Christianity in Past and Present Japan

Yesterday I visited a Roman Catholic K-12 school.  Headmistress Sister Margaret extended a very gracious, warm invitation to become part of her school community.  As a student of history, I find it amazing how Roman Catholicism managed to survive in a society that virtually closed itself to--and brutally persecuted--Christianity for roughly 200 years.  First, here is a little history lesson...

At the end of the 12th century a period of civil wars commenced. The Emperor and his Court lost power to feuding clans.  Through the military might of three men called Shoguns, Japan ultimately unified and the Edo (Tokugawa) Period began.   To remember each unifier,  I teach my ninth-grade students a little saying that most Japanese children learn in primary school.  It goes like this:  "Nobunaga piled the rice, Hideyoshi kneaded the dough, but Tokugawa Ieyasu ate the cake."  Each played a role in Japan's unification.

In 1573 the first powerful military lord, Oda Nobunaga, seized power over most of Japan but eight years later was slain while dancing in his temple.  His successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, further extended control over Japan and ruled from its then-capital of Kyoto.  Hideyoshi loved festive parties and celebrations.  He loved dancing, drama and art.  New entertainments developed, some of which continue today.  And this was a period of expanding trade, particularly with the West.  

Simultaneously, the Jesuit missionary, Francis Xavier, began a religious mission.  It became so successful that the city of Nagasaki soon came under control of Roman Catholics. (Some theorists think it was no coincidence that the US chose Nagasaki as the target for Fat Man, the second atomic bomb.)  But the government soon felt threatened by these foreigners and their strange, new ways.  So in response, Hideyoshi began the persecution of Christians while also promoting a great spirit of nationalism.  (Not unlike the current government's turn toward increasing nationalism, perhaps?)  Oddly, the presence of these foreigners had the effect of lifting public morale because it aroused in the Japanese people a new feeling of unity and loyalty to all things Japanese.  But in 1598 Hideyoshi died and with his passing, much of the gaiety died too, but not the persecutions.  

Under the third Unifier, Tokugawa Ieyasu, the spirit of the nation changed.  This heavy-weight military dictator tightened his grip on the country.  He expelled all foreigners except the Chinese and Dutch who were allowed to trade at Nagasaki a few weeks of the year. (Because the Dutch did not engage in religious activities they were allowed to continue.)   Severe persecution of Christians began and any revolts were squashed, largely for political reasons.    Tokugawa Ieyasu instituted a long period of isolation.  Japanese people were not allowed to leave the country, those abroad could not return under penalty of death, and large ocean-going vessels could not be built.  All of this changed in 1853 when U.S. Commodore Perry arrived and forced the Shogunate to open.  This feudal period continued for another fifteen years during which time the nation hotly debated the acceptance of outside ideas and practices.  Such discussion continues today.  

When Christianity was outlawed, Hideyoshi and Tokugawa issued great census-taking orders.  All villages and households were strictly organized in hierarchical order.   The Shogun's edict stated that each family must become registered parishioners of a Buddhist temple. Further, village officials had to declare that every person, from every strata of society, had been examined and that no persons suspected of Christianity were found.  The priest of the temple, along with village bureaucrats, sealed the survey.  It was official.  There were no Christians in Japan.  

But Christianity survived!  It is a living, vibrant institution with about 500,000 practitioners today. I visited one Catholic school and had a chat with its energetic headmistress, Sister Margaret.  She told me that, at present, many people fear an increasingly-nationalistic culture.  And in the midst of this political and social climate, the school trains young women (and its partner-school trains young men) to become global leaders.  Interestingly, it does not admit students who can otherwise attend Japanese public schools tuition-free.  Rather, its student-body is quite a global group.  They have many children with one Japanese parent and another parent of a different nationality.  For this latter bunch, Japanese public schools can be a brutal experience.  These not-totally-Japanese kids are frequently ostracized by the native children because they are not part of the tightly-knit classroom cohort called the kumi.  They do not speak with the proper dialect, display the proper manners, nor wear the proper attire.  Once Japanese children have lived abroad, they cannot be poured back into the national mold.  Therefore, their only choice is to attend a private school--and dream of leaving.

Concerning the future for her female graduates, Sister Margaret remarked, "Almost universally our young women leave Japan permanently after graduation and do not come back." Opportunities for women in business and academia are not nearly as great here as in the U.S. or Great Britain.  Expectations for having a family and a career are totally unrealistic.  For a nation with plummeting marriage and birth rates, government officials need to make some immediate and wise policy choices.  Their national goals must include plans that foster a more healthy, balanced life between work and family, while also reducing the onerous exam burdens placed upon the young.  (More on those cram schools later, I hope.)   

I don't know how much pressure these private school children experience with regard to national exams.  My tutoring will not have the explicit goal of preparing girls for the university examination.  Rather, I will tutor children in English with the goal increasing their fluency so that they can succeed in the English-speaking classrooms.   They spoke of one child in particular who was admitted to the school in January '13 but has made zero progress in any subject.  I asked if that is a language issue or a learning issue.  The principal replied,  "We aren't sure.  That is why we are very excited to have you here.  Perhaps with your expertise you can help us determine the underlying cause."  I will do my best to understand the root of the issue but I make no promises.  Sorting out a language issue versus a fundamental learning issue may require more than my expertise.