Polemics on the incompatibility of Christianity with patriotism in Japan at the end of the 19th century

Abstract

The article aims at analyzing the course of the anti-Christian polemics at the end of the 19th century, and its influence upon the Christian community in Japan. The end of the 19th century turned to be quite difficult for Japanese Christians. Promulgation of the conservative Meiji Constitution in 1889 and the Imperial Edict on Education in 1890 marked the end of the liberal reforms and the shift to nationalistic and militarist policy in Japan. This period was characterized by anti-Christian bashing, when Christians were accused of the lack of patriotism and loyalty to the Emperor and the government, espionage, and attempts to overturn Japanese traditional ways. These accusations put Japanese Christians in a predicament and made them prove their innocence, their point of view and tenets of their religion in the eyes of the authorities, which eventually lead to a furious argument between the two sides — Christian and non- Christian communities, the latter being presented mainly by Buddhist intelligentsia, of which Inoue Enryo and Inoue Tetsujiro were the most famous. This conflict resulted in extremely painful consequences for Japanese Christians, who had to conform and support expansionist policy of the authorities thereof.