What kind of “church” is Kiitsu Kyokai? by Imaoka Shin’ichirō, January 1959—an essay concerning Free Religion

The windowsill in my Cambridge office with Imaoka sensei’s calligraphy to the left

What kind of “church” is Kiitsu Kyokai?

[In Japanese, Kiitsu ( 帰一 ) means “oneness” or “unity.” However, Kyōkai can be written in two ways, 協會 or 協会, and each rendering has a subtly different meaning. The first, 協會, means “assembly” or “association,” whilst the second, 協会, leans more towards the meaning of “school.” The twentieth-century Japanese advocate of liberal, free religion, Imaoka Shin’ichirō (1881-1988), used the second rendering of Kyōkai to foreground the idea of gathering together in order to learn and grow. Kiitsu Kyōkai was the name Imaoka sensei gave to his own post-1948 liberal, free religious community in Tokyo, which was sometimes (mis)translated as the “Tokyo Unitarian Church.” A biography and some of Imaoka sensei’s writings on Free Religion ( 自由宗教 — Jiju Shukyo) and other subjects can be downloaded freely at this link.]

Even though ten years have passed since its establishment, Kiitsu Kyokai [in 1948] has not yet fully formalized itself as a “church.” However, the gatherings on Sundays continue throughout the year. It remains unclear whether there are members or believers, and this vague situation has led to general criticism that the “church” may eventually perish. And as the person in charge, I sincerely feel sorry for this situation. However, before creating an organization, it was essential to thoroughly examine the nature and essence of what we call “Free Religion.” The past ten years have been a period of experimentation for this “church.” However, I do not believe that I have fully grasped the essence of Free Religion through a decade of seeking and contemplation. I still consider myself a mere seeker on the path. I am not a pastor guiding a flock of lost sheep. The experiments must continue, but I believe I have reached a state of mind where I can put my experiments into practice. Thus, I dare to express my own views on Free Religion and Kiitsu Kyokai and humbly seek corrections from knowledgeable individuals.

Free Religion emphasizes freedom wholeheartedly. It is a religion that is not bound by fixed dogmas (not only in terms of doctrines or rituals, but even advocating liberation from religious leaders). Consequently, it is not Buddhism or Christianity. It stresses freedom, autonomy, and creativity, and values the process of progress and development more than reaching an end goal.

Even Jesus’ religion or Buddha’s religion were, in reality, not what we later refer to as Christianity or Buddhism. The religion of Jesus preached a simple gospel of creative love, not the later dogmas of the Trinity or the theory of atonement taught by Christianity. The enlightenment of Buddha under the Bodhi tree was not confined to the Four Noble Truths or the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination. Instead, they both grasped the fundamental principle of creative evolution with adaptable, versatile, and myriad transformations (which I believe could be understood as humanism). Such a flexible and non-dogmatic religion, is what we acclaim as Free Religion. However, later followers of Christianity and Buddhism have confined the ever-flowing and evolving spiritual life within the confines of dogma, rituals, and religious authority.

Returning to the source and reviving a free and creative life is the essence of Free Religion. It means transforming orthodox Christianity or fixed Buddhism into Free Christianity or Free Buddhism. However, if we truly embrace “freedom” to the fullest extent, there is no need to cling to the traditional names of Christianity or Buddhism. Simply being a Free Religion is sufficient. Therefore, we intend to create an exemplary model of Free Religion within Kiitsu Kyokai.

Both Jesus and Buddha were great proponents of Free Religion, and we should humbly learn from both saints with reverence. However, we need not limit ourselves to just Jesus and Buddha. We can learn greatly from figures such as Augustine, Luther, Schweitzer, Nagarjuna, Shinran, and Gandhi. Even orthodox Christianity and fixed Buddhism, which we previously dismissed, can be seen historically as stages of evolution, and we can still learn from them. From a perspective that values the process of progress more than the endpoint, polytheism, monotheism, personal deity theism, and non-personal deity (a form of atheism) should not be arbitrarily discriminated between. Hence, Kiitsu Kyokai includes all religions, encompassing Shinto, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and more. However, we do not believe that all religions will unconditionally return-to-one (achieve unity). We must distinguish between noise and harmony. For religions to truly return-to-one, they must learn from and challenge each other. Furthermore, all religions must first become Free Religions. This means that the doctrines, rituals, and religious organizations in various religions are merely secondary and symbolic, created under the constraints of the times and environment. What is important lies beyond these dogmas and symbols, and we must awaken to that reality.

Critics often argue that the Kiitsu Kyokai lacks creeds, scriptures, pastors, or priests, making it too vague and elusive. This criticism is quite understandable. However, the essence of religion lies in grasping the great life of free and unobstructed creative evolution.

The above-mentioned elements are, so to speak, minor details. However, just because they are minor details does not mean they are entirely useless. Therefore, I believe that as a “church,” we should also establish and organize these aspects. From the standpoint of Kiitsu Kyokai, which is free, tolerant, universal, and all-encompassing, we must regard Buddhist scriptures, the Bible, the Quran, the Vedas, and even the scriptures of Kiitsu Kyokai itself as sacred texts. Similarly, we must respect all the sages from various places and times as the founding ancestors of Kiitsu Kyokai. However, some might think that having so many scriptures and ancestors would be overwhelming. Still, I believe that is a mistake, just like thinking one must eat all the dishes lined up at a cafeteria. 

Kiitsu Kyokai does indeed possess great magnanimity, but it never forces anyone to overindulge, no matter how broad-minded it may be. Instead, the emphasis lies in not indulging in excessive or biased consumption.

(From the January issue of Creation magazine, in the 34th year of Showa, January 1959, Issue 86)