* 0O4, Corning Municipal Airport (California)
* O04, the Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation
* Abdul Haq Wasiq, Guantanamo detainee 004
* Junkers Jumo 004 turbojet engine
* La ...
322–4
oxford-institute.org*
Cowman, Lettie B. ''Charles E. Cowman: Missionary, Warrior''. Oriental Missionary Society, 1928. The life of Charles Cowman, one of the founders of the Oriental Missionary Society (present-day OMS International). As a telegraph operator in Chicago, Charles led 75 of his co-workers to Christ within six months of his own conversion. After forming the Telegraph's Mission Band, Charles and wife, Lettie, arrived in Japan on February 1, 1901, to work with Juji Nakada in evangelisation, church planting, and training.
Online edition*Cunningham, Floyd T. "Mission Policy and National Leadership in the Church of the Nazarene: Japan, 1905-1965." ''Wesleyan Theological Journal'' 28.
References Nakada's relationship with the Church of the Nazarene and other holiness groups in Japan.
*Dicker, Herman. ''Wanderers and Settlers in the Far East: A Century of Jewish Life in China and Japan''. Twayne Publishers, 1962. Pages 58–60 focus on Nakada's support for the Jews: "Nakada had fought hard for the equality of races and been a staunch battler against anti-Semitism."(59)
*Duewel, Wesley L. ''Heroes of the Holy Life''. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002. References Nakada and his connection with Oswald Chambers.
*Edwards, Fred E. ''The Role of the Faith Mission: A Brazilian Case Study''. South Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 1971. See pages 80–81 for role of Nakada in establishment of Holiness Church in Brazil.
*Engel, Tamar. "The Jews of Kobe". (Summer 1995
*Erny, Edward and Esther Erny. ''No Guarantee but God: The Story of the Founders of OMS International''. Greenwood, IN: Oriental Missionary Society, 1969.
*
Goodman, David G. and Masanori Miyazawa. ''Jews in the Japanese Mind: The History and Uses of a Cultural Stereotype''. New York: The Free Press, 1995.
*Hebert, David G. (2008). Music Transculturation and Identity in a Maori Brass Band Tradition. In R. Camus & B. Habla, Eds. Alta Musica, 26. Tutzing: Schneider, pp. 173–200. Discusses "some musical implications of the historical relations between Maori prophet Tahupotiki Wiremu Ratana (1873-1939) and Japanese Rev. Juji Nakada (1870-1939), as reflected in contemporary brass bands and liturgical practices."
*Katō, Tsuneaki (加藤常昭). ''中田重治'' =
akada Jūji 日本キリスト教団出版局, Tōkyō : Nihon Kirisutokyōdan Shuppankyoku, 2003.
*Kilbourne, Edwin W. ''Bridge Across the Century. Volume I: Japan, Korea, China''. Greenwood, IN: OMS, 2001. A narrative history, 100 years of OMS in Asia 1901-2001.
*Kim, Sung Ho. ''History of the Korea Evangelical Holiness Church''. Edited by the History Compilation Committee of the Korea Evangelical Holiness Church. Translated by Chun-Hoi Heo and Hye-Kyung Heo (Seoul: Living Waters, 1998). Review i
''Wesleyan Theological Journal'' 35:2 (Fall 2000):251 by David Bundy. Discusses role of Nakada in formation of the Korean Holiness church.*Koga, Sumio. ''A Centennial Legacy: History of the Japanese Christian Missions in North America 1877-1977; Volume I''. Nobart, 1977. Page 120 for an account of Nakada's visit to Los Angeles in May 1920, and 160 for the Japan Holiness Church in San Lorenzo, California and Nakada's role in starting it.
*Koschmann, J. Victor. Review of "Jews in the Japanese Mind: The History and Uses of a Cultural Stereotype by David G. Goodman and Masanori Miyazawa". ''Journal of Japanese Studies'' 23:2 (Summer 1997):463-467.
*Kraar, Louis. Japan's Bizarre Jewish Thing: A Fresh Look at Japanese Exceptionalism." Fortune (20 March 1995)
*Lee, Kun Sam. ''The Christian Confrontation with Shinto Nationalism: A Historical and Critical Study of the Conflict of Christianity and Shinto in Japan in the period.'' (Philosophical and Historical Studies). Presbyterian & Reformed, 1962. References Nakada's Second Advent Movement (130) and prosecution of Holiness Church ministers for their position on Shinto (159ff).
*McCasland, David. ''Oswald Chambers: Abandoned to God: The Life Story of the Author of My Utmost for His Highest''.
*McGavran, Donald, ed. ''Church Growth Bulletin: Second Consolidated Volume, September 1969 to July 1975''. Bulletin of the Institute of Church Growth, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California. South Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, . See page 197 for a good summary of the revivals in the Holiness Church of Japan and Nakada's assessment of the results.
*Marciel, Doris and the
Hayward Area Historical Society. ''San Lorenzo: Images of America''. Arcadia Publishing, 206. See page 31 for photo of Nakada at the dedication of the church building of the Japan Holiness Church in San Lorenzo, California in 1929.
*Merwin, John Jennings. "The Oriental Missionary Society Holiness Church in Japan, 1901-1983". Unpublished D.Miss. thesis. Fuller Theological Seminary, 1983.
*Merwin, John Jennings. ''The Oriental Missionary Society Holiness Church in Japan, 1901-1983''. Ann Arbor, MI : University Microfilms International, 1990.
* Minagawa, John H. "Preface to Japanese Missionology (7): Christianity that came to Japan
ifth WaveContinuation of Arrival of Euro-American Christianity (1) 1859 ~ 1945.
Intercessors for Japan Newsletter (20 September 2003).* Mizuki, John. ''The Growth of Japanese Churches in Brazil''. South Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 1978. See pages 56–71 for account of the formation of the Evangelical Holiness Church of Brazil and Nakada's role.
* Mullins, Mark R. ''Christianity Made in Japan: A Study of Indigenous Movements''. Nanzan Library of Asian Religion and Culture. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press, 1998.
* Mullins, Mark R. "Ideology and Utopianism in Wartime Japan: An Essay on the Subversiveness of Christian Eschatology." ''Japanese Journal of Religious Studies'' 21:2/3 (1994):261-280. Discusses Holiness Church of Japan's relationship to Japanese state during World War II
Online*Oliver, Revilo P
Revilo P. Oliver was an ulta-conservative. Disparaging critique of McLeod's theory that Japan was descended from the lost tribes of Israel. He adds: "I gather that the hariolations of Professors Fujisawa and Anasaki inspired the foundation of a Holiness Church, of which the Bishop, Juju Nakada, proclaims that "it is God's will that these two nations
he Ten Tribes who hit the road for Japan in 722 B.C. and the Two Tribes who have been vampires on the goyim in the rest of the worldbe united after 3,000 years."
*Randall, Ian M. "The Pentecostal League of Prayer: A Transdenominational British Wesleyan-Holiness Movement." Wesleyan Theological Journal 33:1
References relationship between Nakada and Oswald Chambers.*Sherrill, Michael J. "Nakada Juji (1870-1939)." In ''The New Westminster Dictionary of Church History'', ed. Robert Benedetto. Princeton, NJ: Westminster John Knox Press.
*Stalker, Charles H. ''Twice Around the World with the Holy Ghost: Or, The Impressions and Convictions of the Mission Field''. Columbus, OH: Charles H. Stalker, 1906. Many B&W photographs of missionary activity in India, China, Japan, and elsewhere. A Quaker evangelist travelling through England, France, Palestine, India, China and Japan. Involved with Nakada.
*Stark, Gilbert Little. ''Letters of Gilbert Little Stark, July 23, 1907-March 12, 1908''. Cambridge: Riverside Press, Gilbert Little Stark, 1908
Cornell University Library. Online editionRecords Little's journey across the Pacific with Nakada in July 1907 and subsequent encounters with him in Japan. See pages 28–29 for description of Nakada as "the Moody of Japan" and a "pocket dynamo" and ability to change clothing to suit preaching occasion. See pages 481-485 for Stark's impressions of Nakada and details of Nakada's life and ministry.
*Thomas, Paul Westphal. The Days of Our Pilgrimage: The History of the Pilgrim Holiness Church. Marion, IN: Wesley Press, 1976. See Chapter on the Cowmans in Japan for beginnings of the OMS in Japan and role of Nakada. Cowmans and Kilbournes were Pilgrim Holiness members. See page 27 for photo of Charles H Stalker, 37 for photo of the Cowmans, 39 for photo of the Kilbournes.
*Wood, Robert D. ''In These Mortal Hands: The Story of the Oriental Missionary Society: The First Fifty Years.'' 1983. Traces OMS mission during its first 50 years.
*Yamamori, Tetsunao. ''Church Growth in Japan: A Study in the Development of the Eight Denominations''. South Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 1974.
*Yoneda, Isamu (米田勇). ''中田重治伝: 伝記中田重治"=
akada Jūji den: denki Nakada Jūji'.
iography of Jyuji NakadaTokyo: Nakada Jyuji Den Kenko Kai, 1959. 大空社, Tōkyō : Ōzorasha, 1996.
*Yoneda, Yutaka and Takayama Keiki. ''Showa no Shukyo Dan'atsu''. Tokyo: Word of Life Press, 1964. Details the persecution of the Japan Holiness Church in World War II.
Audio resources
James, Grant. "Juji Nakada". Did You Hear? Radio Broadcast. (accessed 18 August 2008).
References
External links
Nakada and Prayer for Israel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nakada, Juji
1870 births
1939 deaths
Japanese Methodists
Japanese Christians
People from Hirosaki