Kagawa: The Saint of Shinkawa

He set off as a Japanese envoy to the United States to prevent a world war in the Pacific. He lived and preached amongst scavengers, pickpockets, drunkards and gamblers. He became the gravedigger for the bodies of babies abandoned by the roadside. He was imprisoned on charges of undermining the government’s authority. He tended to the wounds of prostitutes who had been beaten by their pimps. He became like Christ in the slum alleys of the black neighbourhoods. He was Toyohiko Kagawa.

Kagawa was born in 1888 into a samurai noble family that owned plantations, factories and extensive leased land. His father was a member of the Supreme Council of State, a position equivalent to that of a minister in the Japanese cabinet. However, both his parents died when Kagawa was four years old. He was then raised by his step-grandmother and his uncle.

Kagawa first heard the name of Jesus at secondary school. He was deeply captivated by the person and teachings of Jesus. He read the Sermon on the Mount time and time again. Before long, he had memorised the entire sermon in Matthew 5–7. Jesus’ words continued to ring in his ears: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.... Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. For in this way you will be children of your Father in heaven....” Every night Kagawa prayed, “Lord, make me like Christ.” At the age of 15 he was baptised. He knew the risks involved. He was scolded by his uncle, cast out of the family and disinherited.

With a church scholarship, Kagawa entered university. Within two years he had read every book in the library. His classmates were envious, and his teachers were often embarrassed, as Kagawa’s knowledge surpassed that of his teachers. However, Kagawa’s exam results were often poor because he paid little attention to what his teachers were explaining.

At university, Kagawa did not limit himself to books. He often went to the slums and distributed food he had obtained from the halls of residence. On one occasion, he took in a vagrant into his room. As a result of his association with people in the slums, Kagawa contracted a lung disease. For a year, he hovered between life and death in a hut near a fishing village.

After recovering, Kagawa enrolled at Kobe Theological College. Here, once again, it became apparent that he was a genius. Here, too, he was restlessly searching for the manifestation of God’s presence. On Christmas Day 1909, he took a cart and moved his books and belongings from the hall of residence. Where was he going? He moved to a shack in the Shinkawa slum, notorious as a den of criminals.

There, Kagawa opened his doors to anyone in need. Some stayed for just one night; others for several years. There were those suffering from scabies, alcoholics, a former convict who screamed in terror every night at the sight of the spirits of those he had once killed, and an elderly woman, a former prostitute, with a chronic illness. Providing a place for them meant giving them a bed, a pillow and a blanket. Kagawa never turned anyone away. The monthly allowance he received from the theological college was used to support these people.

One day, a child was found battered and beaten by his stepmother. Kagawa took in the child, who was nothing but skin and bones. That night, Kagawa slept whilst gently stroking the feverish child. In the days that followed, she cared for the child, even though she was preparing for her thesis examination at the theological college.

Every day, Kagawa preached in the Shinkawa slum. For the children, he taught reading, writing, Bible stories, singing, hygiene and health. Kagawa lived in the Shinkawa settlement for fifteen years. It was here that he completed his theological studies. Here he earned a living as a chimney sweep, a scavenger and in other jobs. Here he married Maruko Shiba, the daughter of a former noble family, who stood by Kagawa in this ministry until the end of his life. It was also here that they had three children.

Kagawa’s most precious possession in this hut was a bookshelf made from rough-hewn wood salvaged from an old oil tin crate. On that shelf were books on theology, literature, economics and psychology by first-rate authors. Very early in the morning, Kagawa would already be reading and meditating. He wrote, “Early morning prayer, accompanied by the morning star, brings the greatest blessing to the soul. Jesus, too, delighted in the hours before dawn. May I remain a son of the dawn.” In the evening, Kagawa would read again. He said, “There is no pleasure that can compare to this when we are alone, accompanied only by the calm light, enjoying a book late into the night… conversing in silence with our favourite authors,”

It was also from his cottage in Shinkawa that Kagawa championed the cause of the Kobe dockworkers. He called upon employers to respect workers as individuals with self-respect and to involve them in policy-making. When 30,000 workers at the Kawasaki and Mitsubishi shipyards went on strike, they asked Kagawa to be their leader. Kagawa agreed on the condition that the workers refrain from any violence or vandalism. Thus, Kagawa established Japan’s first trade union, although this resulted in him being imprisoned for several months.

Kagawa’s work subsequently took on a large scale. He established several orphanages. He launched the Kingdom of God movement, an organised effort to spread the Gospel and improve living standards in 12,000 villages, reaching out to groups previously untouched by the church, such as farmers, fishermen, mine workers, lorry drivers and construction labourers. He established cooperatives. He authored dozens of books that became bestsellers and were popular with everyone from farmers to the prime minister. On numerous occasions, he protested to the Japanese Armed Forces against their aggression. Together with Mahatma Gandhi and Albert Einstein, he issued a statement opposing compulsory military service. He launched anti-alcohol and anti-smoking campaigns. He succeeded in persuading the government to enact labour legislation. He succeeded in getting the government to build hundreds of thousands of very basic homes for low-income families. Churches in Norway, China, Australia and the United States invited him to share his experiences.

Kagawa’s life’s work is too vast to be recorded here. However, what remains etched in the hearts of many is not Kagawa the great figure, but Kagawa the saint from Shinkawa. That is, the Kagawa who gave his only blanket to a beggar on a bitterly cold night. The Kagawa who was beaten to a pulp by a group of gamblers who were extorting him. The Kagawa who reconciled two drunken men who were on the verge of hacking each other to pieces. Kagawa who embraced a child crying in front of his mother, who lay stricken with leprosy. Kagawa who mixed his single bowl of rice with a pot of water so that the single bowl of rice could become five bowls of thin porridge for five people. Kagawa, who did all this whilst being 70 per cent blind since contracting trachoma. Kagawa, who did all this with his head bowed. Kagawa did all this for Christ:

Christ is amongst the lowly.

He sits with prisoners.

He stands at the door with those begging for a piece of bread.

Christ lies amongst the sick.

He stands in the queue of the unemployed outside the employment office.

Therefore, whoever wishes to meet Christ

let them visit a prison cell before going to church.

Before one prays, one should visit the hospital wards.

Before one reads the Bible, one should feed the hungry.

If one is busy reading the Bible,

but does not help the small, the weak and the marginalised,

they will not find Christ.