Japan As a Country of Crypto-Christianity
Japan Has Been Christian-like
Many people think that Japan is not a Christian country. Certainly it is not Christian ostensibly. Japan is generally thought to be a country of Shintoism or Buddhism. However, Japan is in fact a country of crypto-Christianity, in which I mean that many people do not realize; however, it has ever had a strong Christian stream in history and culture since ancient times.
After Japan’s national isolation era during 1639–1854, many Westerners came to Japan, when they were surprised to see that there were many Japanese people having Christian-like virtues in spite that Japan was not a Christian country. Edward S. Morse (1838–1925), an American zoologist, wrote so after he visited Japan. So was Francisco Xavier, the first Catholic missionary to Japan who came in 1549. He was surprised to see many Japanese people having Christian-like virtues. He wrote a letter to the Vatican that perhaps Christianity was already preached in Japan.
Christianity was in fact taught in Japan in ancient times. The first Christians to Japan were the Hata tribe, who came to Japan in the 2nd -3rd centuries AD. According to the Japanese old records, Shinsen Shoji Roku (written in 815 AD) and Nihon Shoki (720 AD), King Koman came firstly to Japan as the advance person…
