United Church of Christ in Japan - Nihon Kirisuto Kyodan (English)

The largest Protestant United Church in Japan. Its headquarters are located in Nishi-Waseda, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo. In 1941 (Showa 16), during World War II, at the request of the government, which aimed to control religious organizations, it was established with the participation of most of the Protestant denominations at the time, as well as some of the Anglican Church and the Salvation Army. However, following the abolition of the Religious Organizations Act after the Pacific War, some churches of the former denominations left, and it has continued to this day. Since 2010 (Heisei 22), Hideo Ishibashi has been the chairman of the General Assembly. There are 1,724 churches, 182,418 believers, and 2,132 pastors (United Church of Christ in Japan Yearbook, 2012). It has 17 independent parishes across the country, and holds a general assembly every two years with 400 regular members. It established a confession of faith including the Apostles' Creed (1954), and is run by a conference system. "Since the start of missionary work in the early Meiji period, many Christians in our country have long wished to dissolve the various denominations and establish one evangelical church in Japan.... The government's request prompted this..." is a passage from the "Confession of the Responsibility of the United Church of Christ in Japan During World War II" (1967), drafted by then-chairman Suzuki Masahisa (1912-1969). This confession, which calls for awareness of the sins committed in the name of the denomination during the war, was the first of its kind by a religious, ideological, cultural, and educational organization both at home and abroad, and it had a major impact on other organizations. In 1970 (Showa 45), when the denomination was planning to exhibit a Christian pavilion at the Osaka World Expo, some churches left the denomination over their understanding of missionary work, and the denomination was unable to hold a Tokyo Diocese General Assembly for 19 years until 1990 (Heisei 2). However, the denomination has concluded missionary agreements with churches in Korea and Taiwan, and its sense of mission and actions to address various issues (the Emperor system, social ills, discrimination, peace, and responsibility to Asia) beyond the limits of its economic power, organization, and human resources have been highly praised overseas. The denomination differs in character from traditional Japanese religions that preach peace of mind, ancestor worship, and worldly benefits, and does not use mass evangelism, so it does not mobilize its members for elections or other events. It is characterized by many members who are enthusiastic about educational activities. The tradition of abstinence from alcohol and smoking, which has been strongly maintained for a long time, has in recent years tended to be disregarded as rigorism. The church has become a leading Protestant church in Japan, with its publishing department publishing "Hymns 21" in 1997.

[Shiro Kawamata and Makoto Hara]

"Collection of Documents on the History of the United Church of Christ in Japan, Vol. 1-3, edited by Saburo Ouchi, Akio Dohi, and others (1997-1998, United Church of Christ in Japan Publishing Bureau)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

日本最大のプロテスタント合同教会。事務局は東京都新宿区西早稲田(にしわせだ)。1941年（昭和16）、第二次世界大戦中、宗教団体の統制を目ざした政府の要請により、当時のプロテスタントのほとんどの教派および聖公会の一部、救世軍などが参加して成立したが、太平洋戦争後の宗教団体法の廃棄にしたがっていくつかの旧教派の教会が離脱し、今日に至っている。総会議長は2010年（平成22）より石橋秀雄(いしばしひでお)。教会数1724、信徒数18万2418名、牧師数2132名（『日本基督教団年鑑』2012）。全国に独立性をもつ17の教区を置き、2年に一度の総会を400名の正議員で開催する。使徒信条を含む信仰告白を制定し（1954）、会議制によって運営される。「明治初年の宣教開始以来、わが国のキリスト者の多くは、かねがね諸教派を解消して日本における一つの福音(ふくいん)的教会を樹立したく願ってはおりました……政府の要請を契機に……」とは「第二次大戦下における日本基督教団の責任についての告白」のなかの文章（1967）で、起草者は当時の議長鈴木正久（1912―1969）である。戦時下に教団の名において犯した罪の自覚を促すこの告白は、国内外における宗教、思想、文化、教育にかかわる団体として最初のものであり、他の団体に大きな影響を与えた。1970年（昭和45）の大阪万国博覧会にキリスト教館を出展することに関して、教団内に宣教理解をめぐって離脱する教会が出たり、1990年（平成2）まで19年間東京教区総会が開けないなどの状況が続いたが、韓国や台湾の教会などと宣教協約を結ぶなど、さまざまな課題（天皇制、社会悪、差別、平和、アジアへの責任）に対して、経済力と組織と人材の限度を超えて対応する使命感と実践は、海外で高く評価されている。安心立命と祖先崇拝と現世利益(りやく)を説く日本の伝統的宗教とは性格を異にし、また大衆伝道という方法を採用しないため、選挙などに関して信徒を動員するようなことはない。教育事業に熱心な信徒が多いのが特徴である。従来から強く保持されてきた禁酒・禁煙の伝統は、近年、リゴリズム（厳格主義）として軽視される傾向がある。1997年に出版局が『讃美歌21』を出版するなど、日本のプロテスタント・キリスト教会の指導的教会となっている。

［川又志朗・原　誠］

『大内三郎・土肥昭夫ほか編著『日本基督教団史資料集1～3巻』（1997～1998・日本基督教団出版局）』

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