Abstract
IntroductionOften when we travel abroad we become aware of how much of our views of others are shaped by our imagination and perception. The same can be said about our assumption of Japanese social and cultural life if we have never had any personal contact with this group of people. Drawing from our exposure to popular culture and media, we are likely to imagine that they frequently eat sushi, enjoy watching anime, and reading manga. While a small number of people might have this life style, it is not the normative way of life for most Japanese.Indeed, misconceptions of different cultures is also prevalent in the world of church music. When visiting local churches in Japan, overseas visitors have an unspoken expectation that they will sing the hymn Here, O Lord, your servants gather since they consider it one of the most well-known Japanese hymns. Yet, many Japanese Christians, including myself, have rarely heard and sung that particular hymn in our worship services and almost no Japanese hymnals include it. Others perceive that Japanese hymns sound like Sakura (the folk song about cherry blossom) or are rendered in the tradition of Gagaku (Japanese traditional court music), accompanied by traditional instruments such as the Koto or Shamisen. Truly, this perceived traditional Japanese soundscape is far removed from our worship experience as Japanese Christians.In light of the difference between perception and reality, I hope to shed light on our congregational heartsongs so that readers can appreciate the uniqueness of Japanese hymnody as the embodiment of twenty-first century Japanese Christianity. This essay will examine the history of Christianity in Japan and how our hymnody has developed.History of Christianity in JapanIt is common Japanese knowledge that St. Francis Xavier, a Portuguese Roman Catholic priest from the Society of Jesus, first introduced Christianity to Japan in 1549. He and his party arrived at Kagoshima Prefecture, located on the southwest part of the southern island Kyushu. Upon landing, he began his missionary endeavors by seeking to meet some powerful feudal lords (Daimyo) to get permission to teach Christianity in their lands. Some Daimyo and political leaders welcomed him and assisted his Christian work because of their interest in conducting international trade with Portugal. Following the arrival of St. Xavier, the Society of Jesus continued sending other Catholic missionaries to Japan. Through their efforts, several powerful feudal lords were baptized as well as more than five hundred members of their communities.However, these missionary activities gave rise to complicated issues. During the administration of Hideyoshi Toyotomi (1536-1598), several conflicts between Christians and Buddhists occurred. Several thousands of miles away, the power struggle between Spain and Portugal for the right to conduct missionary activities and colonize lands had spilled over to Asia. Earlier, the Treaty of Tor desilla (1494) divided newly discovered lands outside Europe into two spheres of influence for trade, proselytization, and colonization. Sadly, Japan became a battleground in the power struggle between the two European Catholic countries. Further complications arose when other European countries not bound by the treaty also sought to trade with Japan. The Dutch and the English came in the early seventeenth century. To strengthen their trading opportunities, the European Protestant countries attempted to undermine the Catholic work in Japan.Inevitably, Christianity was suppressed under Hideyoshi. In 1597, he ordered twenty-six Christians to be executed by crucifixion. This was the first public persecution of Christians. After the death of Hideyoshi, the Tokugawa Shogunate decided to ban Christianity in 1612. Beginning in this period, many Christians were executed or forced to commit suicide. Despite the severe persecution of Christianity, some believers continued to worship God secretly in private home gatherings. …