Freemasonry in Japan

[Tamrin]

May 27, 2009 11:28:53 GMT 10 Gaslight said:

May 27, 2009 7:11:57 GMT 10 Tamrin said:

I understand the photograph below, in which "The Monument" is represented, is from Japan: Are you familiar with this particular scene?

Yes, indeed. It's the porch or entrance of the Tokyo Masonic Center, located within the shadow of the Tokyo Tower. The Center houses both the Grand Lodge of Japan and the Tokyo Masonic Association, the latter being a registered NPO set up to manage the income accruing from the land on which TMC stands -- mostly for charity purposes.

The Center also houses a modernistic "Blue Room" that provides a home for three or four lodges, and is probably more famous than the porch.

The Blue Room
Tokyo Masonic Center

[Tamrin]

History of Freemasonry in Japan
for the past 140 years

[Abstract - Paper 15c, by Koichi Terasawa, Japan -
the inaugural International Conference on the History of Freemasonry, Edinburgh, 2007

Being separated by sea from the mainland [of] Asia, the civilization influx to Japan was extremely limited in [the] pre-modern era. During this isolation period of the first half of [the] 19th century, foreign vessels frequently visited the seacoast and urged Japan to open ports for foreign ships. As a result, in 1863 the Japanese Government agreed to have the British and French troops stationed in Yokohama. It was during this period that the first Masonic lodge was introduced to Japan.

A military lodge called "Sphinx Lodge No. 263", Irish Constitution, came to Japan with the British 20th Regiment [it] arrived in Yokohama in 1864, and the lodge meetings were held until the departure of the troops in March 1866. Meanwhile those brethren living in Yokohama desired to form a lodge of their own and petitioned for a formation of such a lodge to the United Grand Lodge of England. It was accepted and the first local lodge "Yokohama Lodge No. 1092" came into being under [an] English Constitution, holding the first stated meeting on 26th of June 1866.

Until the outbreak of the World War II, six of English and three of Scottish lodges were formed in Japan. Because of the outbreak of this war, the lodge meetings could not be continued and these lodges were closed until 1947.

After the war, Masonic activities were resumed, and one English and two Scottish lodges survived. The Grand Lodge of [the] Philippines began to found lodges in Japan, and sixteen lodges were founded during ten years from 1947 to 1956. During this period, Masonic membership eventually became available to the Japanese nationals and seven Japanese men, including five Diet Members, were initiated in 1950 for the first time in Japan. And the total number of members exceeded 4,000 during this period.

On 1st of May 1957, the Grand Lodge of Japan was instituted, and by the end of that year seven Grand Lodges had recognized and at least ten other Grand Lodges were in fraternal communication with the Grand Lodge of Japan.

This year 2007 is the fiftieth anniversary of the Grand Lodge of Japan and currently there are sixteen lodges under this jurisdiction. Also there are two lodges in Yokohama and Kobe under Scottish Constitution, one lodge in Kobe under English Constitution, [and] three lodges under the jurisdiction of other Grand Lodges.

Token given to me by the speaker

[Tamrin]

Anti-Masonry in Japan
Past and Present

[Excerpt - Article by Yoshio Washizu, The Skirret - Linked Above]

ANTI-MASONRY has been in existence in many parts of the world. Japan is no exception. Freemasonry has come under attack in that country from time to time over the years. The objective of this paper is to provide an account of the historical background that has fostered anti-masonic sentiments among some Japanese and of the actual attacks on the fraternity throughout the years.

[Tamrin]

Freemasonry and Modern Japanese History

[Excerpt - Article by Tim Wangelin, The Skirret - Linked Above]

Freemasonry's universality has spread to Japan. Tadasu Hayashi, a Japanese statesman who lived from 1850-1913, was probably the first Japanese to be made a Freemason, although it was in England. He eventually had to resign from the Freemasons because of political pressure from those in the Japanese government. Freemasonry in pre-war Japan and was mostly concerned with only foreigners and was met with resistance by the Japanese. During the war, Freemasonry was totally banned. After the war, General MacArthur helped to insure Freemasonry would have a safe place in Japan. This report will focus on the Japanese view of Freemasonry, Japanese who have become Freemasons, and what Freemasonry is doing for Japan today.

[Gaslight]

Bro. Tamrin:

Thank you for adding the photo of the Tokyo Masonic Center Blue Room, and starting a new thread on Freemasonry in Japan. As a member of a Japanese Constitution lodge, I could ramble on about this topic for pages, but fear it will be of little interest to other members of this board.

I'll limit my comments (this time) to noting that the acknowledged expert on Japanese Freemasonry is MWB Washizu, a Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Japan and a full member of Quatuor Coronati Lodge No. 2076, the only one in Japan I believe. MWB James Johnston is also well versed in the history of GLJ, but most of his research has been published internally as GL educational material.

Almost all the papers and presentations circulating as historical studies of Masonry in Japan are material copied, usually without attribution, from two or three books and the pages of the two Yokohama websites.

Bro Terasawa I've met once or twice. Bro Wangelin I don't know. I'd tried hard to track him down to ask for permission to reproduce his article, but without luck.

[maximus]

We have the S&C bulbs in the Lesser Lgts. in our lodge, just as in the photo of The Blue Room. Nothing quite as fancy as the rest of it in our little country lodge, though.

[Gaslight]

May 28, 2009 3:42:28 GMT 10 @maximus said:

We have the S&C bulbs in the Lesser Lgts. in our lodge, just as in the photo of The Blue Room. Nothing quite as fancy as the rest of it in our little country lodge, though.

I've sat in the Blue Room only twice. One of those was as the reigning Master of another lodge, so I was given the privilege of sitting in the East. When I looked back, I noticed something not evident in the photo. Behind the chairs in the East were several candlesticks, all of them covered with wax from guttering candles, and surrounded by a large collection of discarded matchboxes, matchbooks, and burnt-out matches.

I have no idea who makes use of the candles, or for what ceremony. Whatever that ceremony may be, I doubt whether it's held often, as the stubs of the candles are covered in dust.

My local temple started off with real candles, then switched to flickering lightbulbs attached to brackets around the Altar. That didn't work out, so they're now on the desks of the Three Pillars, turned on and off by switches at the side.

The photo of the Blue Room must date back some time. The room is a lot more shabby these days.

[Tamrin]

May 28, 2009 3:42:28 GMT 10 @maximus said:

We have the S&C bulbs in the Lesser Lgts. in our lodge, just as in the photo of The Blue Room. Nothing quite as fancy as the rest of it in our little country lodge, though.

Also in my Mother Lodge.

[Tamrin]

May 27, 2009 23:03:12 GMT 10 Gaslight said:

Thank you for adding the photo of the Tokyo Masonic Center Blue Room, and starting a new thread on Freemasonry in Japan. As a member of a Japanese Constitution lodge, I could ramble on about this topic for pages, but fear it will be of little interest to other members of this board.

There are no uninteresting things, there are only uninterested people

Gilbert K. Chesterton

Do you know anything of the Canto Ritual, which sought to couch masonic principles in terms of Shintoism? My interest was sparked by a lecture on the topic at the Newcastle Masonic Study Circle many years ago.

[Gaslight]

May 28, 2009 18:36:19 GMT 10 Tamrin said:

Do you know anything of the Canto Ritual, which sought to couch masonic principles in terms of Shintoism? My interest was sparked by a lecture on the topic at the Newcastle Masonic Study Circle many years ago.

Would the lecturer have been Pauline Chakmakjian? If it was, then she's been offering this particular lecture for longer than I thought. Recently she has been working the Masonic lecture circuit with a presentation on the 50th Anniversary of the the Grand Lodge of Japan.

I've never heard of the Kanto Ritual. The ritual used by all lodges under the Grand Lodge of Japan was created by a committee of experts who drew on what they considered the best parts of many existing monitors, manuals and rituals. This new ritual was approved by the Grand Master and a Japanese translation commissioned. These are the only rituals of which I'm aware. (I've heard that a working group is trying to bring the Japanese translation more into line with modern usage, but I have no idea how far it's progressed.)

If there is such a thing as the Kanto Ritual, I suspect it was a personal project by someone who thought that Shintoism is to Japanese as Christianity is to Americans. It's not. Although based on ancient texts and beliefs, it was fabricated in the 19th century to add credence to the newly reinstated imperial family. It didn't spread very far until the early 20th century, when the emperor of the time decided to get married Shinto-style and sparked a boom. Since the War Christian-style chapel weddings have become more fashionable, though many couples still go for the Shinto ceremony. However, ask those couples (or the man in the street) about Shinto symbolism and you'll get blank stares.