Japan, the Ideal Mission Field

Japan, the Ideal Mission Field. BY ELDER ALMA 0. TAYLOR, LATE PRESIDENT OF THE MISSION. Japan is the paradise of the Orient. Nature has clothed her landscape in a beauty that fascinates, and gives to her life a mystery that attracts. Health is abundant. Liberty is untrammeled. Respect and courtesy are charmingly exhibited in every circle of society. Japan was my "home, sweet home" for eight and a half years. Her people were my companions and friends for the same length . of time. I learned to eat with chopsticks, to sit with legs folded upon the floor, to enjoy and understand conversations carried on around the little charcoal brasiers (hearthstones of Japanese homes). I have come to appreciate, to a degree, the distinctive art and music of Japan. And, at last, I am absolutely convinced that the people are worthy of the time spent, money used, and labor performed by the Latter-day Saints among them. Indeed, they are worthy of more noble and more patient efforts than we have made. My own eight and a half years mission in Japan was none too long for me, and I hope not too long for the Japanese. There is a fascination in missionary work among a pagan people that is not known by missionaries in Christian lands. The Japan mission gives the opportunity to appreciate the work of St, SISTER KUMA NABESHIMA.

780 IMPROVEMENT ERA. Paul among the ancient pagans, and to taste with him the joy and satisfaction that come with the conversion of souls from the altars of idolatry. There is an opportunity in that mission for the development of a greater individual faith, and a broader religious conception than in other fields, because of the fact that arguments and reasons for our claims must come largely from ourselves, and not be borrowed from others. For example: an elder addressing a pagan audience cannot declare with effect or convincing power that Jesus is the Christ because the Bible or some modern prophet says so. He has to show that Jesus is the Christ by sound reasoning, based upon the. exercise of his own intelligence and the inspiration of heaven direct to him. Or, in other words, the successful elder stands upon his own faith in the doctrines he declares, and cannot establish the truth of any proposition simply by appealing to the words of John, Peter or Paul. He succeeds best by earnestly and prayerfully seeking the evidences which God has amply provided in his own creations and dealings, and by using these evidences under the direction of the Holy Spirit. I remember being asked to address an audience in Salt Lake City, before I went to Japan, on the subject "Why I am a Latterday Saint. " After stating that my birth and bringing up in the Church were the first and foundation reasons for my being a Latter-day Saint, I proceeded to quote scripture to show that "Mormonism" was true. I am not ashamed of that speech, but I often smile when I think of the effect, or rather the lack of effect, such a speech would have on an audience in Japan, where we have to give a reason for our faith independent of the Bible and the scriptures. Is it not true that men who use the scriptures only, as authority for everything they believe, manifest a decided lack of independent thinking; become, as it were, dependent upon MR. HIROHARU IKUTA. Critic of the Japanese translation of the Book of Mormon.

JAPAN, THE IDEAL MISSION FIELD. 781 KATSUZO NASA. A Young Convert. others, having little or no original, self-discovered reasons or foundations for their belief? Not that I think man can improve upon the testimony of scripture, but I enquire as to what some men would stand on if the holy scriptures and oracles were all taken away? In Japan the elders have to preach God and Jesus Christ, not in the name of Paul, John, Peter, Nephi, Samuel, Joseph Smith, or any other prophet, but in their own names and through the testimony f their own works. The elders need, then, to understand God and the Only Begotten Son and their works, by themselves and for themselves, and to have their faith based, not upon the words of the prophets alone, but, as far as possible, upon the foundations upon which the prophets themselves stood. I believe the Japan mission is more like St. Paul's, (leaving out his persecutions) than any other mission. The prayers of the good Saints throughout the world, offered in behalf of the Japan mission, have not been in vain. The elders have felt the support of these prayers and hope the Saints will not cease to pray for their brothers and sisters in those islands, for they need heavenly blessCS ings now and in the future, just as they have ^fe. ■ needed and received their, in the past. The ^^^J^^^ work in Japan has been, is, and, I firmly be- & hiy lieve, will be fruitful. Some have supposed that the vineyard was barren and the soil unfit for the gospel vine. But such doubters are too impatient, and altogether mistaken. The elders have not labored in vain. Their achievements are as great as the achievements made by any elders in any mission in the same number of years. Comparisons are odious and figures misleading. The point to bear in mind is that Japan was an uncleared, unplowed, almost pristine, pagan field when the pioneer missionaries arrived. The marvel is', not that a nation was not born in a day, but that in eight years a Takeshiro Sakuraba. Teacher in a Tokyo High School.

782 IMPROVEMENT ERA. terribly weak force of missionaries laid in Japan the foundation of a beautiful branch of the kingdom of God. It requires much besides good intentions and earnestness to preach the gospel. The teacher should know his students and adapt his methods to them. It requires time and patience for the missionaries to understand the Japanese character and mould their methods accordingly. It requires time and determination to get ability sufficient to clearly A few of our Japanese brothers and sisters residing at Tokyo. Back row, extreme right: Sister Nami Hakii, first female convert in Japan. express Christian principles' in a pagan tongue. It requires time and patience to translate scripture into Oriental hieroglyphics. It requires time and sacrifice to gain a correct knowledge of far eastern customs and adapt ourselves to them sufficiently to assure the Orientals that our motives are good and our hearts sincere. It takes time for the pagan mind to grasp and the pagan heart to feel the plan of salvation through Christ, I repeat, therefore, that the marvel is, not that the Japanese nation was not born into the fold of Christ in a day, but that in a little over eight years enough distinctive literature j)f the Church and tracts'are trans-

JAPAN, THE IDEAL MISSION FIELD. 788 lated to enable the missionaries to work aggressively, and that there is a good, faithful colony of thirty-seven Latter-day Saints who are willing to suffer and make sacrifice for the truth, and who endure and obey as all true Saints do— this is the marvel. And in this marvelous achievement the power and blessing and support of heaven have been so clearly manifested that it is almost an insult to our Father to think, let alone say, that the missionaries in Japan are accomplishing nothing. The Saints in Japan not only love each other, but they are interested in the welfare of their brothers and sisters all over the world. They inquire about them, they rejoice with them and mourn with them. They are in every way worthy of our reciprocal love and esteem and prayers. The Holy Spirit is working in the Japan mission. Signs follow the believers there as elsewhere. The Saints are enjoying the blessings of the gospel. Testimony meetings are favored with the presence and demonstrations of the Comforter. Peace and happiness fill the heart of every sincere member. All this indicates that the blood of Israel is there. The Lord acknowledges our Japanese brothers and sisters as his children. There was a time, some years ago, when it seemed that our converts were not firm. We have had to excommunicate five. This was discouraging, but an experience and lesson we needed badly. 1 don't think the Lord will impose upon all who were dropped out of the Church a heavy penalty. Because we didn't know how to teach the Japanese, and we didn't understand the language well enough to teach. The result was, some were admitted into the Church without having a proper understanding of the step they were taking, and a realization of the sacredness and weight of the covenants made. Having no foundation, they fell. However, as our experience increased and our ability to explain the gospel in Japanese grew, we were able, by patient, careful teaching, to make the gospel clear and beautiful to the investigators, so that they felt it and understood it before entering the Church. Such converts are true, and stand today upon a firm base. So what we need and must always have in Japan is men with a knowledge of Japanese character, familiarity with their customs,

784 IMPROVEMENT ERA. experience, ability in the Japanese language, and true sympathy for the people. To qualify in these attainments and perform a good, well-rounded, profitable mission, the missionaries must be in the field a long time, and constantly enjoy the companionship of the Holy Spirit. Five, six, seven or eight years, perhaps, sounds long and cruel to some people, but I do not believe that any strong, broad, loyal Latter-day Saint, who knows and keeps the first two greatest commandments, would allow years or sacrifice Left, standing: Elders John W. Stoker, Leroy Chadwick. Sitting: Aritatsu Kawanaka, first convert in Hokkaido, Japan, Elder Justus B. Seeley. The little girl is Kawanaka's daughter. to be a consideration in answering a call of God to Japan. To my mind, the opportunity for and need of a long service is a distinct blessing afforded by the Japan mission. And a long service in Japan is entirely worth while, because of the superior experience and strength every earnest worker obtains, and the intense joy he or she feels when witnessing the wonderful influence of the gospel on the minds, hearts and lives of a pagan nation.

JAPAN, THE IDEAL MISSION FIELD. 785 Before concluding, just a word or two about the Japanese language, which, it seems, Americans generally imagine, is one of the hardest, if not the hardest language in the world. After all, I have concluded that Japanese is not essentially or theoretically difficult. I believe there is no more simple or natural language. Surely there is none that has fewer iron-clad rules. And I have often thought that we Westerners make the language difficult ourselves by trying to find in it rules that don't exist. If we were to start out bv simply memorizing every word, phrase and clause as we hear and read them, without searching for rules, we would, no doubt, find our sorrows diminished. The quantity of the language, however, is a severe test to memory. It is a long language — I sometimes say "limitless." It certainly requires a larger vocabulary than English. But indeed it has been a delightful study to me, and the characters, what few I know, are joy itself. No one need be frightened of the Japanese language. Things Requisite. Have a tear for the wretched — a smile for the glad; For the worthy, applause — an excuse for the bad; Some help for the needy — seme pity for those Who stray from the path where true happiness flows. Have a laugh for the child in play at thy feet; Have respect for the aged; and pleasantly greet The stranger that seeketh for shelter from thee, Have a covering to spare, if he naked should be. Have a hope in thy sorrow — a calm in thy joy; Have a work that is worthy thy life to employ; And, oh! above all things on this side the sod, Have peace with thy conscience and peace with thy God. — Selected.