Preface Chapter 2
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The First Bahá'í
Meeting in Japan, 1909
It was in Tokyo, of course; in 1909,
December 27th to be exact.
Two American Bahá'ís, Mr.
Howard Struven and Mr. C.M. Remey, were making a world trip proclaiming the
Faith and Tokyo was their first stop after leaving Hawaii. They were sent on the
long trip by 'Abdu'l-Bahá, who advised them to "infuse the fragrance
of life into the hearts of the people of Japan."
Professor Barakatullah, an Indian man
living in Tokyo, who was a friend of the Bahá'ís, arranged a
meeting at which the men could speak. 'Abdu'l-Bahá had asked Mr. Struven
and Mr. Remey to meet Professor Barakatullah. He wrote a Tablet May 9, 1909
telling them to convey to Professor Barakatullah His hope that the professor
would become the first conqueror of the people of Japan. Barakatullah not only
did not heed 'Abdu'l-Bahá's words but he later took the Teachings of the
Faith and published them under the name of Islam. His loss.
The meeting which was arranged for
Struven and Remey on December 27th was at the old YMCA in downtown Tokyo. It was the largest and most
appropriate building in Tokyo at that time. Public notices were sent out in
English and Japanese.
click here for larger image
The First Public Bahá'í
Meeting in Japan
This is an invitation to the first
Bahá'í public meeting in Japan. It was held at the Tokyo YMCA and
was sponsored by Professor Barakatullah, an Indian living in Tokyo, who was a
friend of Bahá'ís. 'Abdu'l-Bahá wrote that He hoped
Barakatullah would be the first Bahá'i conqueror of Japan - but
Barakatullah had other ambitions and didn't become a
Bahá'í.
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About 75 people assembled: Japanese,
Indians, Americans and an English lady. During the six days they were in Tokyo
Struven and Remey were invited to speak at various places. One was a luncheon
meeting at the home of a friend with fourteen people present. Mrs. Ume Tsuda,
founder of a girls' school in Tokyo, entertained them. After spending six days
in Tokyo, they went to other cities in Japan and on to China.
In 1914 Dr. George Augur spoke to a group
of ministers at the YMCA. Miss Martha Root during her first visit to Japan in
1915 spoke to the English Speaking Club there.
The old YMCA building was destroyed in
the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 and another building, carrying the same name,
was built in its stead. The second building, still standing, has had numerous
Bahá'í meetings through the years, being the site of
Bahá'í talks by Agnes Alexander, Keith Ransom-Kehler during her
visit in 1931, Martha Root in the early prewar days and many talks in the 1950s
by Bahá'ís in Tokyo, such as Mrs. Joy Earl and Lt. Col. John
McHenry, early American pioneers who were introducing the Faith to the
Japanese.
Miss Alexander with her close friends,
Mr. Tokujiro Torii and Mrs. Ito Torii. This photo was taken in 1916. Mr. Torii
was the fifth Japanese to become a Bahá'í, but the second in
Japan. The first three Japanese to become Bahá'ís were immigrants
in the United States. The fourth was Mr. Kikutaro Fukuta in Tokyo in
1915.
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click here for larger image
One of the earliest printed articles
about the Faith in Japan. It was written by Miss Alexander for a women's journal in 1916.
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'Abdu'l-Bahá's Prayer for
Japan
In 1912, in London, Mr. Jinzo Naruse,
founder of the first women's college in Japan met 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Who wrote
a prayer for Japan in Mr. Naruse' s notebook:
"0 God! The darkness of contention,
strife and warfare between the religions, the nations and people has beclouded
the horizon of Reality and hidden the heaven of Truth. The world is in need of
the light of Guidance. Therefore, 0 God, confer Thy favor, so that the Sun of
Reality may illumine the East and the West." (December 30,
1912)
The notebook which contains the original
prayer is in Mr. Naruse's archives at Japan Women's College in Mejiro in Tokyo.
A photo copy of the original prayer can be found in the book Traces That
Remain.
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Preface Chapter 2
