was a Japanese holiness evangelist, known as "the Dwight Moody of Japan" (Stark 28-29), who was the first bishop of the Japan Holiness Church and one of the co-founders of the Oriental Missionary Society (now One Mission Society).
Biography
Personal history Juji Nakada was born on 27 October 1870 in the northern town of Hirosaki in what is now Aomori prefecture, the son of Heisaku, "a samurai of the lowest rank in the Tsugaru domain."(Goodman 48) His father died when Nakada was four leaving his family impoverished. He was raised in the Methodist church. After studying in the Methodist Too college (Daimyo School), in 1888 he enrolled in Tokyo Eiwa Gakko, the forerunner of today's Aoyama Gakuin University, another Methodist institution. Pre-occupation with judo prevented his graduation. Nakada married on 23 February 1889. In 1891 he left to become a Methodist missionary to Yakumo, a small village on the island of Hokkaido. He subsequently served in Otaru, Etorofu island, and Odate in Akita Prefecture.
On 20 March 1911, Nakada's wife died, leaving his only son, Ugo. Five months later Nakada married Ayame. On 14 September 1939, she died of uterine cancer. Ten days later, on 24 September 1939, Nakada died of intestinal tuberculosis at the age of 68.
Moody Bible Institute (1896–1898) After the death of his first son, and the illness of his wife, Katsuko, Nakada experienced a deep crisis of faith. (Goodman 49) Nakada, while already an effective evangelist, experienced dryness in his soul: "'If I don't find the power of the Holy Ghost,' he told his wife before he left Japan, 'I'll come back, leave the ministry, and become a dentist.'"(McCasland 77)Soon after, in 1896 Nakada traveled to Chicago, Illinois and enrolled at the Moody Bible Institute.
While studying at MBI, Nakada befriended a Western Union executive, Charles Elmer Cowman (1868-1924) and his wife, Lettie Burd Cowman (1870-1960); and Ernest A. Kilbourne (1865-1928) and his wife, Julia, (some sources say Hazel) through the Grace Methodist Episcopal Church. While studying at MBI he met holiness theologian Rev A.M. Hills, who gave him a copy of his book "Holiness and Power". Mrs Cowman records:As he earnestly sought to be filled with the HOLY SPIRIT, it was not long until his hungry heart was satisfied. Having come so definitely into the blessings, he soon felt strongly impressed that GOD would send him back to his people to preach full salvation to them. Nakada was also influenced by the writings of John Wesley (McCasland 77); an association with J.R. Boynton, a Chicago physician who practised faith healing(Goodman 49); and Martin Wells Knapp, who later founded God's Bible School in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1901.(McCasland 77)
Return to Japan (1898–1900) In September 1898 Nakada returned to Japan after meeting Barclay Fowell Buxton, leaders of the English holiness movement in England. In 1899 Nakada was appointed a traveling evangelist in the Methodist church, although he preached beyond that denomination. He was supported financially by the Cowmans and Kilbournes, who have formed the Telegraphers Missions Band in Chicago. Also in 1899 he started the Japan Holiness Journal.(Bays 486)
Central Gospel Mission (1900–1904) In 1900 Nakada left the Methodist church and founded the Central Gospel Mission (Chuo Fukuin Dendokan) in Jinbo-cho in central Tokyo. The Cowmans left for Japan on 1 February 1901 as the first missionaries of the Pilgrim Holiness church. (Bundy 711) Soon after the arrival of the Cowmans, Nakada helped establish the Tokyo Bible Institute (later Tokyo Bible Seminary) and became its first president. The goal of the mission group, which by 1902 included Ernest and Julia Kilbourne and their three children, was to "establish self-supporting, self-governing, and self-propagating churches on the William Taylor model" (Bundy 711). The hall held Bible classes in the daytime and was the venue for evangelistic services in the evening. (Goodman 49) By 1903 the Central Gospel Mission had outgrown its hall and relocated to a new building in Kashiwagi, Yodobashi-cho.
Oriental Missionary Society (1904–1917) In 1904 the name was changed to the Oriental Missionary Society (Toyo senkyokai) with an enlarged focus on all of East Asia, including Korea and China. A conflict between Cowman and Nakada over the leadership of the OMS resulted in a split in 1911, with the Cowmans heading the OMS and Nakada as the head of the new Japan Holiness Church (Nihon seikyodan). While there would be reconciliation later, there was lasting damage in the relationship.
Korea (1904) During the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 Nakada served as a chaplain under General Kuroki Tamemoto.(Stark 481) Nakada secured permission from the Japanese government to minister to Japanese troops fighting in Manchuria. As he passed through Korea, Nakada preached "wherever the opportunity arose. Two Koreans in particular, Chung Bin and Kim Sang-jun, were profoundly moved by Nakada's preaching on "the glorious experience of sanctification....The two Koreans, burdened about their struggle for the life of holiness, were left with no source of spiritual guidance. Providentially, they met a Korean doctor who knew Nakada and had visited the OMS Bible Training Institute in Tokyo. He urged that they visit the school. Deciding it must be the place for them to hear more about the experience they were seeking, Chung and Kim unexpectedly showed up in Tokyo one day in 1904." Out of these contacts, Cowman and Kilbourne were able to start the OMS work in Korea in 1907.
Manchuria (1904–1905) Nakada left Korea to serve as chaplain in Manchuria until the end of the Russo-Japanese War.
Evangelism in Britain and the USA (1906–1907) In early 1906 Nakada went to Britain "ostensibly to rest and be spiritually recharged."(McCasland 93) While there he became friends with Scottish holiness preacher Oswald Chambers. Nakada preached throughout the British Isles, including preaching holiness to the recent converts of the 1904–1905 Welsh Revival(McCasland 94) with American Quaker evangelist Charles Stalker, and also throughout Scotland and England with Chambers. After almost a year in Britain, Nakada departed on 6 November 1906 with Chambers for the USA on the SS Baltic. After a ten-day crossing of the Atlantic Ocean, Nakada and Chambers spent five weeks preaching on the East Coast, before moving to Cincinnati, Ohio to preach in the Christmas Holiness Convention at God's Bible School.[McCasland 104) Nakada travelled throughout the USA preaching often. He returned to Cincinnati in June 1907 to preach during another ten-day holiness convention. On 10 July 1907 Nakada and Chambers departed from Seattle, Washington on the SS Shinano Maru, and arrived in Yokohama on 27 July 1907.(Stark 3ff).
Oriental Missionary Holiness Church (1917–1928) In 1917 the Oriental Missionary Holiness Church (Toyo senyokai horinesu kyokai) was organised with Nakada as the first bishop.(Bays 486)(Goodman 50) Nakada wrote that the purpose of the new organisation was: "as the name indicates, a missionary society. Our purpose is simple: to propagate the complete Gospel, that is, the Foursquare Gospel (salvation, holiness, the Second Coming of Christ, and healing) all over Japan"(Goodman 50)
Second Advent Movement On 6 January 1918, Nakada and Uchimura Kanzō began the Second Advent Movement. Rallies were held throughout Japan with up to two thousand attending. While Uchimura and Nakada were momentarily united by their shared devotion to preaching the Second Coming, there were significant theological differences between them. Uchimura, influenced by neo-orthodox thought, rejected the idea of a literal millennium and calculating the dates of Christ's Second Coming. Nakada's beliefs that the Jews and Japanese descended from a common ancestor and that the salvation of the Jews would result in the salvation of the Japanese resulted in Uchimura leaving in 1920.
Revival in Tokyo (1919–1920)
Toward the end of November 1919, as a result of evangelistic preaching and prayer, a revival broke out at the Yodobashi Holiness church in Tokyo. It spread to other churches in the city. While not resulting in the conversion of non-Christians, according to Nakada it had the following results:(1) the qualitative development of the membership;(2) an increase in giving;(3) the spiritual unity with men of other denominations (mostly pastors) who shared in the revival meetings;(4) an increase in the spirit of evangelism. (McGavran 197)
Japan Holiness Church in America By 1920, Nakada was "one of the most influential evangelists in Japan". In October 1920, Nakada toured the United States, preaching at several Japanese churches in Los Angeles. Initially some of the converts of the evangelistic campaign were nurtured by Nakada's son, Rev. Ugo Nakada. By April 1921 this group became the first Japan Holiness Church in San Lorenzo, California. Nakada returned in 1929 to dedicate the church building on 13 October.(Koga 160) In 1920, Nakada also held meetings at Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentucky.
Japan Holiness Church (1928–1936)
In 1928 the Japan Holiness Church gained full independence from the OMS. (Bays 486) Nakada was able to say: "Our Holiness Church is, of course, not an agency of the European church, but a genuine Japanese church." (Dicker 159) The church had been truly indigenous since 1922. (Edwards 81)
Japan Holiness Church of Brazil (1929) In 1929 Nakada visited the Japan Holiness Church of Brazil, which had been established by Takeo Monobe, a missionary from the Japan Holiness Church, in July 1925 primarily among Japanese immigrants (Mizuki 56; Edwards 81) Arriving in May 1929, Nakada spent five weeks in Brazil preaching and strengthening the church, which was a district of his denomination until its independence in 1934, when it became the Evangelical Holiness Church of Brazil (Igreja Evangélica Holiness do Brasil).(Mizuki 59)(Edwards 80-81)
Revival (1930–1933)
On 19 May 1930 there was another revival at the Tokyo Seminary (Tokyo Seisho Gakuin) of the Japan Holiness Church, as a result of the fervent prayer of the students. Juji Nakada and Masakichi Ichimiya were leading them. In the evening of May 19, when about 70 coed students were praying for revival, a fire of the Holy Spirit poured down on them. The students and professors danced around the large Cowman Hall praising loudly; Yutaka Yoneda danced too much so he tore his Achilles’ tendon, and finally the floorboard of the hall fell out. A hymn that was sung at that time was the Seika No. 576, “The Holy Spirit comes.”
McGavran indicates:When suddenly the prayer meeting turned into one of intensity and excitement, some students recognized this to be the revival and rushed to the homes of their professors with the news. They too joined the meeting and prayed shoulder to shoulder in loud voices. There were some who even began dancing. They continued to pray. When Nakada returned to Tokyo from his trip to Korea and Manchuria, he encouraged the Holiness churches in Tokyo to hold prayer meetings from May 30 to June 7. And on June 8, a Pentecostal meeting was held at the seminary. For the next two and a half years, various revival meetings were held in many different cities in Japan. The leaders of the Holiness Church traveled extensively, preached often, and prayed intensely. (197)