Kagawa Toyohiko (1888–1960) and the Japanese Christian Impact on American Society

Abstract

This chapter examines transnational-based Christian social activism by focusing on the Friends of Jesus movement (Iesu no Tomo Kai), a movement founded by Kagawa Toyohiko (1888–1960). Kagawa was an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church, but he was disillusioned with the established churches and their individualistic interpretation of the faith. In 1921, Kagawa launched the Friends of Jesus movement, modeled after the third order of the Franciscans and whose mission was to live fully in the “world” and work for the transformation of society. This chapter first looks at Kagawa’s time in America between 1914 and 1941 before turning to his critics. It then considers the challenges faced by Kagawa in rehabilitating his public image in the United States after World War II and situates Kagawa within a global Christianity in which the trajectory of Japanese Christianity was not limited to or dictated by a missionary agenda. It shows that Japanese Christians have taken the initiative and played a significant role in shaping their own lives and the societies in which they live.