Matsumura Kaiseki
Encyclopedia
Matsumura Kaiseki was the founder of an indigenous Japanese Christian
church
known as The Way
. He was born in Akashi
, a town just southwest of Kobe
in the year the first Protestant missionaries
arrived in Japan
.
Matsumura was from a samurai
family and received his early education in the Chinese Confucian classics from his father. Following the Meiji Restoration
and the new government's promuglation of a new law of military conscription for all, hundreds of thousands of samurai families in Japan found themselves without land, and were forced to find another means of livelihood.
With the encouragement of his father, Matsumura decided to pursue an academic career. At the age of twelve, he was sent to Tokyo
to continue Confucian studies. Many leaders in the early Meiji period
recognized the importance of Western learning for Japan's modernization, with the result that in 1874, at the age of sixteen, Matsumura began his study of English
at the Osaka School of Foreign Languages
. Later that year he moved to Kobe and continued his English studies with the missionary John Atkinson. This was Matsumura's first encounter with Christianity and the Bible
. Two years later he returned to Tokyo to pursue his studies and in 1876 entered the Hepburn school in Yokohama
, then under the direction of John Ballagh, an American Missionary of the Dutch Reformed Church
.
Besides his study of English, Matsumura wrestled with the doctrines of Christiantiy that were being taught by Missionaries associated with the Hepburn school and the Yokohama Band. According to his spiritual autobiography, Fifty Years in the Faith, one night in December 1876 he claimed that he had a divine revelation that the God of Christianity was none other than Tentei (天帝), the God of Confucianism
. As a result of this experience he made a profession of faith and was baptized in 1877.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
church
Church Body
A local church is a Christian religious organization that meets in a particular location. Many are formally organized, with constitutions and by-laws, maintain offices, are served by pastors or lay leaders, and, in nations where this is permissible, often seek seek non-profit corporate status...
known as The Way
The Way (church)
The Way is an indigenous Japanese "church" movement that was founded by Matsumura Kaiseki in 1907. Matsumura originally called his movement the One Heart Association, but in 1907 renamed it the Church of Japan and rented quarters to hold regular meetings...
. He was born in Akashi
Akashi, Hyogo
is a city located in southern Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan, on the Seto Inland Sea west of Kobe.As of April 1, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 290,776, with 117,392 households, and a population density of 5,907.68 persons per km²...
, a town just southwest of Kobe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
in the year the first Protestant missionaries
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
arrived in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Matsumura was from a samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
family and received his early education in the Chinese Confucian classics from his father. Following the Meiji Restoration
Meiji Restoration
The , also known as the Meiji Ishin, Revolution, Reform or Renewal, was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868...
and the new government's promuglation of a new law of military conscription for all, hundreds of thousands of samurai families in Japan found themselves without land, and were forced to find another means of livelihood.
With the encouragement of his father, Matsumura decided to pursue an academic career. At the age of twelve, he was sent to Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
to continue Confucian studies. Many leaders in the early Meiji period
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...
recognized the importance of Western learning for Japan's modernization, with the result that in 1874, at the age of sixteen, Matsumura began his study of English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
at the Osaka School of Foreign Languages
Osaka University of Foreign Studies
, abbreviated to OUFS or , , or is a public coeducational research university in Minoh, Osaka, Japan. It is dedicated to area studies and the study of foreign languages and their related cultures.-History:...
. Later that year he moved to Kobe and continued his English studies with the missionary John Atkinson. This was Matsumura's first encounter with Christianity and the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
. Two years later he returned to Tokyo to pursue his studies and in 1876 entered the Hepburn school in Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
, then under the direction of John Ballagh, an American Missionary of the Dutch Reformed Church
Dutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church was a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It existed from the 1570s to 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the...
.
Besides his study of English, Matsumura wrestled with the doctrines of Christiantiy that were being taught by Missionaries associated with the Hepburn school and the Yokohama Band. According to his spiritual autobiography, Fifty Years in the Faith, one night in December 1876 he claimed that he had a divine revelation that the God of Christianity was none other than Tentei (天帝), the God of Confucianism
Confucianism
Confucianism is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius . Confucianism originated as an "ethical-sociopolitical teaching" during the Spring and Autumn Period, but later developed metaphysical and cosmological elements in the Han...
. As a result of this experience he made a profession of faith and was baptized in 1877.