Notes

The first meeting of the post-war kiitsu kyokai (second version) was held on October 23, 1948. However, it didn’t officially form until about two years after.

Kiitsu is often translated as “unity.”

kiitsu kyokai continues unitarian universalism

According to Shinichiro Imaoka, using the word kiitsu in “kiitsu kyokai” recognizes the Unitarian roots of the church. However, it attaches itself not to the old meaning of the word Unitarian as a Christian denomination opposed to Trinitarian but to the newer Unitarian Church that aspires to go beyond Christianity and integrate other religious traditions around the world (i.e. unitarian-universalism).

kiitsu kyokai transforms unitarianism

Shinichiro Imaoka initially wanted to revive the Unitarian Church throughkiitsu kyokai but he realized that what is needed is a continuation of the church through a significant transformation. What are these transformations?

Imaoka wanted kiitsu kyokai to go beyond Christianity (i.e. unitarian-universalism).
He wanted it to be a jiyu shukyo.
He wanted it to be non-sectarian.
He wanted it to be transdenominational (i.e., not being overly attached to established religions).
He wanted this free religion to be the base from which we accept established religions if we choose so.
He wanted it to respond to the needs of those who have faith in it rather than be “ready-made.”

free religion is faithful to genuine personal needs

It is interesting how Shinichiro Imaoka thinks about the “ready-made-ness” of religions. He said that to gather the best parts of all religions and integrate them into a single ideal religion is still using what is ready-made. What he seems to suggest is to really begin at the individual level (i.e., what does the individual need?). Then begin thinking about how to integrate what exists out there into one’s faith. I like how he describes the nature of such an individual religion: “it represents the most personal, realistic, and tangible form of faith” and it is “about being faithful to our genuine demands.”

plurality is critical to the success of a kiitsu kyokai

Individuals with personal and autonomous religions (i.e. jiyu shukyo) can still come together and gather into a “church” (or kiitsu kyokai). This variety is exactly what is necessary for a cooperative community to emerge. We shouldn’t aspire for a community that is not plural, agrees to a single way of thinking, and penalizes divergent thinking. It is our differences with the people around us that teaches us how to practice tolerance, patience, kindness, and love.

kiitsu kyokai is democratic

Shinichiro Imaoka thought that democracy is what would protect the individuality and freedom, which is perhaps the most important thing that people owned within the kiitsu kyokai, as they practice their faith with others. To keep the kiitsu kyokai democratic, he advocated for congregationalism and layman-ism, which meant that members were encouraged to lead worships and sermons. He also mentioned that the kiitsu kyokai follows the nonhierarchical structure of Quakers, where the church is not owned by a clergy but by its members.

kiitsu kyokai nurtures a free religion that inspires compassion

In congruence with its Unitarian roots, the kiitsu kyokai advocates supporting social causes. According to Shinichiro Imaoka, “salvation is both personal and social” and “individual salvation and societal salvation are two sides of the same coin.” Therefore, the kiitsu kyokai, like the Unitarian movement, is an enlightenment project that aims to influence not just religion but society in general. Among the objectives of an enlightenment project according to Imaoka are harmonizing science and religion and promoting culture and peace.

The kiitsu kyokai as an organization nurtures jiyu shukyo, which becomes the foundation for all efforts to address societal issues. Although it is an enlightenment project, it is also a religious organization, which means it isn’t only for intellectual engagement. Imaoka aspires the kiitsu kyokai to be a practice ground for the ideal society, where all kinds of people from different walks of life could come together in unity.

To do: The “universality” of free religion is something worth thinking about.

Highlights

~~The first Sunday meeting was held in October of Shōwa 23 (1948), but it did not suddenly come into existence at that time.

~~the name 帰一 (Kiitsu) is translated into English as “Unity,“

~~it does not exclude the meaning of “Unitarian” (ユニテリアン). However, it’s clear that it’s not “Unitarian” in opposition to “Trinitarian.”

~~Recent Unitarian movements in the United States have undergone significant changes, becoming not only liberal Christianity but also a movement beyond Christianity. In that sense, I believe our Kiitsu Kyōkai [i.e. Unity Fellowship] can also be considered Unitarian.

~~when I established the Kiitsu Kyōkai, my primary consideration was the revival of the Unitarian movement. However, I thought that a mere revival, that is, a mere reproduction of the old Unitarian Church ( ユニテリアン教会), would be meaningless.

~~I regarded the Kiitsu Kyōkai as a continuation of the former Unitarian Church but with a significant transformation.

~~I believed that the Kiitsu Kyōkai should be something more than just a sect of Christianity.

~~it asserts a pure and free religion (自由純粋な超宗派的宗教) that is non-sectarian (超宗派), which goes beyond denominational bounds, taking a step further than just being a liberal Christianity against orthodox Christianity.

~~Beyond or trans-denominational simply means not being overly attached to established religions like Buddhism or Christianity.

~~it’s not that Buddhism or Christianity exists first and then we come after. On the contrary, we exist first, and only then comes Buddhism or Christianity.

~~our religion shouldn’t be a ready-made Buddhism or Christianity, but a made-to-order religion that truly responds to our needs.

~~A so-called ideal religion crafted by gathering the best parts from all religions might also be termed as trans-denominational. But still, this would be a ready-made religion and is certainly not our religion.

~~So, the trans-denominational religion we envision is the exact opposite of an abstract conceptual one; rather, it represents the most personal, realistic, and tangible form of faith. And if a personal religion that best responds to our needs happens to be Buddhism or Christianity, then naturally, we would become Buddhists or Christians. However, there are many in the world who can’t be satisfied with ready-made, established religions.

~~In essence, our assertion of being trans-denominational is not about rejecting established religions, but solely about being faithful to our genuine demands.

~~there might be some who worry that if each individual’s religion becomes so varied, forming a religious community would be impossible. But such a worry is groundless. Just as a true cooperative community (真の共同社会) can be organized only by the gathering of individuals with distinct personalities and characters, a true church can be organized only by those who truly possess a personal and autonomous religion.

~~To be truly individualistic and free, and at the same time to be truly collective and social is, in other words, to be democratic (民主主義的). And this democracy must be consistent not only in terms of faith content but also in the aspect of church politics. Therefore, we advocate for “Congregationalism” (会衆主義) and layman-ism (平教徒主義). Worship and sermons are entrusted to volunteers from among the members. Consequently, at our Sunday gatherings, it is not guaranteed that we will always have eloquent sermons from great speakers.

~~we believe that the church does not belong to the pastor but to its members and, therefore, we highly value the mutual encouragement and assistance of all members. In this respect, one might say our church is in the style of the Quakers (クエーカー).

~~salvation is both personal and social. We don’t believe that a society is saved by the gathering of saved individuals; rather, we believe that individual salvation and societal salvation are two sides of the same coin.

~~If one were to point out any shortcomings in the Unitarian movement of these esteemed predecessors, it might be that it leant too much towards the political and social aspects, leaving the religious aspect somewhat diluted.

~~the Unitarian movement had more significance as an enlightenment movement within the wider religious realm rather than as a religious movement itself. And, even today, enlightenment movements are necessary because the dispelling of superstitions, the encouragement of harmony between science and religion, and the promotion of cultural and peace movements, remain of paramount importance.

~~the aspiration of our Kiitsu Kyōkai is to move one step beyond our former high point by fully committing to a free, pure, democratic, and universal religious faith. This faith serves as our driving force to address and solve all issues related to culture, politics, economy, society, etc.

~~While we greatly value intelligence, our church, being a religious organization, must not transform into a mere debating hall for intellectuals. Our church should be a microcosm of the ideal society. It must embrace scholars and the uneducated, business people, labourers, civil servants, students, men, women, the elderly, and the young.

References

Brown, A. J. (2024, January 19). The Purpose of Tokyo Kiitsu Kyōkai by Imaoka Shin’ichirō (September 1950, “Creation” [創造], Issue No. 1). Caute. https://kiitsukyokai.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-purpose-of-tokyo-kiitsu-kyokai-by.html

Vince Imbat

The Purpose of Tokyo Kiitsu Kyokai by Imaoka Schin'Ichiro (September 1950, "Creation" [創造], Issue No. 1