The is an indigenous

Japanese Christian Christianity in Japan is among the nation's minority religions in terms of individuals who state an explicit affiliation or faith. Between less than 1 percent and 1.5% of the population claims Christian belief or affiliation. Although formally ...

movement which was founded by

Uchimura Kanzō was a Japanese author, Christian evangelist, and the founder of the Nonchurch Movement ( Mukyōkai) of Christianity in the Meiji and Taishō period Japan. He is often considered to be the most well-known Japanese pre- World War II pacifis ...

in 1901. Many of his disciples have likewise been well-known intellectual figures. Today it is believed that 35,000 people belong to the movement in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the no ...

, and

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...

About

The complete works of

consist of some 50 volumes: of which, 17 are primarily

biblical The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of ...

studies, 25 are volumes of

theological Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the s ...

works, and 8 are volumes of diaries and correspondence. During the lifetime of Uchimura Kanzō, a graduate of

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educati ...

, the non-church movement took several organizational forms. His direct disciples were essentially paying members of his private school. As subscribers to his magazine grew, supporters outside

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...

sought some ongoing relationship with other non-church members. Uchimura organized the Kyōyukai (, or literally, "Meeting of Friends in Faith") in 1905, with 14 branches and 119 members. The purpose of this organization was defined in the following profession of faith:

We who believe in
God In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...
and
his Only Son ''His Only Son'' is a 1912 American short silent Western film co-starring Wallace Reid and Dorothy Davenport. It was directed by Jack Conway and Milton H. Fahrney. Cast * Wallace Reid * Dorothy Davenport * Jack Conway * Victoria Forde ...
whom he sent (into the world), uniting together, form the Kyōyukai. With the help of
God the Father God the Father is a title given to God in Christianity. In mainstream trinity, trinitarian Christianity, God the Father is regarded as the first person of the Trinity, followed by the second person, God the Son Jesus Christ, and the third pers ...
we shall help our comrades and live lives that are in harmony with His Sovereign Will.

People of the non-church movement

Tadao Yanaihara was a Japanese economist, educator and Christian pacifist. The first director of Shakai Kagaku Kenkyūjo (Institute of Social Science or Shaken) at the University of Tokyo,Banno, Junji. Social Science. Newsletter of the Institute of Social Scienc ...

Masato Koizumi Masato (written: , , , , , , , or ) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *Masato (kickboxer) (born 1979), Japanese former welterweight kickboxer, won K-1 WORLD MAX kickboxing tournament in 2003, 2008 * Masato ...

Masao Sekine Masao (written: 正雄, 正夫, 正生, 正男, 正郎, 雅雄, 雅央, 雅夫, 雅勇, 雅男, 昌雄, 昌夫, 昌男, 昌朗, 昌郎, 昌大, 政雄, 政夫, 政男, 政於, 征夫, 優夫, 聖雄, 利生, 将雄, 将夫 or 眞男) is a masculine ...

Ichiro Ohga Ichiro Oga (大賀一郎 ''Ōga Ichirō''; 1883 – April 28, 1965), also known as ''Hasu Hakase'' (Dr. Lotus), was a Japanese paleobotanist famous for his work in discovering and reviving ancient lotus seeds. Biography Oga attended Tokyo Impe ...

About

People of the non-church movement

See also

References

Further reading