Guide to the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Commission on Ecumenical Mission and Relations Secretaries' Files: Japan Mission

Descriptive Summary

Title

United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Commission on Ecumenical Mission and Relations Secretaries' Files: Japan Mission

Inclusive Dates

1879-1972

Bulk Dates

1911-1969

Call Number

RG 93

Creator(s)

United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Commission on Ecumenical Mission and Relations

Quantity

18.00 cubic feet

Language

Materials primarily in English with some material in Japanese

Restrictions on Access

Open for research. Medical, educational, and psychological records of living people are closed.

Repository

Presbyterian Historical Society, 425 Lombard Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147-1516 USA

Biographical Note / Administrative History

Administrative History

The Board of Foreign Missions (PCUSA) began plans for work in Japan shortly after the conclusion of a Japanese-American treaty in 1854. In 1855, the Board instructed the Reverend D.B. McCartee of the China mission to travel to Japan and ascertain where it would be practical to open a station. His repeated efforts to secure passage from Shanghai were a failure. Three years later, the Board appointed Dr. James C. Hepburn and his wife Clara as the first Presbyterian missionaries to Japan. They arrived in Yokohama in October of 1859.

Early mission endeavors in Japan were beset by considerable difficulties. The missionaries were regarded with suspicion and dislike; their motives were misunderstood and their purpose misrepresented. Conversions were especially difficult, given the overwhelmingly Buddhist population, and social ostracism and persecution awaited those who became Christians. This xenophobia subsided after 1896, and by the beginning of the twentieth century its force had been spent.

Despite the hostility experienced by the missionaries throughout the closing decades of the 19th century, expansion of mission activities did continue, albeit at a slow pace. In 1869, Tokyo station was opened, followed by Osaka in 1877. Work in Kanazawa, the largest city on the west coast and a stronghold of conservative Buddhism, was established in 1879. Although a church had been established in Hiroshima in 1883, the station was not formally constituted until 1887. Hokkaido station was established the same year. In 1890, Kyoto was occupied, followed by Yamaguchi (which merged in 1935 with Hiroshima into the Sanyo station), Otaru in 1894, Matsuyama and Asanigawa in 1900 and Nokkeushi in 1914. Fukui was constituted in 1891 but closed by the Board in 1923. In 1907, work commenced at Port Arthur and continued until 1923. Following the reunion of the Presbyterian and Cumberland Presbyterian Churches in 1907, the work at Osaka, Wakayama, Yamada and Tsu was transferred to the Board of Foreign Missions.

The mission's work in Japan was primarily educational and evangelistic. Because of the extensive Japanese system of hospitals and primary schools, no effort was made by the Board to compete. The lack of adequate secondary and higher education facilities for girls and young women resulted in the establishment of several Christian institutions, including Joshi Gakuin (1873), Wilmina Jo Gakuin (1907) and the Woman's Christian College (1918). In addition, the mission conducted ten kindergartens, a boys' middle school and college (Meiji Gakuin), and an Oral School for the Deaf. The mission also cooperated in the operation of two theological seminaries.

The beginnings of an indigenous national church in Japan date from 1872, when the first local church was organized in Yokohama. In 1877, representatives of the PCUSA, the Reformed Church in America and the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland established the United Church of Christ in Japan and were later joined by the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. and the Reformed Church in the United States.

Collection Overview

Record Group 93 documents the educational and evangelistic work of the PCUSA and UPCUSA in Japan from 1879-1972. The bulk of this collection dates from 1911 through the late 1960s. Included are annual personal, institutional and station reports which reflect the activities of the mission and the personnel associated with it. Missionary, institutional, and executive correspondence files dominate the collection.

The reaction of the mission personnel to the Japanese government's foreign and domestic policies of the 1930s and early 1940s is documented extensively. Correspondence generated shortly before and after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor is particularly rich in its assessment of Japanese-American relations. Also reflected is the Presbyterian Church's role in aiding the post-war reconstruction efforts in Japan.

Included within the subseries "Missionary Correspondence" are materials generated by individuals other than missionaries, although the bulk of this correspondence is to/from mission personnel.

Although most of this collection is in English, some Japanese language items can be found scattered throughout the collection.

Organization and Arrangement

Series I: Minutes, 1911-1955 [Box 1]

Series II: Reports, 1911-1972 [Boxes 1-3]
Subseries 1: Station/Field/Institutional Reports 1911-1972
Subseries 2: Personal Reports, 1911-1970
Subseries 3: Statistical Reports, 1911-1934

Series III: Correspondence, 1879-1971 [Boxes 3-11]
Subseries 1: Board Letters, 1911-1952
Subseries 2: Executive Correspondence, 1926-1970
Subseries 3: Institutional Correspondence, 1948-1971
Subseries 4: Missionary Correspondence, 1879-1965
Subseries 5: Calendared Correspondence, 1912-1925

Series IV: Interboard Committee for Christian Work in Japan, 1950-1970 [Boxes 12-13]

Series V: Miscellany, 1886-1972 [Boxes 14-18]

Alternative Formats

Parts of RG 93 also available on microfilm (see Collection Inventory):

MF/POS./1056/r.1-2; Box 18, Folders 1-7

MF/POS./1056/r.3-5; Box 11, Folders 1-16

MF/POS./1195/r.1-2; Box 3, Folders 1-8

MF/POS./1195/r.2-4; Series III, Subseries 1

MF/POS./1534; Box 1, Folders 2-4

MF/POS./1535/r.1-22.; Series III, Subseries 4

Related Material

Administrative Information

Processing Information

Collection processed and preliminary inventory prepared: 1978
Jane Ramsay

Collection reprocessed and finding aid prepared: 1984
Frederick J. Heuser, Jr., Archivist

Catalog Headings

The following headings have been used to index the description of this collection in the society’s electronic catalog.

Corporate Subject

Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Japan Mission.

United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Japan Mission.

Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Missions Japan Educational work.

Topical Subject

Missions Japan Interdenominational cooperation.

Missionaries Japan.

Geographic Subject

Japan Politics and government 1912-1945.

Japan Foreign relations United States 1912-1945.

Japan Church history.

Genre-form

Minutes. aat

Financial records. aat

Corporate Added Name

Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Board of Foreign Missions.

Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Japan Mission.

United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Japan Mission.

Nihon Kirisuto Kyodan.

Interboard Committee for Christian Work in Japan.

Collection Inventory

Box	Folder	Description	Alternative Formats

1	1	Finding Aid to Record Group 93

		SERIES I: MINUTES, 1911-1955

1	2-4	Mission minutes, 1911-55	Microfilm: MFPOS 1534

		SERIES II: REPORTS, 1911-1972

		Subseries 1: Station/Field/Institutional Reports, 1911-1972

1	5-18	1911-72

		Subseries 2: Personal Reports, 1911-1970

2	1-25	1911-70

		Subseries 3: Statistical Reports, 1911-1934

3	1-8	1911-34	Microfilm: MFPOS 1195 r.1-2

		SERIES III: CORRESPONDENCE, 1879-1971

		Subseries 1: Board Letters, 1911-1952

3	9-16	1911-36	Microfilm: MFPOS 1195 r.2-4

4	1-3	1937-52

		Subseries 2: Executive Correspondence, 1926-1970

4	4-21	1927-52

5	1-10	1953-70

		Subseries 3: Institutional Correspondence, 1948-1971

5	11-19	1948-54

6	1-18	1954-71

		Subseries 4: Missionary Correspondence, 1879-1965

7	1	1879; 1901-1902; 1919-1925	Microfilm: MFPOS1535 r.1
7	2	Jan. 1926-June 1926
7	3	July 1926-Dec. 1926

7	4	Jan. 1927-June 1927	Microfilm: MFPOS 1535 r.2
7	5	July 1927-Dec. 1927
7	6	Jan. 1928-June 1928

7	7	July 1928-Dec. 1928	Microfilm: MFPOS 1535 r.3
7	8	Jan. 1929-June 1929
7	9	July 1929-Dec. 1929
7	10	Jan. 1930-June 1930

7	11	July 1930-Dec. 1930	Microfilm: MFPOS 1535 r.4
7	12	Jan. 1931-April 1931
7	13	May 1931-Sept. 1931

7	14	Oct. 1931-Dec. 1931	Microfilm: MFPOS 1535 r.5
7	15	Jan. 1932-June 1932
7	16	July 1932-Dec. 1932

8	1	Jan. 1933-April 1933	Microfilm: MFPOS 1535 r.6
8	2	May 1933-Dec. 1933

8	3	Jan. 1934-May 1934	Microfilm: MFPOS 1535 r.7
8	4	June 1934-Dec. 1934

8	5	Jan. 1935-June 1935	Microfilm: MFPOS 1535 r.8
8	6	July 1935-Dec. 1935
8	7	Jan. 1936-April 1936

8	8	May 1936-Dec. 1936	Microfilm: MFPOS 1535 r.9
8	9	Jan. 1937-June 1937
8	10	July 1937-Dec. 1937

8	11	1938-1939	Microfilm: MFPOS 1535 r.10
8	12	1940

8	13	Jan. 1941-April 1941	Microfilm: MFPOS 1535 r.11
8	14	May 1941-August 1941

9	1	Sept. 1941-Dec. 1941

9	2	Jan. 1942-June 1942	Microfilm: MFPOS 1535 r.12
9	3	July 1942-Dec. 1942
9	4	1945

9	5	1946	Microfilm: MFPOS 1535 r.13
9	6	1947
9	7	1948

9	8	1949	Microfilm: MFPOS 1535 r.14
9	9	1950
9	10	Jan. 1951-June 1951

9	11	July 1951-Dec. 1951	Microfilm: MFPOS 1535 r.15
9	12	Jan. 1952-April 1952
9	13	May 1952-Aug. 1952

9	14	Sept. 1952-Dec. 1952	Microfilm: MFPOS 1535 r.16
9	15	Jan. 1953-June 1953
9	16	July 1953-Dec. 1953
9	17	Jan. 1954-April 1954


10	1	May 1954-Aug. 1954	Microfilm: MFPOS 1535 r.17
10	2	Sept. 1954-Dec. 1954

10	3	Jan. 1955-June 1955	Microfilm: MFPOS 1535 r.18
10	4	July 1955-Dec. 1955

10	5	1956	Microfilm: MFPOS 1535 r.19
10	6	1957
10	7	1958-1959

10	8	1960	Microfilm: MFPOS 1535 r.20
10	9	Jan. 1961-June 1961
10	10	July 1961-1962

10	11	Jan. 1963-May 1963	Microfilm: MFPOS 1535 r.21
10	12	June 1963-Dec. 1963
10	13	1964

10	14	Jan. 1965-June 1965	Microfilm: MFPOS 1535 r.22
10	15	July 1965-Dec. 1965

		Subseries 5: Calendared Correspondence, 1912-1925

11	1-16	1912-25	Microfilm: MFPOS 1056 r.3-5

		SERIES IV: INTERBOARD COMMITTEE FOR CHRISTIAN WORK IN JAPAN, 1950-1970

12	1-14	1950-62

13	1-7	1963-70

		SERIES V: MISCELLANY, 1886-1972

14	1	American School in Japan, 1912-40
14	2	Atlantic City Conference, 1941
14	3-4	Audio-Visual, 1949-69
14	5	Bible Teachers' Training School, 1914-23
14	6-10	Budget, 1949-68
14	11	Cables, 1929-64
14	12	China Medical Missionary Association, 1920-21
14	13	Christian Education in Japan, 1932-35
14	14	Christian University, 1910-46
14	15	Church and Mission Relations in Japan, 1915-41
14	16	Church of Christ in Japan, 1886
14	17	Clippings, 1941
14	18	Conference on Religion, 1912
14	19	Consulate General of Japan, 1911-23
14	20-21	Council of Cooperation, 1950-70

15	1	Council of Presbyterian/Reformed Missions in Japan, 1914-20
15	2-3	Earthquake, Japanese, 1923-27
15	4	Education in Japan, n.d.
15	5-7	Estimates, 1938-40
15	8	Famine in Japan, 1914
15	9	Fellowship of Christian Missionaries in Japan, 1911-37
15	10	Fukui Station, 1923-28
15	11-15	General correspondence, 1926-72
15	16	Goto, Baron Shimpei, 1919
15	17	Haworth, B.C., 1912-19
15	18	Hibiki, General/Sekiya T., 1913-14, 1918
15	19	Hokusei Gakuin--Photographs, 1965
15	20	Japan Christian University, 1910-46, 1957
15	21-23	Japan International Christian University Foundation, 1945-68
15	24	Japan-Korean Deputation Reports, 1947-48

16	1	Japan Planning Conference, 1944
16	2	Japan Press, 1950-54
16	3	Japanese Embassy, 1912-26
16	4	Japanese Evangelism, 1962-66
16	5	Joshi Gakuin - Constitution, 1892
16	6	Kobe College, 1921-24
16	7-12	Meiji Gakuin, 1893-47
16	13	Milliken, Elizabeth, 1904
16	14	Miscellaneous items, 1893-1904?
16	15	Miscellaneous pamphlets/articles, 1927-50
16	16	Miscellaneous post-war planning items, 1943
16	17	Monk, Alice M., 1923
16	18-22	National Christian Council, 1952-71
16	23-24	Non-missionaries, correspondence, 1926-41

17	1-7	Property, 1940-71
17	8	Protestant Church Commission for Wartime Japanese Service, 1941-42
17	9	Sturges Seminary, 1919-47
17	10	Southern Presbyterian Board, 1903-07
17	11	Statistics, 1966-69
17	12	Tagawa, D., 1913-19
17	13-19	Thurber, L.N., East Asia Office, 1965-68
17	20	Tokyo School for Foreign Children, 1914-15
17	21-27	United Church of Christ in Japan/Japan Churches, 1948-70
17	28	Watanabe, Chief Justice, 1912-13

18	1-7	Woman's Christian College, 1914-47	Microfilm: MFPOS 1056 r.1-2
18	8	Work with Japanese-Americans, 1943
18	9	International Christian University, 1950-68
18	10	International Christian University, 1947-68
18	11	Interboard Committee for Christian Work in Japan, 1947-62
18	12	Historical Japan, 1901-62
18	13	Biography and history, 1921-57
18	14	Joshi Gakuin, 1886-1957
18	15	Yearbooks of Council of Missions (Presbyterian and Reformed), 1912-13
18	15	Minutes of Japan Continuation Committee, 1915
18	16	Maps and historical material, 1910-64
18	17	Rules and regulations, 1911-62

Print

You are here

Guide to the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. Commission on Ecumenical Mission and Relations Secretaries' Files: Japan Mission

Creator(s)