True Jesus Church in Japan
Encyclopedia
The True Jesus Church in Japan was first established in Tokyo
in 1946 by the Japanese Preachers Suda and Murata along with forty-four other Japanese church members who were repatriated from Taiwan to Japan.
in Japan
was established.
It was at this time when Mr. Murata (村田) also became a member of this large denomination and helped pastor the new Japanese converts.
during the Japanese era was once a member of the Japan Holiness Church
. In 1927, he accepted the gospel preached by the True Jesus Church
and became one of its believers after being baptised Not long after receiving the Holy Spirit
, Brother Suda became one of TJC's preachers after the laying on of hands
by Taiwanese preachers.
He began preaching to Japanese residents of Taiwan.
In 1941, a Japanese pastor from the Holy Bible Church flew to Taiwan specifically to study the basic faiths, teachings and doctrines of the True Jesus Church
. Among those who visited were Pastor Murai
(村井) and Mr. Uwai (上井). After accepting the basic beliefs of the church, the two pastors received baptism
and returned to their hometowns in Japan
to spread the gospel there.
The following year (1942), Brother Murai Jun
broke away the True Jesus Church and established his own independent church - the "Spirit of Jesus Church
". Another believer, who was a pastor from the Japanese Assembly of God, Mr. Murata (村田) was baptised in Japan
. Brother Murata subsequently moved to Taiwan
along with his family and evangelised to the Japanese residents.
had ended with Japan's surrender and in 1946, most of the Japanese citizens living in Taiwan were repatriated back to Japan. Among those repatraited were forty Japanese members of the True Jesus Church and, upon returning to various parts of their homeland, they each used their homes to hold church services. Brothers Suda and Murata headed back to Japan and helped establish the Kamitaira, and Nanjō (南條) True Jesus Churches in Tokyo
.
The two Japanese preachers later established Prayer Houses in Sakai, Fukui
, Ueda
, Hainuzuka (羽犬塚).
Brother Igarashi (五十嵐) also returned to Japan in 1946 and used his home to hold church services. By 1951, they established the Tokyo Prayer House of the True Jesus Church and Preacher Murata ordained Igarashi as an Elder.
In 1953, the Tokyo Church was established in Chiyoda
Ward area of Tokyo. During 1956, the Tokyo Church was moved to Elder Igarashi's house in Tokyo's Suginami
Ward and church services were held there for the next thirty-seven years until 1993.
In 1993 saw the fast-paced arrival of True Jesus Church believers from Taiwan
, South-East Asia and China
whom mostly came to the Greater Tokyo Area
to seek employment opportunities and to study. Church attendance at Elder Igarashi's prayer house increased from the original 10~20 believers to around 80~100 believers. Elder Igarashi's house could not accommodate any more than 50 believers during church services, hence in 1994 they purchased a new church building in neighbouring Akitsu (秋津) and the Tokyo Church was moved to the new location.
Not long afterwards, the growing influx of believers led to a prayer house being held in a Deacon Sakiyoshi Kinoshita's (木下先義) restaurant at Omurai (小村井), Sumida ward. Due to the long two-hour commuting distance from Sumida to the main Tokyo church, the believers agreed to purchase a three-story chapel and, in this way, the church in Sumida
Ward was established by 1998.
Soon after, they discovered that there was also a significant number of believers residing in the Yokohama area and, due to the inconvenient two-hour traveling distance to and from the main Tokyo church combined with the busy working hours of the church members meant that church attendance from the Yokohama area was quite few. Hence family services were then held at Brother Liu's restaurant. The believers later purchased a four-storey chapel for 25 million yen to form the Yokohama
prayer house in 2007.
During September 2007, church attendance at Sumida had surpassed one hundred and they realised there was a need for the some church members to hold separate services at a different location. Therefore some believers began holding family services at Brother Sakiyoshi Norimatsu's restaurant in West-Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture
. Likewise, family services are also held in Ōyama
(大山) near Tokyo.
At present, there are already four hundred TJC believers around the Greater Tokyo Area
.
was established and after their third evangelical service in 1957, the Japanese Coordination board was founded in the following year.
The name was changed to "the Japanese General Assembly" in 1970.
Today TJC churches can also be found in Habikino, Osaka
, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka
, Maebashi, Gunma
, and Misaki (御崎).
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...
in 1946 by the Japanese Preachers Suda and Murata along with forty-four other Japanese church members who were repatriated from Taiwan to Japan.
Introduction: The Pentecostal movement in Japan
Not long after the a group of American Christians received the baptism of the Holy Spirit in the United States, the resulting Pentecostal movement quickly spread worldwide and the Assemblies of GodAssemblies of God
The Assemblies of God , officially the World Assemblies of God Fellowship, is a group of over 140 autonomous but loosely-associated national groupings of churches which together form the world's largest Pentecostal denomination...
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...
was established.
It was at this time when Mr. Murata (村田) also became a member of this large denomination and helped pastor the new Japanese converts.
Origins of the True Jesus Church in Japan
Elder Suda Seiki (須田清基長老) was living in Tainan, TaiwanTaiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
during the Japanese era was once a member of the Japan Holiness Church
Japan Holiness Church
The Japan Holiness Church traces its origins to the early evangelistic work of the Oriental Missionary Society, organized by Juji Nakada and by Mr. and Mrs. Charles Cowman in 1901. Nakada had become acquainted with the Cowmans during a period he spent at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago...
. In 1927, he accepted the gospel preached by the True Jesus Church
True Jesus Church
The True Jesus Church is a non-denominational Christian church that originated in Beijing, China, in 1917. The current elected chairman of the TJC International Assembly is Preacher Yong-Ji Lin. Today, there are approximately 2.5 million members in fifty three countries and six continents...
and became one of its believers after being baptised Not long after receiving the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
, Brother Suda became one of TJC's preachers after the laying on of hands
Laying on of hands
The laying on of hands is a religious ritual that accompanies certain religious practices, which are found throughout the world in varying forms....
by Taiwanese preachers.
He began preaching to Japanese residents of Taiwan.
In 1941, a Japanese pastor from the Holy Bible Church flew to Taiwan specifically to study the basic faiths, teachings and doctrines of the True Jesus Church
True Jesus Church
The True Jesus Church is a non-denominational Christian church that originated in Beijing, China, in 1917. The current elected chairman of the TJC International Assembly is Preacher Yong-Ji Lin. Today, there are approximately 2.5 million members in fifty three countries and six continents...
. Among those who visited were Pastor Murai
Murai Jun
Murai Jun was the founder of what is regarded today as the largest indigenous church in Japan - Iesu no Mitama Kyōkai, was born into a Methodist family in Tokyo and later studied theology at Aoyama College. While he was studying there, something troubled him deeply to the point of anticipating...
(村井) and Mr. Uwai (上井). After accepting the basic beliefs of the church, the two pastors received baptism
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
and returned to their hometowns 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...
to spread the gospel there.
The following year (1942), Brother Murai Jun
Murai Jun
Murai Jun was the founder of what is regarded today as the largest indigenous church in Japan - Iesu no Mitama Kyōkai, was born into a Methodist family in Tokyo and later studied theology at Aoyama College. While he was studying there, something troubled him deeply to the point of anticipating...
broke away the True Jesus Church and established his own independent church - the "Spirit of Jesus Church
Spirit of Jesus Church
The Spirit of Jesus Church , is an independent New religious movements which was established in 1941 in Japan by Murai Jun. The church was named in accordance with a heavenly vision he reportedly received in 1941. The core mission of the Spirit of Jesus Church, is defined in the Gospel of Mark...
". Another believer, who was a pastor from the Japanese Assembly of God, Mr. Murata (村田) was baptised 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...
. Brother Murata subsequently moved to Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
along with his family and evangelised to the Japanese residents.
The Tokyo Church
In 1945, the Pacific WarPacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
had ended with Japan's surrender and in 1946, most of the Japanese citizens living in Taiwan were repatriated back to Japan. Among those repatraited were forty Japanese members of the True Jesus Church and, upon returning to various parts of their homeland, they each used their homes to hold church services. Brothers Suda and Murata headed back to Japan and helped establish the Kamitaira, and Nanjō (南條) True Jesus Churches in 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...
.
The two Japanese preachers later established Prayer Houses in Sakai, Fukui
Sakai, Fukui
is a city located in Fukui, Japan. It lies to the north of Fukui City. It was founded on March 20, 2006, by the merger of the towns of Harue, Maruoka, Mikuni, and Sakai of the former Sakai District, which was dissolved in this merger....
, Ueda
Ueda
Ueda may refer to:*Siege of Ueda, in 1600*Ueda Electric Railway Bessho Line-Places:*Ueda, Nagano, a city in Japan*Ueda Castle in Japan*Ueda Domain of Japan*Ueda Glacier in Antarctica...
, Hainuzuka (羽犬塚).
Brother Igarashi (五十嵐) also returned to Japan in 1946 and used his home to hold church services. By 1951, they established the Tokyo Prayer House of the True Jesus Church and Preacher Murata ordained Igarashi as an Elder.
In 1953, the Tokyo Church was established in Chiyoda
Chiyoda, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards in central Tokyo, Japan. In English, it is called Chiyoda ward. As of October 2007, the ward has an estimated population of 45,543 and a population density of 3,912 people per km², making it by far the least populated of the special wards...
Ward area of Tokyo. During 1956, the Tokyo Church was moved to Elder Igarashi's house in Tokyo's Suginami
Suginami, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. In English, it calls itself Suginami City.As of April 1, 2011, the ward has an estimated population of 538,703, with 301,277 households, and a density of 15,834.39 persons per km². The total area is 34.02 km².-Geography:Suginami occupies the...
Ward and church services were held there for the next thirty-seven years until 1993.
In 1993 saw the fast-paced arrival of True Jesus Church believers from Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, South-East Asia and China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
whom mostly came to the Greater Tokyo Area
Greater Tokyo Area
The Greater Tokyo Area is a large metropolitan area in Kantō region, Japan, consisting of most of the prefectures of Chiba, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Tokyo . In Japanese, it is referred to by various terms, including the , , and others....
to seek employment opportunities and to study. Church attendance at Elder Igarashi's prayer house increased from the original 10~20 believers to around 80~100 believers. Elder Igarashi's house could not accommodate any more than 50 believers during church services, hence in 1994 they purchased a new church building in neighbouring Akitsu (秋津) and the Tokyo Church was moved to the new location.
Not long afterwards, the growing influx of believers led to a prayer house being held in a Deacon Sakiyoshi Kinoshita's (木下先義) restaurant at Omurai (小村井), Sumida ward. Due to the long two-hour commuting distance from Sumida to the main Tokyo church, the believers agreed to purchase a three-story chapel and, in this way, the church in Sumida
Sumida, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It calls itself Sumida City in English.As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population of 240,296 and a density of 17,480 persons per km²...
Ward was established by 1998.
Soon after, they discovered that there was also a significant number of believers residing in the Yokohama area and, due to the inconvenient two-hour traveling distance to and from the main Tokyo church combined with the busy working hours of the church members meant that church attendance from the Yokohama area was quite few. Hence family services were then held at Brother Liu's restaurant. The believers later purchased a four-storey chapel for 25 million yen to form the 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...
prayer house in 2007.
During September 2007, church attendance at Sumida had surpassed one hundred and they realised there was a need for the some church members to hold separate services at a different location. Therefore some believers began holding family services at Brother Sakiyoshi Norimatsu's restaurant in West-Funabashi, Chiba Prefecture
Chiba Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region and the Greater Tokyo Area. Its capital is Chiba City.- History :Chiba Prefecture was established on June 15, 1873 with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture...
. Likewise, family services are also held in Ōyama
Oyama
Oyama may refer to:*Oyama, Tochigi, a city in Japan*Ōyama, Ōita, a town in Japan*Oyama, Shizuoka, a town in Japan*Ōyama, Kanagawa, a mountain in Japan*Oyama , a male actor who plays female parts in Kabuki...
(大山) near Tokyo.
At present, there are already four hundred TJC believers around the Greater Tokyo Area
Greater Tokyo Area
The Greater Tokyo Area is a large metropolitan area in Kantō region, Japan, consisting of most of the prefectures of Chiba, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Tokyo . In Japanese, it is referred to by various terms, including the , , and others....
.
The Osaka Church
On 25 September, 1955 the True Jesus Church in OsakaOsaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
was established and after their third evangelical service in 1957, the Japanese Coordination board was founded in the following year.
The name was changed to "the Japanese General Assembly" in 1970.
Today TJC churches can also be found in Habikino, Osaka
Habikino, Osaka
is a city located in eastern Osaka, Japan. It is particularly well-known for its grape production, as well as the many ancient burial mounds that dot its landscape.-Within Japan: Kameyama, Mie Gose, Nara...
, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka
Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka
is one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan. It is located on the southern part of the Uemachi Plateau, in the southern most part of Osaka City, and is separated from Sakai City's Sakai-ku and Kita-ku by the Yamato River...
, Maebashi, Gunma
Maebashi, Gunma
is the capital city of Gunma Prefecture, Japan.The city was founded on April 1, 1892, by the samurai Makuba Kawai.On December 5, 2004 the town of Ōgo, and the villages of Kasukawa and Miyagi, all from Seta District, were merged into Maebashi....
, and Misaki (御崎).
See also
- Christianity in JapanChristianity in JapanChristianity is a minority religion in Japan, with less than one percent claiming Christian belief or affiliation. Nearly all known traditional denominations of Christianity, including Roman Catholicism, Protestantism and Orthodox Christianity are represented in Japan today.The root of the Japanese...
- True Jesus Church in TaiwanTrue Jesus Church in TaiwanThe True Jesus Church is a nontrinitarian Christian denomination began in China, growing out of the Pentecostal movement. Since its foundation it has spread to other countries including Taiwan....
- True Jesus Church in KoreaTrue Jesus Church in KoreaThe True Jesus Church is a nontrinitarian Christian denomination begun in China, growing out of the Pentecostal movement. Since its foundation it has spread to other countries including Korea....
.