Background
Kanzō Uchimura was born on 26 March 1861 in Tokyo. He was a son of a samurai of the domain of Takasaki in present-day Gumma Prefecture.
内村鑑三
Kanzō Uchimura was born on 26 March 1861 in Tokyo. He was a son of a samurai of the domain of Takasaki in present-day Gumma Prefecture.
In 1874 he entered Tokyo Foreign Language School and studied English. In 1878 he entered Sapporo Agricultural College in Hokkaido and became a Christian convert. After graduating from college, he worked for a time in the Fisheries Section of the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce, but in 1884 went to America and entered Amherst College. After graduating from Amherst, he entered Hartford Theological Seminary, but withdrew shortly afterward and returned to Japan in 1888.
In 1890 he became an instructor in the First Higher Middle School. The following year, however, he caused an uproar by refusing to pay reverence to the recently issued Imperial Rescript on Education. He was severely criticized, and resigned from his position. The incident aroused widespread opposition to Christianity on the grounds that it was incompatible with the Japanese theory of the state.
After retiring from teaching, Uchimura moved about to Osaka, Kumamoto, Kyoto, Nagoya, and other cities, devoting his time to the writing of various religious works such as Kirisutokyo shinto no nagusame, Kyuanroku, and Hozv I Became a Christian. In 1897 he joined the staff of a newspaper called Torozu Choho and, with Kotoku Shiisui and other socialists, was active in opposing the growing sentiment in favor of a war with Russia. His opinions, however, clashed with those of the head of the newspaper, and he resigned. In 1900 he founded a magazine called Seisho no Kenkyu (Bible Study), which he continued to publish throughout his life.
In his late years, he became convinced that the Second Coming of Christ was at hand and worked avidly to spread his beliefs. His thought was characterized by his advocacy of mukyokai (the nonchurch movement), which emphasized the prime importance of the Bible and paid little attention to church ceremonies or institutions. As he frequently declared, his aim was to serve the “two J’s,” Japan and Jesus. He is also noteworthy for his rejection of all guidance and financial assistance offered by foreign Christian missions.