Catholics as remnant in Japan: after turbulent past, church still culturally at odds with Japanese

National Catholic Reporter, Sept 30, 1994 by Gary L. Chamberlain

There are also differences, at times significant, between the views of Japanese Catholics and the many foreign priests, brothers and sisters from Western nations who work in Japan. Approximately one-tenth of women religious and fully 900 of the 1,800 priests are foreign. All 16 bishops are Japanese and there is much involvement of laity in the church, but the large numbers of foreign church workers reflect its continuing Western orientation.

This Western influence is evident in church architecture, organization and ritual. On the one hand, there is some blend of Japanese elements in certain rituals, especially surrounding death. But to a large extent, the church has maintained its position as distinct and at times separate from the larger culture. In part that is due to its minority status, history of persecution, even current hostility and small size.

But mainly this retention of Western influences reflects the realities of conversion from Buddhist and Shinto practices.

Becoming Catholic

To become Catholic is literally to separate oneself from important sectors of Japanese society, sometimes including family members. To become a Catholic means to adopt a set of doctrines and practices that shape and influence one's life. Buddhism and Shinto as practiced in Japan make much fewer demands upon the ordinary Japanese. To join a Catholic Christian community is to break some important group bonds. For example, to miss a company event, such as a night out at a baseball game, for a church event invites a conflict with one's expected duties as a worker.

Becoming a Catholic, then, brings with it a whole new set of obligations and beliefs that are not inviting to most Japanese, especially younger people who have taken up Western patterns of consumption and materialism and are quite satisfied with the minimal demands of Buddhism and Shinto. At the same time, this demand that one give up a great deal through conversion ensures that the church continues its Western shape. When asked why the church in Japan does not adopt more rituals from Buddhism or Shinto or incorporate such rituals in its own practices, Japanese Catholics reply that those practices are what they gave up when they converted or that the church then would not be Catholic.

Consequently, the question of inculturation provokes serious and heated debate within the Japanese church.

A recent report notes how difficult it is to accept the Catholic faith today compared with the post-war period. In addition to such factors as materialism, a scientific mentality and competing value systems, the report points to the influence of Japanese culture, history and traditional religions as hostile to Christianity and to the general decline in any religious tradition.

The report also cites separation from family and other Japanese religious and social communities. The importance of caring for one's ancestors at the graves in Buddhist temples and even the fear that in the afterlife one will be at a different place from one's Buddhist ancestors are strong impediments to becoming Christian.