Handbook of Christianity in Japan. Edited by Mark R. Mullins. Leiden: Brill, 2003. (Handbook of Oriental Studies. Sec. 5 Japan, 10.) Pp. x, 423. 99 € / $124.
Christianity in Japan has had more influence than its numbers would indicate. This Handbook of Christianity in Japan goes a long way toward explaining that phenomenon. The editor, Mark R. Mullins, is a professor of religion in the Faculty of Comparative Culture, Sophia University, Tokyo, Japan. He and the other seventeen contributors to the volume have all published works or completed dissertations previously in the area of Japanese Christianity. Divided into three sections, the first traces the history of Christianity in Japan; the second discusses the influence of Christianity in Japanese society and culture; the final section provides important information on archives and resources in Japan for the study of Christianity.
Besides surveying the history from the first Roman Catholics in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries to the advent of all other Christian groups, the first section includes chapters on imperialism and nationalism related to Japanese Christianity, as well as theology in Japan and the history of Bible translations. Christian encounters with Buddhism and Shinto open the second section, followed by Japan's new religions as they relate to Christianity. Its influence on literature, education for women, social welfare, and politics fleshes out Christianity's social and cultural influence. Essays include notes and a bibliography, allowing the reader to pursue each topic in more depth.
This handbook's value lies in its sweeping nature with up-to-date sources for a number of areas related to Christianity in Japan. After reading the work, one comes away with a respect for the variety and the deep roots of Japan's Christianity. The reader also gains understanding of the difficulties the foreign religion posed at various junctures in Japan's history. It will serve well as an introduction to the broad topic of Japanese Christianity; the fine general bibliography along with the sources' sites will lead researchers to the needed materials.
Ann M. Harrington, Associate Professor of History at Loyola University, Chicago, teaches Japanese history and Asian women's history. Her publications include Japan's Hidden Christians (Chicago, 1993).
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