著者

蔵田 雅彦

出版者

桃山学院大学

雑誌

国際文化論集 (ISSN:09170219)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.1, pp.109-122, 1990-03-01

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Todaisha was founded in 1926 by Akashi Junzo as the Japanese section of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. While Todaisha was known to be extremely fundamentalist in its teachings, its pacifist orientation and doctrinal characteristics critical of state authoritarianism made it a victim of state suppression during the period of militarist rule in Japan. Their conscientious objection and criticism of Emperor System were quite in contrast to the compromising attitudes taken by the vast majority of the Japanese Christian Church. The Korean branch of Todaisha, influenced by Akashi, did also take a critical stance vis-a-vis the Japanese colonial government in Korea. Because of their monotheistic faith and eschatological faith they vehemently refused Emperor and Shrine worship which was imposed upon the Koreans as the assimilation policy progressed in the late 1930s and the early 1940s. Their critical faith and court struggle have so far been ignored by the Korean Church historians. This article tries to reveal the significance of the Todaisha group's struggle in Korea under the Japanese colonial rule.