The ''Nippon Sei Ko Kai'' ( ja, 日本聖公会, translit=Nippon Seikōkai, lit=Japanese Holy Catholic Church), abbreviated as NSKK, sometimes referred to in English as the Anglican Episcopal Church in Japan, is the national
Christian church representing the Province of
Japan (, ) within the
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and other ...
.
As a member of the Anglican Communion the Nippon Sei Ko Kai shares many of the historic
doctrinal
Doctrine (from la, doctrina, meaning "teaching, instruction") is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given branch of knowledge or in a belief system ...
and
liturgical
Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...
practices of the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...
, but is a fully autonomous national church governed by its own
synod and led by its own
primate
Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians ( monkeys and apes, the latter including ...
. The Nippon Sei Ko Kai, in common with other churches in the Anglican Communion, considers itself to be a part of the
One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church
The Four Marks of the Church, also known as the Attributes of the Church, describes four distinctive adjectives of traditional Christian ecclesiology as expressed in the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed completed at the First Council of Constantin ...
and to be both
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
and
Reformed.
With an estimated 80 million members worldwide, the Anglican Communion is the third largest
Christian communion in the world, after the
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
and the
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops vi ...
es. The Nippon Sei Ko Kai has approximately 32,000 members organised into eleven dioceses and found in local church congregations throughout Japan.
History
Background (1549–1846)
Jesuit Saint Francis Xavier
Francis Xavier (born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta; Latin: ''Franciscus Xaverius''; Basque: ''Frantzisko Xabierkoa''; French: ''François Xavier''; Spanish: ''Francisco Javier''; Portuguese: ''Francisco Xavier''; 7 April 15063 December ...
together with Portuguese explorers and missionaries first brought
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
to Japan in the 16th century. In 1587, the Christian faith and life were outlawed and Christians, Japanese and foreign, were openly persecuted. In memory of these early Japanese Christians, and in common with the
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, the Nippon Sei Ko Kai commemorates the
Martyrs of Japan
The were Christian missionaries and followers who were persecuted and executed, mostly during the Tokugawa shogunate period in the 17th century.
More than 400 martyrs of Japan have been recognized with beatification by the Catholic Church, and 42 ...
every February 5 for their life and witness.
All foreigners were subsequently expelled in 1640 as Japan began two centuries of self-imposed isolation and Christian communities were driven into hiding. When foreigners were eventually allowed back into the main islands of Japan in the 1850s, they found thousands of Christians who had maintained their Christian faith and identity through centuries of persecution.
Early mission church (1846–1900)
Anglican church mission work in Japan started with the British
Loochoo Naval Mission
The Loochoo Naval Mission (1843-1861) was a Church of England mission society to provide Christian outreach to outlying Ryukyu Islands, today part of Japan but a sovereign country during those times.
The work of the mission was significant both in ...
on the outlying
Ryukyu Islands
The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), with Yona ...
in May 1846.
George Jones
George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song " He Stopped Loving Her Today", ...
, a United States Navy chaplain traveling with the
Expedition of Commodore Perry, led the first recorded Anglican burial service on Japanese soil at Yokohama on 9 March 1854. More permanent mission priests of the
Episcopal Church,
John Liggins
Rev. John Liggins (11 May 1829 – 8 January 1912) was an English-born Episcopalian missionary to China and Japan. The first Protestant missionary and ordained representative of Anglican Communion to reach Japan, together with his seminary ...
and
Channing Moore Williams
Channing Moore Williams (July 17, 1829 – December 2, 1910) was an Episcopal Church missionary, later bishop, in China and Japan. Williams was a leading figure in the establishment of the Anglican Church in Japan. His commemoration in some Angl ...
, arrived in the treaty port of
Nagasaki
is the capital and the largest Cities of Japan, city of Nagasaki Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in Japan.
It became the sole Nanban trade, port used for trade with the Portuguese and Dutch during the 16th through 19th centuries. The Hi ...
in May and June 1859. After the opening of the port of
Yokohama
is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...
in June 1859, Anglicans in the foreign community gathered for worship services in the British consul's residence. A British consular chaplain,
Michael Buckworth Bailey
Rev. Michael Buckworth Bailey M.A. (10 April 1827 - 6 December 1899) was a minister of the Church of England.
As Consular Chaplain to the British Legation in Yokohama, Bailey was one of the first Anglican priests to serve in Japan.
Background a ...
, arrived in August 1862 and after a successful fundraising campaign
Christ Church, Yokohama
Christ Church, Yokohama (横浜山手聖公会 Yokohama Yamate Seikokai), is a historic Anglican church located in Yamate, Yokohama, Japan. Providing a center of worship for both Japanese and English-language congregations the church traces its fo ...
, was dedicated on 18 October 1863.
Due to government restrictions on the teaching of Christianity and a significant language barrier, the religious duties of clergy were initially limited to serving as ministers to the American and British residents of the foreign settlements. The first recorded baptism by Williams of a Japanese convert, a
Kumamoto
is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 738,907 and a population density of 1,893 people per km2. The total area is 390.32 km2.
had a population of 1,461,000, ...
samurai named Shōmura Sukeuemon, was not until 1866.
Liggins and Williams were followed to Nagasaki in January 1869 by George Ensor, a priest representing the
Church Mission Society of the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...
. Following 1874, he was joined by H. Burnside at Nagasaki, C. F. Warren at
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...
,
Philip Fyson
Philip Kemball Fyson (21 January 1846, Higham, Forest Heath, Higham, Suffolk - 30 January 1928, Sutton Valence) was an Anglican bishop of the Diocese of Hokkaido, in the Nippon Sei Ko Kai, the province of the Anglican Communion in Japan.
Philip ...
at
Yokohama
is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...
, J. Piper at
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
(Yedo), H. Evington at
Niigata and W. Dening at
Hokkaido
is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel.
The lar ...
.
H. Maundrell joined the Japan mission in 1875 and served at Nagasaki.
John Batchelor
John Calvin Batchelor (born April 29, 1948) is an American author and host of ''Eye on the World'' on the CBS Audio Network. His flagship station is New York's 710 WOR. The show is a hard-news-analysis radio program on current events, world his ...
was a missionary priest to the
Ainu people of Hokkaido from 1877 to 1941.
![Nippon Sei Ko Kai Clergy](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Nippon_Sei_Ko_Kai_Clergy.PNG)
After the
Meiji Restoration
The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...
, significant new legislation relating to the freedom of religion was introduced, facilitating in September 1873, the arrival in Tokyo of
Alexander Croft Shaw
Alexander Croft Shaw M.A. (26 June 1846 – 13 March 1902) was a minister of the Anglican Church of Canada. He is remembered as Archdeacon Shaw, minister to the British Legation in Tokyo and a leading figure in the early years of the Anglica ...
and William Ball Wright as the first missionary priests sent to Japan by the
Society for Propagation of the Gospel. Williams, appointed Episcopal Bishop of China and Japan in 1866, moved first to reside in
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...
in 1869, then subsequently relocated to
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
in December 1873.
By 1879, through cooperative work between the various Anglican missions, the largest part of the
Book of Common Prayer
The ''Book of Common Prayer'' (BCP) is the name given to a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion and by other Christian churches historically related to Anglicanism. The original book, published in 1549 in the reign ...
had been translated and published in Japanese. A full version of the text being completed by 1882. On Palm Sunday 1883, Nobori Kanai and Masakazu Tai, graduates of the Tokyo theological school were ordained by Bishop Williams as the first Japanese deacons in the church. In 1888, the
Anglican Church of Canada also began missionary work in Japan, later mainly focusing on
Nagoya
is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most po ...
and
Central Japan.
![John Toshimichi Imai](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/John_Toshimichi_Imai.jpg)
In addition to the work of ordained church ministers, much of the positive public profile enjoyed by Anglican Church in Japan during this early mission period was due to the work of lay missionaries working to establish schools, universities and medical facilities. Significant among this group were missionary women such as Ellen G. Eddy at St. Agnes' School in Osaka, Alice Hoar at St. Hilda's School and Florence Pitman at St. Margaret's School, both located in Tokyo.
Hannah Riddell
Hannah Riddell (1855–1932) was an English woman who devoted her life to the care of patients with leprosy in Japan.
Life
Early life and her determination
Hannah Riddell was born in 1855 in Barnet, then a village to the North of London. Her ...
who established the Kaishun Hospital for leprosy sufferers in
Kumamoto
is the capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, Japan. , the city has an estimated population of 738,907 and a population density of 1,893 people per km2. The total area is 390.32 km2.
had a population of 1,461,000, ...
and
Mary Cornwall-Legh who ran a similar facility in
Kusatsu, Gunma
250px, Kusatsu town hall
is a town located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 6,255 in 3407 households, and a population density of 130 persons per km2. The total area of the town is . Kusatsu is one of the mos ...
, were both honored by the Japanese Government for their work.
The first synod of the Nippon Sei Ko Kai met in Osaka in February 1887. At this meeting, instigated by Bishop
Edward Bickersteth and presided over by Bishop
Williams, it was agreed to unite the various Anglican missionary efforts in Japan into one autonomous national church; the Nippon Sei Ko Kai. The 17 European and American participants at the first Synod were outnumbered by 14 other clergy and 50 Japanese lay delegates.
Total Nippon Sei Ko Kai church membership in 1887 was estimated to be 1,300.
John Toshimichi Imai, ordained deacon in 1888 and raised to the priesthood by Bishop Bickersteth in 1889, was the first Japanese to become an ordained Anglican priest.
In 1890,
J. G. Waller, a Canadian Anglican priest, arrived in Japan with his wife Lydia. 1892, they moved to Nagano where he established churches in
Nagano City
is the capital and largest city of Nagano Prefecture, located in the Nagano Basin (Zenkoji Daira) in the central Chūbu region of Japan. Nagano is categorized as a core city of Japan. Nagano City is the highest prefectural capital in Japan, wi ...
in 1898, which was nationally registered as an important tangible cultural property in 2006. Waller helped establish a
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, i ...
sanatorium
A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...
in
Obuse, Nagano funded by donations from Anglicans in Canada.
Continued growth and wartime challenges (1900–1945)
![Plaque in Ely cathedral commemorating Gordon John Walsh](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/86/Plaque_in_Ely_cathedral_commemorating_Gordon_John_Walsh.jpg)
By 1906 the Nippon Sei Ko Kai was reported to have grown to 13,000 members, of whom 6,880 were communicants with a Japanese led ordained ministry of 42 priests and 22 deacons.
Henry St. George Tucker, President of
St. Paul's College and in 1913 appointed Bishop of Kyoto, was one of the foremost missionary leaders of the period who advocated that an independent, Japanese-led and self-supporting church was the only way in which Christianity could be carried to the wider population of Japan. Initiatives were put in place to help grow the financial self-sufficiency of church congregations and the first Japanese bishops,
John Yasutaro Naide, Bishop of Osaka and
Joseph Sakunoshin Motoda, Bishop of Tokyo, were consecrated in 1923.
During the 1930s, as overseas funding and the number of foreign Anglican missionaries in Japan declined, new challenges arose for Nippon Sei Ko Kai church leadership and laity from the increasing focus on
Shinto
Shinto () is a religion from Japan. Classified as an East Asian religion by scholars of religion, its practitioners often regard it as Japan's indigenous religion and as a nature religion. Scholars sometimes call its practitioners ''Shintois ...
as a state prescribed religion and the growing influence of
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 ...
in domestic and foreign policy. Christianity was portrayed by many nationalist politicians at the time as incompatible with the loyalty of Japanese subjects. In response the Nippon Sei Ko Kai issued periodic statements in support of the Imperial Army. And the first half of the 20th century saw NSKK's overseas expansion.
Taiwan Sheng Kung Hui was established, several Japanese-language churches, such as
Dalian Sheng Kung Hui Church, were built in
Chung Hua Sheng Kung Hui
Chung Hua Sheng Kung Hui (CHSKH, zh, t=中華聖公會), known in English as the Holy Catholic Church in China or Anglican-Episcopal Province of China, was the name of the Anglican Church in China from 1912 until about 1958.
History
The Chung ...
's
Northern China Diocese in
Manchuria
Manchuria is an exonym (derived from the endo demonym " Manchu") for a historical and geographic region in Northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day Northeast China (Inner Manchuria) and parts of the Russian Far East (Outer M ...
, and the
Anglican Church of Korea
The Anglican Church of Korea (or Episcopal Church of Korea) is the province of the Anglican Communion in North and South Korea. Founded in 1889, it has over 120 parish and mission churches with a total membership of roughly 65,000 people.
Hist ...
was absorbed by the NSKK.
A more active period of government persecution began in 1937, particularly for Christian denominations such as the
Salvation Army with its commitment to social reform, and for the NSKK with its historic links to the
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...
.
Archbishop Lang's condemnation in October of
Imperial Japanese Army actions in China, provoked hostile scrutiny of the NSKK and caused some in the church leadership to publicly disassociate themselves from links with the wider
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and other ...
.
![St](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/St._Andrews_Anglican_Cathedral%2C_Tokyo%2C_December_2013.JPG)
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, the majority of
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
churches in Japan were forcibly brought together by the Japanese wartime government to form the
United Church of Christ in Japan
The United Church of Christ in Japan (UCCJ; ja, 日本基督教団 ''Nihon Kirisuto Kyōdan'', or ''Kyōdan'' for short) is the largest Protestant denomination in Japan. It is a union of thirty-three diverse Protestant denominations forcibly me ...
, or Kyodan. Reflecting the distinctive doctrinal character of the
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and other ...
, many individual Nippon Sei Ko Kai congregations refused to join. The cost of resistance to and non-cooperation with the government's religious policies was harassment by the military police and periods of imprisonment for church leaders such as Bishops
Samuel Heaslett
Samuel Heaslett (1875–1947) was an Anglican bishop.
He was born in Belfast in 1875 and educated at Durham University, where he obtained a First Class degree in theology. Ordained in 1900 he began his overseas mission career in the service of th ...
, Hinsuke Yashiro and Todomu Sugai, as well as Primate
Paul Shinji Sasaki.
St. Andrew's Tokyo, now the Cathedral church for the Diocese of Tokyo, was one such congregation that resisted government pressure, struggling to retain its land, church buildings and
Anglican identity to the war's end in 1945. However, like many urban Nippon Sei Ko Kai churches, medical and educational facilities, St. Andrew's buildings were lost in the
1945 Allied incendiary bombing.
Post WW II period (1945–)
The pressure of an extended war caused damage to both internal church unity and the physical infrastructure of the Nippon Sei Ko Kai; 71 out of a total of 246 churches had been destroyed, others were in bad repair due to neglect, requisition by the military or vandalism.
Through individual and larger communal acts of reconciliation, and with the support of an Anglican Commission sent out by the Archbishop of Canterbury,
Archbishop Fisher in 1946; the Nippon Sei Ko Kai was organizationally reordered in 1947, with a leadership consisting of Japanese bishops at the head of each diocese, renewing its life and mission for the Christian Gospel in Japan.
Attending the 1948
Lambeth Conference
The Lambeth Conference is a decennial assembly of bishops of the Anglican Communion convened by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The first such conference took place at Lambeth in 1867.
As the Anglican Communion is an international association ...
, Presiding Bishop Yashiro took with him a finely embroidered silk
cope
The cope (known in Latin as ''pluviale'' 'rain coat' or ''cappa'' 'cape') is a liturgical vestment, more precisely a long mantle or cloak, open in front and fastened at the breast with a band or clasp. It may be of any liturgical colour.
A c ...
and
mitre
The mitre (Commonwealth English) (; Greek: μίτρα, "headband" or "turban") or miter (American English; see spelling differences), is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial headdress of bishops and certain abbots in ...
, presented to Archbishop Fisher as a gesture of thanks from members of the Nippon Sei Ko Kai for the bonds of fellowship that continued to hold members of the Anglican Communion together, in the aftermath of wartime hostilities. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Geoffrey Fisher, wore the cope at the opening service of the Lambeth Conference that year and again in 1953 at the
Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II
The coronation of Elizabeth II took place on 2 June 1953 at Westminster Abbey in London. She acceded to the throne at the age of 25 upon the death of her father, George VI, on 6 February 1952, being proclaimed queen by her privy and executive ...
.
The Nippon Sei Ko Kai became a financially self-supporting Province of the
Anglican Communion
The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and other ...
in 1972.
Adopting a formal Statement of War Responsibility at the General Synod in 1996, and reflecting on the Japanese occupation of China and Korea prior to the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, the NSKK has been active in multi-year projects promoting peace, reconciliation, and youth exchange programs between East Asian nations.
Two decades after becoming the first woman deacon, Margaret Ryoko Shibukawa was ordained the first woman priest in the Nippon Sei Ko Kai in December 1998.
The Nippon Sei Ko Kai celebrated the 150th anniversary of continuous Anglican Christian witness in Japan in 2009. The occasion was marked with a series of church and community events and visits by both the then
Archbishop of Canterbury,
Rowan Williams
Rowan Douglas Williams, Baron Williams of Oystermouth, (born 14 June 1950) is a Welsh Anglican bishop, theologian and poet. He was the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury, a position he held from December 2002 to December 2012. Previously the Bish ...
and the
Presiding Bishop of the
Episcopal Church in the United States of America
The Episcopal Church, based in the United States with additional dioceses elsewhere, is a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. It is a mainline Protestant denomination and is divided into nine provinces. The presiding bishop o ...
at the time,
Katharine Jefferts Schori
Katharine Jefferts Schori (born March 26, 1954) is the former Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church of the United States. Previously elected as the 9th Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Nevada, she was the first woman elected ...
.
In 2013 the NSKK co-hosted with the
Anglican Church of Korea
The Anglican Church of Korea (or Episcopal Church of Korea) is the province of the Anglican Communion in North and South Korea. Founded in 1889, it has over 120 parish and mission churches with a total membership of roughly 65,000 people.
Hist ...
, the 2nd Worldwide Anglican Peace Conference in
Okinawa
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city ...
.
The NSKK is a member of the
National Christian Council in Japan.
Nathaniel Makoto Uematsu, Bishop of Hokkaido was the
primate
Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians ( monkeys and apes, the latter including ...
of the Anglican Church in Japan from 23 May 2006 until November 2020.
Present
Luke Ken-ichi Muto, Bishop of Kyushu, was installed as the current
Primate
Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians ( monkeys and apes, the latter including ...
of Nippon Sei Ko Kai on 5 November 2020.
Today the Nippon Sei Ko Kai continues its traditions of ministry and Christian witness in Japan through church congregational life, hospitals, schools, social advocacy, and support for non-profit organizations.
The church, at both a national and local level, works to support disadvantaged, marginalized, or discriminated against communities in Japan, as well as communities in
Tohoku impacted by the 2011
Great East Japan earthquake
Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements
* Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size
* Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent
People
* List of people known as "the Great"
*Artel Great (born ...
, tsunami and subsequent crisis at the
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear generating plant.
The NSKK also engages in field-based mission work overseas, such as in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
.
Eight of the NSKK's dioceses ordain women to the
diaconate
A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...
and
priesthood. The NSKK has
ordained women to the
priesthood since 1998. Women have been ordained to the diaconate since 1978, and the first woman to be ordained a deacon and, later, as a priest was Margaret Shibukawa Ryoko. In 2021, the Diocese of Hokkaido elected Grace Trazu Sasamori as bishop, making her the first woman to be elected bishop in the church.
Dioceses and notable churches
There are currently eleven
diocese
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...
s in the Nippon Sei Ko Kai and over three hundred church and chapel congregations spread across the country. Notable churches in each diocese from north to south include:
Hokkaido
Christ Church Cathedral Sapporo
( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous cit ...
Tohoku
*Christ Church Cathedral,
Sendai
Kitakanto
St. Matthias' Cathedral Maebashi
is the capital city of Gunma Prefecture, in the northern Kantō region of Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 335,352 in 151,171 households, and a population density of 1100 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . It ...
Tokyo
The Diocese of Tokyo was established in its modern form in May 1923. There are 33 churches and 9 chapels in the Diocese, many having been first established in the second half of the nineteenth century.
*
St. Andrew's Cathedral, Minato-ku,
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
*
St. Alban's, Minato-ku,
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
, an English language based NSKK congregation located adjacent to St. Andrew's Cathedral.
St. Luke's Chapel Chuo-ku,
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
located in the Old Building of
St. Luke's International Hospital. One of the very few NSKK church buildings in central Tokyo to have survived the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
Yokohama
*
St. Andrew's Cathedral,
Yokohama
is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...
*
Christ Church, Yokohama
Christ Church, Yokohama (横浜山手聖公会 Yokohama Yamate Seikokai), is a historic Anglican church located in Yamate, Yokohama, Japan. Providing a center of worship for both Japanese and English-language congregations the church traces its fo ...
landmark church located in
Yamate
is the name of a historic neighbourhood in Naka-ku, Yokohama often referred to in English as ''The Bluff.'' The neighbourhood is famous as having been a foreigners' residential area in the Bakumatsu, Meiji and Taishō periods. While still domi ...
overlooking the Port of Yokohama, hosting both English and Japanese language based congregations.
* St. Andrew's Church,
Kiyosato, Yamanashi
Chubu
St. Matthew's Cathedral Nagoya
is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most po ...
![Nagano Holy Saviour Church](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Nagano_Holy_Saviour_Church.jpg)
*Nagano Holy Saviour's Church,
Nagano Nagano may refer to:
Places
* Nagano Prefecture, a prefecture in Japan
** Nagano (city), the capital city of the same prefecture
*** Nagano 1998, the 1998 Winter Olympics
*** Nagano Olympic Stadium, a baseball stadium in Nagano
*** Nagano Universi ...
, built by
J. G. Waller, nationally registered as an important tangible cultural property in 2006.
*
St. Mary's College, Nagoya, whose origin is the
Child care workers' school established by Margaret Young (1855 - 1940), a missionary from
Anglican Church of Canada.
Kyoto
![Kyoto St Agnes Episcopal Church02st3200](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Kyoto_St_Agnes_Episcopal_Church02st3200.jpg)
*
St. Agnes' Cathedral,
Kyoto
Kyoto (; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin, Keihanshin metropolitan area along wi ...
Osaka
Christ Church Cathedral Kawaguchi,
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...
the cathedral seat of the
Bishop of Osaka.
Kobe
St. Michael's Cathedral Kobe
Kyushu
St. Paul's Cathedral Fukuoka
is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since anc ...
Okinawa
Cathedral of St. Paul and St. Peter Mihara,
Naha
is the capital city of Okinawa Prefecture, the southernmost prefecture of Japan. As of 1 June 2019, the city has an estimated population of 317,405 and a population density of 7,939 persons per km2 (20,562 persons per sq. mi.). The total area ...
,
Okinawa
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city ...
Related facilities
![St](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/St._Luke%27s_College_of_Nursing_%282006.05.06%29_1.jpg)
Nippon Sei Ko Kai affiliated educational, medical and social welfare institutions in Japan number over two hundred. Comprehensive lists of affiliated institutions are available on the officia
NSKK website
Seminaries
*
Central Theological College, Tokyo Founded in 1908 from the amalgamation of three older Japanese Anglican seminaries.
* Williams Theological Seminary, Kyoto
Religious orders
*
Community of Nazareth, Tokyo. An
Anglican religious order
Anglican religious orders are communities of men or women (or in some cases mixed communities of both men and women) in the Anglican Communion who live under a common rule of life. The members of religious orders take vows which often include ...
first established in 1936 under the guidance of the English
Community of the Epiphany.
Universities and colleges
*
Rikkyo University
, also known as Saint Paul's University, is a private university, in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, Japan.
Rikkyo is known as one of the six leading universities in the field of sports in Tokyo (東京六大学 "Big Six" — Rikkyo University, University of ...
, Tokyo (立教大学 Rikkyō Daigaku), also known as
St. Paul's University
*
St. Margaret's Junior College, Tokyo (立教女学院短期大学 Rikkyō Jogakuin Tanki Daigaku)
*
St. Mary's College, Nagoya
*
Momoyama Gakuin University
, also known as Saint Andrew's University, is a private university, established under Anglican Christian auspices, in Izumi, Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous cit ...
, Osaka (桃山学院大学 Momoyama Gakuin Daigaku), also known as Saint Andrew's University.
*
Heian Jogakuin University
also known at St. Agnes' University, is a private women's college with campuses in Kyoto, Kyoto and Takatsuki, Osaka in Japan.
The university's foundation history can be traced through the establishment of St. Agnes' School to 1875. The univers ...
, Kyoto and Osaka, also known as St. Agnes University
*
Poole Gakuin University, Osaka
*
Poole Gakuin Junior College, Osaka
*
Kobe International University is a private university in Kobe, Hyōgo, Japan. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1963, and it was chartered as a university in 1968.
In 1995 the school relocated from its original building in Kobe and moved to a newer building on the ...
, Kobe
*
Kobe Shoin Women's University, Kobe
Hospitals
*
St. Luke's International Hospital, Tokyo
*
St. Barnabas' Hospital, Osaka
Notable people
Early mission church (1859–1900)
*
Channing Moore Williams
Channing Moore Williams (July 17, 1829 – December 2, 1910) was an Episcopal Church missionary, later bishop, in China and Japan. Williams was a leading figure in the establishment of the Anglican Church in Japan. His commemoration in some Angl ...
(1829-1910), Episcopal Bishop of China and Japan, founder of
Rikkyo University
, also known as Saint Paul's University, is a private university, in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, Japan.
Rikkyo is known as one of the six leading universities in the field of sports in Tokyo (東京六大学 "Big Six" — Rikkyo University, University of ...
*
John Liggins
Rev. John Liggins (11 May 1829 – 8 January 1912) was an English-born Episcopalian missionary to China and Japan. The first Protestant missionary and ordained representative of Anglican Communion to reach Japan, together with his seminary ...
(1829-1912), first missionary and ordained representative of the Anglican Communion in Japan
*
Alexander Croft Shaw
Alexander Croft Shaw M.A. (26 June 1846 – 13 March 1902) was a minister of the Anglican Church of Canada. He is remembered as Archdeacon Shaw, minister to the British Legation in Tokyo and a leading figure in the early years of the Anglica ...
(1846-1902), missionary, founder of
St. Andrew's Church in Tokyo and Archdeacon of North Japan
*
Edward Bickersteth (1850-1897), First Bishop of South Tokyo
*
John Batchelor
John Calvin Batchelor (born April 29, 1948) is an American author and host of ''Eye on the World'' on the CBS Audio Network. His flagship station is New York's 710 WOR. The show is a hard-news-analysis radio program on current events, world his ...
(1854-1944), missionary to the
Ainu communities of
Hokkaido
is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel.
The lar ...
*
John McKim (1852-1936), Bishop of North Tokyo
*
William Awdry
William Awdry (24 January 1842 – 4 January 1910) was the inaugural Bishop of Southampton and Bishop of Osaka, Osaka who subsequently served Bishop of South Tokyo, South Tokyo.
He was the fourth son of John Wither Awdry, Sir John Wither Awdry ...
(1842-1910), Second Bishop of South Tokyo
*
Arthur Lloyd Arthur Lloyd may refer to:
* Arthur Lloyd (rugby league), rugby league footballer of the 1930s for Wales, and York
* Arthur Lloyd (musician) (1839–1904), Scottish singer, songwriter, comedian and stage producer
* Arthur Lloyd (bishop) (1844–19 ...
(1852-1911), missionary, academic and translator
*
Philip Fyson
Philip Kemball Fyson (21 January 1846, Higham, Forest Heath, Higham, Suffolk - 30 January 1928, Sutton Valence) was an Anglican bishop of the Diocese of Hokkaido, in the Nippon Sei Ko Kai, the province of the Anglican Communion in Japan.
Philip ...
(1846-1928), Bishop of
Hokkaido
is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel.
The lar ...
. Member of the
Church Missionary Society
The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British mission society working with the Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as mission ...
*
John Toshimichi Imai (1863-1919), First Japanese born Anglican priest, ordained in 1889
Continued growth and wartime challenges (1900–1945)
*
Paul Shinji Sasaki, (1885-1946) Bishop of Mid-Japan, later Bishop of Tokyo and Presiding Bishop of the Nippon Sei Ko Kai
* Todomu Sugai, (1883-1947) Bishop of South Tokyo and Presiding Bishop January 1947 to August 1947
*
Henry St. George Tucker, (1874-1956) Bishop of Kyoto, later Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church
*
Joseph Sakunoshin Motoda, (1862-1928) Bishop of Tokyo
*
John Yasutaro Naide, (1866-1945) Bishop of Osaka
*
Peter Yonetaro Matsui, Bishop of Tokyo
*
Rudolf Teusler
Rudolf Bolling Teusler M.D. (1876 - 1934) was a medical physician and lay missionary to Japan who worked under the auspices of the Foreign and Domestic Missionary Society of the American Episcopal Church.
Teusler is remembered in Japan as the fo ...
, (1876-1934) Medical lay missionary, founder of
St. Luke's International Hospital, Tokyo
*
Mary Cornwall Legh, (1857-1941) Missionary to the leprosy communities of
Kusatsu, Gunma
250px, Kusatsu town hall
is a town located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 6,255 in 3407 households, and a population density of 130 persons per km2. The total area of the town is . Kusatsu is one of the mos ...
.
*
Samuel Heaslett
Samuel Heaslett (1875–1947) was an Anglican bishop.
He was born in Belfast in 1875 and educated at Durham University, where he obtained a First Class degree in theology. Ordained in 1900 he began his overseas mission career in the service of th ...
, (1875-1947) Fourth Bishop of South Tokyo
*
Walter Weston
Walter Weston (25 December 1861 – 27 March 1940), was an English clergyman and Anglican missionary who helped popularise recreational mountaineering in Japan at the turn of the 20th century.
Background and early life
Weston was born 25 De ...
, (1860-1940) Missionary and Japan Alpine Mountaineer
*
Sidney Catlin Partridge, First Bishop of Kyoto
*
Hiromichi Kato, Bishop of Tohoku
*
Norman S. Binsted, First Bishop of Tohoku elected 1928
*
Arthur Lea, Bishop of Kyushu or South Japan
*
Philip Kemball Fyson, Bishop of Hokkaido
*
Charles S. Reifsnider, (1875-1958), Suffragan Bishop of North Kanto, President of
Rikkyo University
, also known as Saint Paul's University, is a private university, in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, Japan.
Rikkyo is known as one of the six leading universities in the field of sports in Tokyo (東京六大学 "Big Six" — Rikkyo University, University of ...
*
Kenneth Abbott Viall, Assistant Bishop of Tokyo
*
Michael Hinsuke Yashiro, Bishop of Kobe, elected Presiding Bishop in 1947
*
Paul Rusch, (1897-1979) Lay missionary, educator, founder of Seisen Ryo (KEEP),
Yamanashi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Yamanashi Prefecture has a population of 817,192 (1 January 2019) and has a geographic area of 4,465 km2 (1,724 sq mi). Yamanashi Prefecture borders Saitama Prefecture to the ...
References
External links
*
Brief infofrom official Anglican Communion website
in English and Japanese
Anglicanism in Japanhistorical resources from
Project CanterburyMore links to the Anglican churches in Japan (Anglicans Online)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Japan, Anglican Church in
Religious organizations based in Japan
Religious organizations established in 1887
Anglican Communion church bodies
Anglicanism in Japan
Members of the World Council of Churches
Christian denominations in Asia
1887 establishments in Japan