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 Salisbury Square, Xon&on 
 Price 2d. 
 
Cornell University 
 Library 
 
 The original of this book is in 
 the Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924023507993 
 
THE MISSIONS 
 
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 LONDON 
 
 CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY 
 
 SALISBURY SQUARE, E.C. 
 
 E.V. 
 

 CONTENTS. 
 
 I. The Country and People. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The Great Britain of Asia — Topography — Chief Cities and 
 
 Towns— The People . . . . o 
 
 II. History and Religions. 
 
 Past History — The Ancient Religion: Shiiitoism — The 
 
 Prevailing Religion : Buddhism — Disestablishment . 10 
 
 III. Romish Mission — Japan Closed. 
 
 The Romish Mission— Christianity Proscribed — A Closed 
 
 Door .... 13 
 
 IV. Japan Reopened — Protestant Missions begun. 
 
 The First Treaties — The Revolution of 1868— New Japan 
 — The First Protestant Missionaries — Anti-Christian 
 Edict withdrawn — The New Constitution . . .17 
 
 V. The C.M.S. Mission. 
 
 Main Island: Osaka; South-Western Stations; Gifu and 
 Nagoya ; Tokio — Island of Kiushiu — Island of Shikoku 
 — Island of Yezo : Ainu Mission . . .52 
 
 VI. Japan Bishoprics — Other Missions. 
 
 The Japan Bishopric — Union of Anglican Churches : 
 "Japan Church" — Bible Translation — Greek and 
 Roman Missions — The Future . . . . .28 
 
Chronology of the Japan Mission. 
 
 1549. — Francis Xavier visited Japan. 
 
 1579. — Converts to Romanism numbered 150,000, and churches 200. 
 
 1587. — Decree of Suppression against Jesuits. 
 
 1624. — Christianity banished. 
 
 1624 — 1853. — Japan closed to Europeans. 
 
 1853. — Arrival of American squadron under Commodore Perry. 
 1858.— Lord Elgin's Treaty signed. 
 1859. — American Missions begun. 
 1868.— The Revolution. 
 
 A Donation of 4000Z. given to C.M.S. to start a Mission. 
 1869. — Rev. G. Ensor, first C.M.S. missionary to Japan, began 
 1872. — Great national development. [work at Nagasaki. 
 
 1873. — Anti-Christian edict withdrawn. S.P.G. Mission begun. 
 1873-4. — New C.M.S. stations opened, viz., Osaka, Tokio, Hakodate. 
 1876.— The Ainu visited. 
 1879. — Mission to Ainu Aborigines begun. 
 
 Translation of Japanese New Testament completed. 
 1880. — Tokushima, in Shikoku, first visited. 
 1881.' — Eirst convert of Tokushima baptized. 
 1883. — Consecration of Bishop Poole. 
 1884. — Osaka Divinity School opened. 
 1885. — Death of Bishop Poole. First Ainu baptized. 
 1886. — Consecration of Bishop E. Bickersteth. 
 1887. — Establishment of the "Japan Church." 
 1888. — Tokushima, Kumamoto, and Fukuoka occupied. 
 1889. — New Constitution granted : Freedom of religious belief. 
 1890. — Eirst Parliament elected. Bishop Poole Memorial Girls' 
 
 Gifu taken up as a C.M.S. station. [School opened. 
 
 1891. — Fukuyamu and Matsuyc occupied. 
 
 Bishop of Exeter visited Japan. 
 1892.- — Sapporo occupied. 
 
 1894. — New Treaty of Commerce with Great Britain : modification 
 of passport system. 
 
 Consecration of Bishop Evington of Kiushiu. 
 1894-5. — War between China and Japan : Native Christian Ministers 
 
 allowed to accompany the Japanese army as chaplains. 
 1896. — Dr. W. Awdry, Bishop of Southampton, appointed Bishop 
 of the Osaka Jurisdiction. 
 
 Mission at Nagoya merged in Canadian CM. Association. 
 
 The Rev. P. K. Fyson consecrated Bishop of Hokkaido 
 1897.— Death of Bishop E. Bickersteth. [ (Yezo). 
 
 Bishop Awdry of Osaka appointed Bishop of South Tokio. 
 1898. — Rev. H. J. Foss appointed Bishop of Osaka. 
 
 Statistics of the C.M.S. Mission, 1897-8. 
 
 European Missionaries : Clergy, 29 ; Lay, 3 ; Wives, 24 ; Ladies, 
 86. Natives: Clergy, 14; Lay Agents, Ma'e and Female, 152; 
 Native Christian Adherents, 4170 ; Native Communicants, 1802. 
 Schools, 19 ; Scholars, 543. Contributions of Native Christians 
 for religious purposes, £3724'69. 
 
TVT Osaka. 
 
 'acSA-'f 
 
THE JAPAN MISSION. 
 
 I. The Country and People. 
 
 )APAN is the Great Britain of Asia. The 
 British Isles are the western outpost of 
 Europe in the Atlantic ; the Japanese Isles 
 are the eastern outpost of Asia and the 
 Pacific. Instead of two large islands, how- 
 ever, there are four, viz. Hondo, Kiushiu, Shikokn, and 
 Yezo, with innumerable smaller islets. The total area of 
 the British archipelago is 122,550 square miles; of the 
 Japanese, about 147,000. The British population in 
 1891 was 37,740,283 ; the Japanese, in the same year, 
 was 40,071,020. The four principal islands lie between 
 the thirty-first and forty-sixth parallel of north latitude, 
 their united length being about 1200 miles, and the 
 breadth of the main island varying generally from 100 
 to 175 miles. 
 
 The Japanese themselves delight to designate their 
 country the Land of the Rising Sun. They sail out 
 into the east, over the broad expanse of the Pacific, a 
 stretch of four thousand miles to the opposite side of 
 North America ; and their national flag represents the 
 morning sun rising out of the sea. 
 
 The islands are everywhere exceedingly mountainous. 
 The more lofty mountains are from 4000 to 9000 feet 
 high, and Mount Fuji, a beautiful cone, towering in 
 solitary grandeur thousands of feet above the highest 
 mountains in its vicinity, rises to an elevation of some 
 13,000 feet above the sea-level, its summit being covered 
 
6 The Japan Mission, 
 
 with snow the greater part of the year. Many of the 
 peaks are volcanoes, some of which are still active, though 
 for the most part they are extinct or quiescent. It may 
 here be mentioned that the country is very liable to 
 earthquakes, and those which occurred in October, 1891, 
 will long be remembered — over 22,000 persons were 
 killed or injured, and a million and a half of people were 
 rendered homeless. Japan is not a country of large 
 rivers, many of them for a great part of the year being 
 nothing more than torrent beds. There are many water- 
 falls — the Japanese estimate is 600 — but they are generally 
 more remarkable for beauty than grandeur. The lakes 
 are also numerous, but for the most part they, too, are 
 small. 
 
 Japan is not devoid of mineral wealth. The coal- 
 fields are extensive, but the coal is inferior. The true 
 wealth of the country consists in its agricultural resources. 
 The soil is fertile, and in some places, as in the Osaka 
 plain, yields two crops annually. Tobacco and tea are 
 cultivated for home use as well as for the foreign market. 
 Animal life is not so abundant hi Japan as in some other 
 countries, but the seas of Japan are scarcely equalled in 
 the world for the abundance, variety, and excellence-- of 
 their fish, and fishing is an important industry all along 
 the coast-line of the islands. 
 
 The climate of Japan is mainly governed by monsoons. 
 The south-west monsoon, which blows from May to 
 August, and is accompanied by heavy rains, produces a 
 hot and damp summer ; and the north-east monsoon, 
 which lasts from October to February, makes the winter 
 cold ; but the extremes in either case are not so great as 
 are experienced on the neighbouring continent. The 
 climate varies very considerably in different parts of the 
 country, owing to the extent of latitude covered and the 
 influence of ocean currents. The scenery is everywhere 
 fine and highly diversified. 
 
Country and People. 7 
 
 The Chief Cities and Towns. 
 
 The cities and towns are numerous, and many of them 
 have large populations. Tokio (formerly called Yedo), 
 Kioto, and Osaka, are fu or first-class cities. The treaty- 
 ports are Tokio, Yokohama, Osaka, Hiogo (Kobe), and 
 Niigata in the main island, Hondo ; Nagasaki in Kiushiu ; 
 and Hakodate in Yezo. 
 
 Kioto, the once sacred capital, where the Mikados 
 resided for upwards of a thousand years — from a.d. 794 to 
 1868 — is by far the most interesting city in the country. 
 Since the Revolution in 1868 it has been called Saikio, 
 or " Western Capital," in contradistinction to Tokio, the 
 " Eastern Capital." It has for centuries been the principal 
 centre of the nation's religious life, and both Buddhist and 
 Shinto temples and shrines are numerous. It wears the 
 aspect of a city wholly given to idolatry. 
 
 Tokio, formerly called Yedo, is a compai*atively modern 
 city. Until the beginning of the seventeenth century it 
 was a place of no importance; but it is now the largest 
 city in the empire, and has a population of about a million. 
 After the revolution of 1868, Yedo received its new name 
 Tokio, and became the seat of the Mikado's Government. 
 The city stands at the head of the Gulf of Yedo, and at the 
 mouth of the Sumida River, which divides its eastern 
 suburb. It is becoming more and more Europeanized 
 every year. 
 
 Yokohama is situated on a bay in the Gulf of Yedo, 
 eighteen miles from Tokio, with which it is connected by a 
 railway. It is the most important treaty-port, and the 
 headquarters of the -principal mercantile firms established 
 in the country. Before the opening of the ports in 1859, 
 it was a miserable fishing village on the edge of a swamp. 
 It is now a large and flourishing town of 80,000 inhabitants, 
 with European and native quarters ; and has some fine 
 buildings in European style. The resident Europeans 
 support an English chaplain and have their own church, 
 
8 The' Japan Mission. 
 
 Osaka stands in the delta of the River Yodo, about two 
 miles from the sea and thirty from Kioto. This river is 
 formed in the plain south of Kioto, by the union of the 
 waters of its four principal affluents, and thence flows 
 towards the Gulf of Osaka, into which it falls by several 
 channels. Its several streams, together with the numerous 
 canals cut at right angles to each other, completely intersect 
 the city. These are spanned by scores of bridges, and on 
 this account Osaka has been frequently called the "Venice 
 of the East." The city is well built, but the streets are 
 narrow. 
 
 HlOGO is an old and important town on the Gulf of 
 Osaka, which, though giving the treaty-port its official 
 name, has no direct connexion with its foreign trade. This 
 is exclusively carried on at IvOBti, where there is a small 
 but well-built and well-ordered settlement, with its own 
 municipal government, and adjoining it, chiefly to the 
 west, a large and flourishing Japanese town of more than 
 50,000 inhabitants. Kobe has a much smaller European 
 community than Yokohama. 
 
 Nagasaki is the treaty-port in the Island of Kiushiu, the 
 southernmost of the four principal islands of the Japanese 
 group. The town has a population of some 33,000. It 
 is historically interesting as one of the places connected 
 with the final struggle between Romish Christianity and 
 the secular power in 1637, and further as having been the 
 place of the Dutch trading settlement of Deshima, the only 
 point of contact between Japan and the outside world for 
 230 years, after the expulsion of foreigners in 1624. 
 
 Hakodate is the treaty-port in Yezo, the northernmost 
 of the four large islands. This island consists largely of 
 impenetrable jungles, inaccessible mountains, and im- 
 passable swamps. Hakodate is by far the largest and 
 most flourishing town in the island. In 1859, when it 
 was first opened to foreigners, it had a population of 
 about 6000 and was only resorted to by whalers. It is 
 
The Country and People. 9 
 
 now an important commercial centre, and is in direct 
 steam communication with Yokohama, Kobe, and other 
 ports. 
 
 Niigata is on the west coast, at the mouth of the 
 Shinanogawa, the hwgest river in Japan. It is the capital 
 of one of the richest provinces in the Empire, but it has not 
 been successful as a treaty-port. 
 
 The People. 
 
 "Two distinctly marked types of feature," writes 
 Professor Griffis, " are found among the people of Japan. 
 Among the upper classes, the fine, long, oval face, with 
 prominent, well-chiselled features, deep-sunken eye-sockets, 
 oblique eyes, long, drooping eyelids, elevated and arched 
 eyebrows, high and narrow forehead, rounded nose, budlike 
 mouth, pointed chin, small hands and feet, contrast 
 strikingly with the round, flattened face, less oblique eyes 
 almost level with the face, and straight noses, expanded 
 and upturned at the roots. The one type prevails among 
 the higher classes, the nobility and gentry ; the other 
 among the agricultural and labouring classes. The former 
 is the southern, or Tamato type, the latter the Ainu, or 
 northern type." The people of Japan were, prior to the 
 Revolution of 1868, divided into four principal classes: — 
 (1) The Samurai, or military and literary class — the sword 
 and the pen being united as in no other country ; (2) the 
 farmers and agriculturalists ; (3) the artisan class ; (4) the 
 merchants and shop-keepers, who have always been regarded 
 as the lowest in social rank in Japan. Below these again, 
 outside the pale of humanity, were the pariahs of Japan, 
 the eta, generally living in separate villages, and following 
 the occupation of skinners, tanners, leather-dressers, grave- 
 diggers, &c, — and the liluiu, beggars. These were en- 
 franchised in 1871. Since then Samurai, farmer, artisan, 
 trader, and eta have been on an equal footing before the 
 law. 
 
10 The Japan Mission. 
 
 II. History and Religions. 
 
 The present Mikado or Emperor of Japan, Mutsuhito, 
 claims to be the 123rd sovereign in direct succession. 
 Remembering that Queen Victoria is only the thirtieth 
 from William the Conqueror, we can form an idea of the 
 alleged antiquity of Japanese annals. The first Mikado, . 
 Jimmu Tenno, whose date corresponds with 660 B.C., and 
 who would be contemporary with Manasseh, King of 
 Judah, and Assurbanipal, 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 7th of April, the traditional day of 
 his accession, salutes are fired in his honour by the Krupp 
 and Armstrong guns of modem Japanese ironclads. From 
 the earliest times down to the twelfth century, A.D., the 
 government of Japan was imperialism. 
 
 The Mikado not only reigned, but ruled. Gradually, 
 hpwever, the feudal system arose. The great nobles, or 
 Daimios, in their fortified castles, became more and more 
 powerful and independent. Their armed retainers formed 
 the military caste of Samurai, or " two-sworded men," 
 already noticed. 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 A.D., Toritomo, 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 Mikado 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, more than 700 years. He made Kamakura 
 
History and Religions. 11 
 
 his capital, and there the power of the Shoguns was chiefly 
 centred until Iyeyasu transferred it to Yedo in the seven- 
 teenth century. The Mikado held his court at the sacred 
 capital Kioto, rarely appearing before his subjects, but 
 -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 Mikado 
 was spiritual and the Shogun temporal head. The Shogun 
 only ruled in the Mikado's name. " Though individual 
 Mikados 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 one of the oldest in the world. 
 
 The greatest of the Shoguns was Hideyoshi, better known 
 as Taiko Sama (Taiko being a title he received, and Sama, 
 "honourable,'' answering to "his highness"), who 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 more 
 presently. On his death in 1598, one of his generals, 
 Iyeyasu, of the Tokugawa clan, usurped power, and after 
 a severe struggle, totally defeated his rivals at the battle of 
 Sekigahara. " This battle decided the condition of Japan 
 for over two centuries, the settlement of the Tokugawa 
 family in hereditary succession to the Shogunate, the fate 
 of Christianity, the isolation of Japan from the world, 
 the fixing into permanency of the dual system and of 
 feudalism, the glory and greatness of Yedo as the Shogiin's 
 capital." 
 
 The last of the Shoguns, who was deposed in 1868, 
 belonged to the Tokugawa family, and was the fifteenth in 
 the direct succession from Iyeyasu. Thus the Shogunate 
 continued unchanged down to our own day ; and with it 
 continued all the characteristic features of mediaeval 
 feudalism, 
 
12 The Japan Mixtion. 
 
 The Ancient Religion : Shintoism. 
 
 The ancient religion of the Japanese is called Kami no 
 mirhi, " the way of the gods." The Chinese equivalent of 
 the name, Shin-to, is the one commonly used ; whence this 
 religion is called by English writers Shintoism. Implicit 
 obedience to the Mikado, as the descendant and repre- 
 sentative of the gods, is its characteristic feature. It 
 teaches that the Mikado himself is divine, and deifies other 
 great men who have played a prominent part in the history 
 of the country. Adoration is paid to the sun, because its 
 devotees believe that the Mikado is descended from the 
 goddess of the sun. Shintoism has no idols or images. 
 Its symbols are the mirror and the (johei — " strips of 
 notched white paper depending from a wand of wood." 
 Bat it has temples, priests, services, prayers, purifications, 
 and offerings of fruit, meat, and living birds, but no 
 sacrifices. Nor does it teach morals. " Morals," says its 
 chief authority, " were invented by the Chinese because 
 they were an immoral people ; but in Japan there was no 
 necessity for any system of morals, as every Japanese acted 
 aright if he only consulted 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, is a marked feature of Shintoism. 
 
 The Prevailing Religion . Buddhism. 
 
 But Shintoism, whatever its influence upon the individual, 
 social, and political life of the Japanese, and however closely 
 interwoven with their customs and institutions, has been to 
 a large extent superseded by Buddhism. Tor although 
 Shinto is the religion of the government, Buddhism is the 
 religion of the people. Buddhism in Japan is no cold 
 atheistic philosophy, but has developed into a popular 
 ritualism, with an elaborate array of ceremonial and priest- 
 craft, monks and nuns, shrines and relics, images and 
 
Horn mi Mission — Japan Closed. ].1 
 
 altars, vestments and candles, fastings and indulgence!,, 
 pilgrimages and hermits. Although it was introduced 
 into the Empire towards the close of the sixth century A.D., 
 its great triumphs were achieved in the thirteenth century 
 by the proselytizing zeal of two famous preachers, Shinran 
 and Nichiren, since which time it has been the prevailing 
 religion. Buddhist temples are numerous in all parts of 
 the country. In most large towns there is a street of 
 temples, which is called Tera Machi, answering to our 
 familiar " Church Street.'' 
 
 But the position of both Buddhism and Shintoism 
 was seriously affected by the Revolution of 186S and 
 the changes consequent upon it. Buddhism was at 
 once deprived of all State patronage and support, and 
 Shintoism apjjeared to triumph. Both systems, how- 
 ever, remained under government control till 1884, when 
 the connexion of both with any department of State 
 was severed, and each sect was enjoined to make pro- 
 vision for its internal government and administration. 
 But although disestablished, and deprived of State support, 
 both religions continue to exist, and Buddhism especially 
 has manifested fresh energy. 
 
 III. Roman Mission — Japan Closed. 
 
 Marco Polo first revealed to Europe the existence of 
 Japan, in 1298. But it was not until 1542 that any 
 European reached Japan, and then Portuguese, Spanish, 
 and Dutch traders literally poured in. And they were not 
 alone. In 1549 Francis Xavier landed at "Cangoxima" 
 (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 encouraging, and after about two years' labours he 
 left the country. But his successors reaped an extra- 
 ordinary harvest. Within five years, Christian commix- 
 
14 The Japan Mission. 
 
 nities were rising in every direction. Within thirty years 
 the converts numbered 150,000, and the churches 200. 
 The Japanese themselves give two millions as the figure 
 ultimately reached, but the Jesuits do not claim that, 
 and perhaps half a million may be nearer the mark. 
 This was a great success ; to what is it to be attributed ? 
 The answer is not far to seek. The Jesuit priests gave the 
 Japanese all that the Buddhist priests had given them — 
 gorgeous altars, imposing processions, dazzling' vestments, 
 and all the scenic display of a 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 many transmigrations involving many 
 weary lives. The Jesuit preacher promised immediate 
 entrance into paradise after death to all who received 
 baptism. Aaid there was little in the Buddhistic para- 
 phernalia 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 Bomish Christianity; and the 
 roadside shrines of Kuanon (or Kwanyin) , 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 religion 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 missionaries, think- 
 ing 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 the Inquisition was introduced into Japan. 
 Buddhist 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 " Histoire du 
 Christianisme au Japon," 
 
Roman Mission — Japan Closed. 15 
 
 Rome in Japan took the sword — and perished with, the 
 sword. Nobunaga's successor, the famous Taiko Sama or 
 Hideyoshi, found the Jesuits, true to then - traditions, 
 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 unhapjjy victims 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 
 Shimabara, and raised the flag of revolt ; but after a two 
 months' siege they were comjselled to surrender, and 
 thirty-seven thousand were massacred, many, it is said, 
 being hurled from the rock of Pappenburg, near the 
 harbour of Nagasaki. This was their expiring effort. 
 
 Christianity Proscribed. 
 
 The Christianity which Rome had presented to the 
 Japanese was thus formally suppressed ; but in Kiushiu a 
 considerable number of descendants of the Romanist 
 adherents appeared when the countiy was at last opened, 
 and formed the nucleus of the present Romanist com- 
 munity. 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 notice 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 an 
 
16 The Japan Mission. 
 
 to come to Japan; and let all hww that the King of Spain 
 himself, or the Christian's God, or the Great God of all, if he 
 violate this command, shall pay for it with his head." 
 
 For two hundred and thirty years Japan was closed to 
 the outer world. In 1624 all foreigners except Dutch 
 and Chinese were banished from Japan. At the same 
 time, the Japanese were forbidden to leave the country, 
 and all vessels above 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 Desbima ; and a strong Japanese guard always 
 held the small bridge connecting it with the mainland. 
 The Chinese were allowed to live in Nagasaki itself, but 
 at no other port. 
 
 Why were the Dutch exempted ? In tbe first place, to 
 them the Government owed tbe discovery of the Jesuit 
 plots. One of their vessels intercepted a letter to the 
 King of Portugal asking for troops to overthrow the 
 Mikado ; and they eagerly seized the opportunity to 
 discredit their Portuguese rivals. In the second place, 
 they carefully abstained from all profession of Christianity. 
 One of them being taxed with his belief, replied, "No, I 
 am not a Christian, I am a Dutchman." 
 
 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 in- 
 formed 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. In 1709 an Italian priest, 
 the Abbe Sidotti, persuaded the captain of a ship to put 
 him on shore. He was seized, and kept a prisoner for 
 several years until his death. A Japanese book has been 
 found by the American mWonaries which gives a full 
 
Japan Reopened — Protestant Missions begun. 17 
 
 account of him. Russia made efforts to get into Jajoan at 
 the beginning of this century, but without success. 
 
 IY. Japan Reopened — Protestant Missions begun. 
 
 The opening of Japan in modern times is due to the 
 United States. On July 8th, 1853, an American squadron, 
 commanded by Commodore Perry, entered the Gulf of 
 Yedo ; and on March 31st in the following year a treaty 
 was signed, opening two ports to American trade. Other 
 nations were not slow to claim similar advantages ; but it 
 was only under much pressure that the Japanese granted 
 them. At length, on August 12tb, 1858, Lord Elgin, 
 fresh from his triumphs in China, where the Treaty of 
 T'ien-tsin had been signed six weeks before, entered the 
 Gulf of Yedo, and sailed right up to the capital, to the 
 consternation of the authorities. The Japanese were 
 shrewd enough, however, to see that then- old policy of 
 isolation could no longer be maintained ; and they gave 
 the British ambassador very little trouble. Within a 
 fortnight, on the 26th of August, Prince Albert's birth- 
 day,- the Treaty of Yedo was signed, by which several 
 ports were opened, and other important concessions 
 granted. This Treaty has been several times supple- 
 mented, but it is still the basis of our relations with 
 Japan. 
 
 The Revolution of 186S. 
 
 The year 1868 in Japan was the year of one of the 
 most astonishing revolutions in the history of the world. 
 What was this revolution ? It was (1) the abolition of 
 the Shogunate after it had lasted 700 years ; (2) the 
 resumption by the Mikado of the reins of government; 
 (3) the voluntary surrender by the Daimios of their feudal 
 powers and privileges into the hands of the central 
 government ; (4) the adoption of the European system of 
 
18 The Japan Mission. 
 
 departments of State, -with a responsible minister at the 
 head, of each. 
 
 For many years previously the Daimios were engaged 
 in systematic efforts for diminishing the power of the 
 Shogunate, and they tried in every way not to give 
 effect to the treaties with foreigners. The Shogiin who 
 signed them died shortly after under suspicious circum- 
 stances. His successor was brought into constant collision 
 with foreigners in consequence of the deeds of violence 
 and bloodshed which the Samurai perpetrated at the 
 instigation of the Daimios. Gradually the Japanese 
 began to discover that they must submit to the inevitable, 
 and that, after all, the admission of strangers was not 
 so prejudicial to their interests as they expected it would 
 be. At the same time they felt that the very existence of 
 then' nation depended upon the consolidation of authority. 
 On the death of the Mikado in 1867, his successor, 
 Mutsuhito, being a young man, the party of progress 
 seized the opportunity to push their designs. They per- 
 suaded Keiki, a timid and vacillating man, to resign the 
 Shogunate ; and then, to insure complete success, on 
 January 3rd, 1868, they seized the palace at Kioto, and 
 proceeded to administer the Government in the name 
 of the Mikado. Civil war ensued ; but in a desperate 
 battle fought at Fushimi, a place between Kioto and 
 Osaka, which lasted three days, January 27th to 30th, 
 the Shogun's army was totally defeated ; and, although 
 the northern clans_ continued the contest on their own 
 ground, the imperial forces were everywhere victorious, 
 and within a few months the young Mikado was the 
 undisputed ruler of all Japan. Keiki himself submitted 
 at once, and was allowed to live in retirement ; and the 
 last of the Shoguns became a quiet and loyal country gentle- 
 man. Equal clemency was shown even to the leaders who 
 held out longer. In the following year the eighteen great 
 Daimios and the 240 minor Daimios surrendered the 
 
Japan Beopened — Protestant Missions begun. 19 
 
 privileges they formerly enjoyed, and the Mikado became 
 the real ruler of Japan. 
 
 New Japan. 
 
 Immediately after the assumption of power by the 
 Mikado, the new Government began to invite foreigners 
 to Japan to fill high administrative offices. Englishmen 
 and Americans were appointed Comptrollers of the 
 Navy and Public Works, Inspectors of Mines, &c, &c. ; 
 and most comprehensive educational machinery was set 
 on foot, with foreign professors of languages and science 
 in some of the great cities. Most astounding progress 
 has been made within the last twenty-seven years in 
 introducing the appliances of Western civilization. A 
 decided advance has been made towards the establishment 
 of representative institutions, and a Parliament was 
 elected in 1890. 
 
 Tokens of progress are to be seen in every direction. 
 The newspaper press has gone on developing in intelli- 
 gence and power. No fewer than 792 journals, magazines, 
 and other periodicals were returned as being in existence 
 at the end of 1892, with a total circulation during the 
 year of 244,203,066 copies. Of these 203 were published 
 in Tokio. Education is making rapid strides. At the 
 end of 1892 there were 25,404 educational establishments 
 of all kinds, with 67,688 teachers and 3,290,313 pupils, 
 of whom 987,764 were females. At the head of the 
 educational system stands the Imperial University of 
 Tokio, the Teikoku Daigaku, most of the professors of 
 which are Japanese, and the students at the end of 1893 
 numbered 1387. The library includes 200,000 volumes. 
 The Post Office has developed into a most important 
 institution, with its Money Order and Savings' Bank 
 business. In 1893-4 the number of letters, newspapers, 
 parcels, &c, dispatched was 321,630,508. The telegraph 
 now runs from end to end of the empire, The electric 
 
20 The Japan Mission. 
 
 light and the telephone are also in use in the large cities. 
 Railway construction is being pushed forward. The first 
 little railway — that between Tokio and Yokohama — was 
 opened in 1872. In 1894 there were 2039 miles in 
 working order and 689 in process of completion ; 82-| 
 millions of passengers were carried in 1893-4. The work 
 of surveying and engineering was formerly done by Euro- 
 peans ; it is now in the hands of natives. Manufactories 
 of all kinds are in operation. 
 
 The First Protestant Missionaries. 
 
 If England was mainly instrumental in opening the 
 door to the Gospel in Japan, the American Churches 
 were foremost in carrying it in. The Rev. C. M. (after- 
 wards Bishop) Williams, of the Protestant Episcopal 
 Church, was the first missionary to arrive. The Presby- 
 terians followed ; and 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. The American Civil War of 1860-4 sadly 
 crippled American missionary effort generally, but on 
 the restoration of peace the Churches were enabled to 
 strengthen their Missions. But the pioneer missionaries 
 were in circumstances of no little discouragement and 
 difficulty 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, the introduction of which would bring manifold 
 evils upon the country. From the first, however, there 
 were a few earnest though timid seekers after truth, and 
 every year their number increased. This was especially 
 the case when Government schools were established for 
 the teaching of English, and placed in charge of mis- 
 sionaries. " From 1859 to 1872," says Dr. Ferris, " there 
 
Japan Reopened — Protestant Missions begun. 21 
 
 was no preaching -worthy of mention. God led our 
 missionaries into the schools, and the Kingdom of Christ 
 entered Japan through the schools." 
 
 Meanwhile, the law against Christianity was unrepealed, 
 and the new Imperial Government of 1868 caused the 
 enactment to be replaced on the notice-boards in every 
 town and village. It was not until 1873 that the anti- 
 Christian edict was withdrawn. Then all official opposition 
 ceased, and toleration gradually became almost complete. 
 Buildings were set apart for Christian worship, not only 
 for foreigners, but for natives, not only at the treaty-ports, 
 but in towns and villages far removed from them. No 
 obstacles were placed in the way of evangelistic work. No 
 difficulty was experienced in holding public meetings in 
 theatres and other large buildings. Christian literature 
 was everywhere exposed for sale, and openly circulated by 
 booksellers, and by colporteurs employed for the purpose. 
 
 The New Constitution. 
 
 Under the New Constitution granted in February, 1889, 
 it is expressly enjoined that " Japanese subjects shall, 
 within the limits not prejudicial to peace and order, 
 and not antagonistic to their duties as subjects, enjoy 
 freedom of religious belief." About that time Japanese 
 statesmen and journalists openly expressed, not only their 
 expectation that Christianity would soon be the national 
 religion, but their desire for its adoption — not because 
 they cared much whether it were true or not, but because 
 they saw that Christian nations were in the van of the 
 world's progress. But missionary operations were still to 
 some extent hampered by the restrictions on the residence 
 of foreigners in the interior. Except at the treaty-ports 
 they required a passport, which was renewed twice a year, 
 and this passport was only given for purposes of health 
 or of science. Missionaries who lived in towns not covered 
 
22 The Japan Mission. 
 
 by treaty rights had to engage themselves to teach English 
 in the Government schools. As regards British subjects, 
 these restrictions were to a large extent removed in 1894, 
 when a new Treaty of Commerce and Navigation was 
 made between Japan and Great Britain. This Treaty 
 generally did not come into force until 1899, but a 
 protocol at its close provided an immediate modification of 
 the passport system. 
 
 Although Christianity is as yet professed by only a 
 fraction of the population, it exercises already a per- 
 ceptible public influence, and has won for itself a cor- 
 responding recognition. This was shown by the election 
 of Christians to the new Parliament, in 1890, and still 
 more by the a23pointment of a Christian (a Presbyterian) 
 to the presidency of the Lower House. During the war 
 with China in 1894-5, the Government allowed several 
 native ministers of the Gospel to accompany regiments 
 in the capacity of chaplains. 
 
 Y. The C.M.S. Mission. 
 
 For a long time the Church Missionary Society had 
 been desirous of entering Japan ; but it was not until 
 1868 — the very year of the great revolution — that a 
 fitting opportunity arose. An anonymous donation of 
 4000Z. was given to start a Mission, and in January, 
 1869, the Rev. George Ensor, whose name deserves to be 
 remembered as that of the first missionary from Christian 
 England to the newly-opened empire, began the cam- 
 paign at Nagasaki, where the American Episcopal Mission 
 was still located. Although obliged to work very quietly 
 and cautiously, he baptized a few converts in the next 
 three years. He was joined in 1^71 by the Rev. H. 
 Burnside ; but both these brethren were soon obliged, 
 by failure of health, to retire from the field. It was 
 in 1873, when the remarkable course of events in Japan 
 
The O.M.S. Mission. 23 
 
 seemed to indicate that ere long a great and effectual 
 door would be opened, that the Society's enlarged plans 
 for missionary operations in that country were formed ; 
 and in that and the two following years four new stations 
 were occupied, viz. : Osaka, by the Eev. C. F. Warren, 
 formerly of Hong Kong, on the last day of 1873 ; Tokio, 
 by the Rev. J. Piper, also formerly of Hong Kong, in 
 May, 1874 ; Hakodate, by the Rev. W. Dening, trans- 
 ferred from Madagascar, also hi May, 1874 ; and Niigata, 
 by the Rev. P. K. Fyson (who had reached Tokio in 
 1874), in the autumn of 1875. These stations, with the 
 exception of Niigata, which was relinquished in 1883, 
 are still the centres of the Society's J apan work. 
 
 Main Island: Osaka. 
 
 In the Mam Island, Hondo, the C.M.S. is represented 
 at Tokio and Osaka, the two largest cities in Japan, 
 and at Gifu, Nagoya, Fukuyania, Hiroshima, and Mat- 
 suye. At Osaka, the Rev. C. F. (now Archdeacon) Warren, 
 who was for many years the Secretary of the Mission, 
 has laboured (with two intervals) since December, 1873, 
 and here the Rev. H. Evington (now Bishop of Kiu- 
 shiu) laboured from December, 1874, till 1894. The 
 first six converts were baj>tized in June, 1876. In 1897, 
 there were connected with the C.M.S. 567 Christian ad- 
 herents in the city, composing four small congregations, 
 two of them being under the pastoral care of Japanese 
 clergymen. In 1884 the Osaka Divinity School was 
 opened, in which the Revs. G. H. Pole and P. K. Fyson 
 have done valuable work as Principals. A boys' boarding- 
 school was begun in the same year, now under the charge 
 of the Rev. W. R. Gray. Since 1879 a girls' boardiDg- 
 school has been carried on, at first by the lady missionaries 
 of the Female Education Society. In 1890 it developed 
 into the Bishop Poole Memorial School, with Miss Tristram, 
 
24 The Japan Mission. 
 
 a O.M.S. missionary, as Principal. A Bible-women's 
 training-home is also conducted by Mission ladies. 
 
 Soutli-ioetstcnt Stations. 
 
 From. Osaka the Mission has branched out to distant 
 towns in the extreme west of the Central Island, in the 
 provinces of Iwami, Idzumo, Hoki, Bingo, and Aki. The 
 first place at which work was begun was Watadzu, in 
 Iwami, in 1882 ; then at the chief town of that province, 
 Hamada, in 188.3; then, in 1885, at Matsuye, in the 
 province of Idzumo, a still more important city. All 
 these are on the northern coast of the western horn 
 of the island. At Fukuyama, on its southern coast, 
 that is, on the Inland Sea, in the province of Bingo, 
 and at Fuchiu, a small town near it, the work began 
 in 1885-6. In these western districts, in 1895, there 
 were 317 Christians. In 1890, a missionary party went 
 out to occupy Matsuye and work the surrounding dis- 
 trict, headed by the Rev. Barclay F. Buxton, and main- 
 tained entirely at his expense, and about the same time 
 Fukuyama was occupied by the Rev. S. and Mrs. Swann. 
 At both these places and the neighbourhood around an 
 interesting work is reported. At Hiroshima, in the pro- 
 vince of Aki, a missionary society of the "Japan Church" 
 carried on work until 1895, when it was taken up by 
 the C.M.S. 
 
 Gifu and Nagoya. 
 
 Gii'u, a town in the province of Mino, where the 
 Rev. A. F. Ckappell had been working independently, 
 was taken up in 1890, when he joined the ranks of the 
 Society. It was in this district that the ravages of the 
 earthquakes of 1891 were the most serious. South of 
 Gifu, on the coast, is Nagoya, where a band of Canadian 
 missionaries have been labouring who were sent out by 
 
The G.M.S. Mission. 25 
 
 art Association connected with Wycliffe College, Toronto. 
 This Association and its Missions are now merged in the 
 new Canadian CM. Association connected with C.M.S. ; 
 and this makes Nagoya a C.M.S. station. 
 
 Toldo. 
 
 Tokio, the capital of Japan, was occupied for the 
 Society in 1874 by the Rev. J. Piper. The Rev. P. K. 
 Fyson soon afterwards joined him ; he removed, however, 
 to Niigata, the treaty-port on the western coast, which 
 thns became a C.M.S. station, but was relinquished in 
 1883. The first convert at Tokio was baptized in June, 
 1876, a few days before the first baptisms at Osaka. The 
 Church grew slowly under the care of Mr. Piper, who 
 also acted as Secretary to the whole Japan Mission, and 
 did much valuable literary work in the translation of the 
 Old Testament, the Prayer-book, &c. Prom 1880 till 
 1894 the Rev. J. Williams was in charge. Mr. Fyson 
 remained there until 1882, engaged in translational work 
 in behalf of the Bible Society, and he has had a large 
 share in the completion of the Japanese Bible. The 
 Tokio congregation consisted in 1897 of 279 souls, and, 
 though small, it was for several years the first in Japan 
 (among C.M.S. congregations) in independence and self- 
 support. 
 
 Island of Kiiisltiu. 
 
 From 1875 till 1890, when he retired, the Rev. H. 
 (afterwards Archdeacon) Maundrell was the senior mis- 
 sionary at Nagasaki. The Rev. A. B. Hutchinson was 
 also there for some years, and the Rev. A. R. Fuller has 
 been there since 1888. The work was mainly carried 
 on in Deshima, the artificial islet in the harbour 
 already mentioned as for two centuries the residence 
 of the Dutch traders, until 1890, when a church was 
 
26 The Japan Mission. 
 
 opened in the city. Progress lias been slow, and Nagasaki 
 lias been important chiefly as a base from which to operate 
 upon other parts of the Island of Kiushiu. For some 
 years Mr. Maundrell had a small college for the training 
 of evangelists, and from it went forth the men who have 
 preached the Gospel at other cities. An important 
 branch of the Mission at Nagasaki itself has been the 
 work among women and girls done by the late Mrs. 
 Goodall, the widow of an Indian chaplain, who laboured 
 as an honorary independent missionary for many years in 
 co-operation with Mr. Maundrell, and has been succeeded 
 by Mrs. Harvey. 
 
 The chief cities worked by Mr. Maundrell's Japanese 
 evangelists for some years were Kagoshima, Saga, and 
 Kumamoto. The two former gave good promise at first, 
 but have since caused discouragement. Kagoshima, 
 however, has now two ladies as resident missionaries. 
 Kumamoto has been since 1888 occupied by English 
 missionaries, and an expanding work has been the result ; 
 and Oita, an out-station of Kumamoto, on the east coast 
 of Kiushiu, was also occupied in 1894. Mr. Hutchinson 
 also created a fresh centre in 1888 by taking up his 
 abode at Fukuoka, an important town in the province of 
 Chikuzen, at the north end of the island. This station 
 has become the centre of a growing work. In 1S97, out 
 of 834 Christian adherents in Kiushiu, 492 were in the 
 Fukuoka district. 
 
 Okinawa, the largest of the Loochoo Islands, was 
 occupied by a Japanese catechist in 1893. A Japanese 
 policeman was baptized there in 1894, and three natives 
 of the Island in 1895. 
 
 Island of SMkoku. 
 
 But the earliest advance from Osaka was made to 
 Tbkushima, in the Island of Shikoku. This place was 
 visited in 1880, and the first convert was baptized in 
 
Th4 C.M.S. Mission. 27 
 
 1881. Tie Eev. W. P. and Mrs. Buncombe were 
 stationed at Tokushima in 1888, and a second clerical and 
 two lady missionaries joined them in 1892. Notwith- 
 standing much opposition at the first, their labours have 
 been greatly blessed. The "Week of Prayer" at the 
 commencement of 1893 was a season of spiritual revival. 
 
 Island of Yezo : Ainu Mission. 
 
 Hakodate, the treaty-port in the Island of Yezo 
 (commonly called the Hokkaido), was occupied in 1874 
 .by the Rev. W. Dening, who laboured zealously till 1882, 
 when theological differences caused his separation from 
 the Society. A schism followed among the Christians, 
 but in a year or two it was entirely healed. Mr. Dening 
 was succeeded by the Rev. W. Andrews, who has since 
 been joined by other European labourers. The work has 
 extended to fifteen other places, particularly to the im- 
 portant town of Kushiro, and in 1897 there were 1662 
 Japanese and Ainu Christian adherents. 
 
 But the Island of Yezo was originally occupied with 
 especial view to the Ainu aborigines, of whom some 
 thousands dwell in its mountain fastnesses. They are 
 a barbarous people, low in the scale of human intel- 
 ligence, and slaves to _ drunkenness. Ninety per cent, of 
 the men are drunkards, and the women also drink to 
 excess. Their great festival is the " sacrifice of the 
 bear,'' in which an animal reared for the purpose of 
 being made a god is put to death with strange and 
 cruel rites. The Ainu were visited by Mr. Dening in 
 1876 ; and in 1879 Mr. (now Rev.) John Batchelor began 
 regular work among them. The first baptisms took 
 place on December 28th, 1885 ; in 1886 three others 
 were added, two more in 1889, and again two in 1891, 
 making nine altogether to the end of that year. A 
 great ingathering came in 1893, when 171 were baptized, 
 
28 The Japan Mission. 
 
 many of them being at Piratori, the old Ainu capital, 
 where Mr. Batchelor wrote, "Every woman in the place 
 has accepted Christ as her Saviour." The total is con- 
 siderably over 600. Mr. Batchelor has done important 
 linguistic work in the Ainu language, having compiled 
 a grammar, which has been published by the Imperial 
 University of Japan ; and a beginning has been made 
 by him in the translation of the New Testament. 
 
 YI. Japan Bishoprics — Other Missions. 
 
 The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel began 
 work in Japan in 1873, and the ^Mission has been main- 
 tained ever since at Tokio and Kobe. Prior to 1882, 
 the two Church of England Missions were under the 
 supervision of Bishop Burdon, of Victoria, Hong Kong. 
 In that year, Archbishop Tait arranged for the foundation 
 of an English Bishopric in Japan, and the C.M.S. and 
 S.P.C both undertook to' contribute to its maintenance. 
 In 1883, Archbishop Benson (who had succeeded to the 
 Primacy) appointed the Rev. A. W Poole, C.M.S. mis- 
 sionary in South India, to be the first Bishop ; and he 
 was consecrated on October 18th. He was warmly 
 welcomed in Japan by his fellow- Churchmen, and quickly 
 won the affection also of the American non-episcopalian 
 missionaries ; but owing to the failure of his health, his 
 episcopate was brief. He resided ten months in Japan, 
 but then had to leave, and died in England in 1885. He 
 was succeeded by Bishop Edward Bickersteth, son of the 
 Bishop of Exeter, and grandson of a former C.M.S. 
 Secretary, who was consecrated on February 2nd, 1886. 
 Bishop Bickersteth was most active in his visitation 
 of all the Mission stations, and started two important 
 agencies at Tokio under his own immediate direction, 
 St. Andrew's and St. Hilda's Missions, being associated 
 bauds of clergymen and ladies respectively. During a 
 
Jcqjau Bishoprics — Other Missions. 29 
 
 short visit to England in 1893 Bishop Bickersteth made 
 proposals to the C.M.S. for the creation of two new sees, 
 one to be coterminous with the northern island of Yezo, 
 and the other with the southern island of Kiushiu, in 
 both which the C.M.S. is the only society engaged that 
 is connected with the Anglican Communion. The Com- 
 mittee willingly undertook to be responsible for the 
 stipends of the two Bishops, to be selected by the Arch- 
 bishop from names submitted by the Committee. The 
 Rev. Henry Evington, who joined the Mission in 1874, 
 was consecrated on March 4th, 1894, to the southern 
 diocese of Kiushiu ; and the Rev. P. K. Fyson, who also 
 joined the Mission in 1874, was consecrated on June 29th, 
 1896, to the northern diocese of Hokkaido (Tezo). 
 Meanwhile, Bishops Bickersteth and McKim (the American 
 Bishop) agreed, and the Synod of the " Church of Japan " 
 approved, that the Main Island should be divided into 
 four Episcopal missionary dioceses, called respectively 
 the North Tokio, South Tokio, Kioto, and Osaka juris- 
 dictions ; and that, pending the appointment of Japanese 
 Bishops supported by the Native Church, the first and 
 third should be under the supervision of Bishops appointed 
 by the American Episcopal Church, and the second and 
 fourth under Bishops appointed from England. The 
 S.P.G. undertook to pay the stipend of a Bishop of the 
 Osaka jurisdiction, and the Archbishop of Canterbury 
 at the beginning of 1896 appointed Dr. W. Awdry, 
 Bishop of Southampton, to that jurisdiction. Bishop 
 E. Bickersteth died on August 5th, 1897, and Bishop 
 Awdry succeeds him in the South Tokio jurisdiction. 
 Towards the end of 1898, the Rev. H. J. Poss, of the 
 S.P.G., was appointed to the see of Osaka. 
 
 The C.M.S. and S.P.G. missionaries have united with 
 those of the American Episcopal Church in various 
 common works, particularly in the translation of the 
 Prayer-book, the larger part of. which was published in 
 
30 The Japan Mission. 
 
 1879, and the rest in 1882. In 1887 the Japanese 
 Christians connected with the three Missions met by 
 delegation at Osaka, under the joint presidency of Bishops 
 Williams and Bickersteth, and formed themselves into 
 a Nippon Sel-Ko-l-tcai (Japan Church), framing for 
 it a constitution and canons, and adopting " for the 
 present " the English Prayer-book and Articles. There 
 were then 1300 Christians belonging to it. In seven 
 years they had increased to over 6200. 
 
 But the American non-episcopalian Missions have done 
 by far the largest work in Japan. The following analysis 
 of the general statistics of the Protestant Missions for 
 1897 will at once show this. Thirty-two missionary 
 societies are represented, riz., four English. (C.M.S., S.P.Gr., 
 the Bishop's Mission, and the Salvation Army), one Scotch 
 (U.P.), two Canadian, one Swiss, and the remainder 
 American. There were 652 missionaries, including wives ; 
 the American Board (Congregationalist) had 69, the 
 American Presbyterian Board 49, the American Episcopal 
 Methodists 67, the American Baptists 5-1. The Missions 
 connected with the Anglican Communion stand as 
 follows:— C. M.S., 81 ; S.P.G. and Bishop Bickersteth's 
 Mission, together, 26 ; American Episcopal Church, 4-2 ; 
 total, 151. The Native Christians are only partially 
 reckoned under societies. Those attached in a sense to 
 eight Presbyterian Societies belong to the " United Church 
 of Christ in Japan," and numbered about 11,100. Those 
 similarly connected with the Episcopal societies belong 
 to the Nippon Sei-Ko-liwai (Japan Church), and numbered 
 8349 adults. The American Board had 10,047, and the 
 American Methodist Episcopal Church 3524. The total 
 was 40,578 adults. The adult baptisms in 1897 numbered 
 3062 ; of these 690 were in connexion with the Anglican 
 Church societies. 
 
 The Mission of the American Board (Congregationalist) 
 is remarkable for its very interesting Christian College at 
 
Japanese Bishoprics — Other Missions. 31 
 
 Kioto, where hundreds of the cream of the Japanese youths 
 have been educated, and where many have embraced 
 Christianity. This College was founded by Dr. Joseph 
 Neesima, one of the most remarkable of Japanese converts, 
 and was carried on by him until his lamented death in 1890. 
 As in China, so in Japan, a prominent feature in recent 
 developments is the extension of women's work. The 
 Americans have largely used it, and the C.M.S. now has 
 forty-one single ladies in the field. 
 
 Bible Translation. 
 
 The relations between the several Missions have been, 
 as a rule, most cordial and friendly, and in spite of national, 
 denominational, and individual differences, substantial unity 
 has prevailed, and, in some important matters of common 
 interest, united action has been secured. This has been 
 the case in the work of translating the Old and New 
 Testament Scriptures. A Committee for the translation 
 of the New Testament, to " consist of one member from 
 each Mission desirous of co-operating in this work," was 
 appointed by a united conference of Protestant missionaries 
 held at Yokohama in September, 1872, and arrangements 
 were made for translating the Old Testament, by a similar 
 but larger representative conference held in ToMo in 1878. 
 The Committee met for joint work in June, 1874, and 
 the revision of the last book of the translation was com- 
 pleted on November 3rd, 1879. The first editions of the 
 several books were printed from wooden blocks, and 
 published as they were prepared : St. Luke, the first joint 
 production of the Committee, having appeared in August, 
 1875, and several Epistles and the Revelation, the last 
 portions, in April, 1880 ; and the completion of the work 
 was celebrated by a united meeting for thanksgiving, held 
 at Tokio on April 19th, which was attended by repre- 
 sentatives of fourteen American and English missionary 
 Societies, and of the Japanese churches in the neighbour, 
 
32 The Japan Mission. 
 
 hood of the capital. In this great enterprise the first 
 place of honour belongs to Dr. J. C. Hepburn, of the 
 American Presbyterian Mission, by whom, the greater 
 portion of the draft translations were made, and to 
 whose indefatigable labours the work owed its. early 
 completion. The translation of the Old Testament 
 has since been completed. In this work the Rev. 
 P. K. Fyson, C.M.S., now Bishop in Hokkaido, took a 
 leading part. 
 
 Greek and Roman Missions. 
 
 But other forms of Christianity are in the field, and 
 have so far registered more converts, though their rate 
 of increase during the past few years appears to have 
 been considerably below that of the Protestant Churches. 
 Thus in July, 1883, the converts of the Russo-Greek 
 Church Mission were 8863, nearly 2000 more than the 
 registered Church membership of the Protestant Missions 
 at the close of the same year; whereas in 1895 they 
 were only 22,576, or over 16,000 less than the body 
 of Protestant Christians. The number of Roman Catholic 
 converts in 1881 was 25,633, more than 22,000 being in 
 the Island of Kiushiu, where thousands of the descendants 
 of the Christians of the seventeenth century have been 
 received into the Church. In 1897 they were 52,796. 
 During the decade from 1882 to 1892 the rate of increase 
 of Roman Catholics was 57 per cent., that of Greek 
 Christians was 146 per cent., and that of Protestant 
 Christians 612 per cent. 
 
 With such rivals in the field, will Protestant Christianity 
 eventually commend itself to the national mind, or will 
 the marvellous changes now in progress result in the 
 adoption of a less pure form of Christianity — a mere 
 name without life ? But the future is in God's hands, 
 and it is for us to recognize the duties and responsibilities 
 of the present. It is the day of Japan's visitation, 
 
Some CtH*S. B3a@k^. 
 
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 THIRD EDITION. 
 
 Japan and the Japan Mission. First Edition by Eugene 
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 THIRD EDITION. 
 
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 Cornell University Library 
 
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 The missions of the Church Misspnary So 
 
 3 1924 023 507 993 
 
 All books are subject to recall after two weeks. 
 Olin/Kroch Library 
 
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 PRINTED IN USA