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Nippon Sei Ko Kai ~The Anglican Church of Japan

6 October 2023

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Nippon Sei Ko Kai ~The Anglican Church of Japan  

日本聖公会

In the 16th century Spanish and Portuguese Roman Catholic missionaries brought Christianity to Japan but at the start of the 17th century contact with the rest of the world was severely restricted. Japan’s isolation came to an end in 1863 after Commodore Matthew Perry of the United States Navy blockaded Tokyo harbour and modern Japan was born. A remnant of the 16th century church had survived for almost 250 years.

On the list of Rectors of Framlingham above the book stall, is Edward Bickersteth 1st C of E Bishop of Japan in what became the Diocese of South Tokyo. Bishop Bickersteth was the second Anglican bishop in Japan as an American Episcopalian bishop, Bishop Williams, was already in post.

Edward Bickersteth was a founding father of the Delhi Brotherhood with whom St Michael’s continues to have links. He returned to England in poor health to become Rector of Framlingham & Saxtead in October 1884 and promptly set about repairing St Michael’s church which was in a bad state of repair. The following year, being in much better health, he was ordained Bishop of Japan by the then Archbishop of Canterbury and sailed for Tokyo. 

In 1887 the Nippon Sei Ko Kai, the Holy Catholic Church of Japan, was formed at a Synod chaired by Bishop Bickersteth and presided over by Bishop Williams. About 1% of Japanese are Christian of whom around 30,000 are Anglicans. Although numerically very small the NSKK has a number of prestigious secondary schools and a university. It boxes well above its weight!

At the time of the 1998 Lambeth Conference the then Bishop of Okinawa Bishop David Tani celebrated Holy Communion at St Michael’s using a eucharist prayer from the Japanese Book of Common Prayer. Those present may remember Bishop David also baptised an Australian baby visiting local grandparents.

Members of the congregation who remember Helen Pitcher may not know that her father was a priest in Japan before World War II, a country that she loved as a little girl. As Chairman of the Diocesan World Mission Group, Geraldine & I were invited to the head office of the NSKK when we were in Japan. On entering the building we saw photographs of the Bishops of Japan and Bishop Bickersteth was the second in line.

Peter Smith October 2023