Masao Takenaka

Masao Takenaka (June 9, 1925 – August 17, 2006)^[1] was a Japanese theologian who taught for over 40 years at Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan, where he was a Professor of Christian Ethics and Sociology of Religion.^[2][3]

Takenaka was born in Beijing, China in 1925, and lived in China for his first ten years; his father worked for the South Manchuria Railway.^[1][4] He began his studies at Kyoto University, but was drafted into the Japanese army during World War II and sent to Hokkaido.^[1] After the war, he completed a degree in business and then studied theology at Doshisha. At the Yale Divinity School in Yale University, he was greatly influenced by H. Richard Niebuhr; he earned his doctorate there in 1955.^[1][5][6] He returned to Japan, where he became a volunteer leader of the United Church of Christ, and then served a term as vicar in Kurashiki before joining the Doshisha faculty.^[1]

Takenaka was a proponent of ecumenism, an opponent of the concept of the divinity of the Emperor of Japan, and (later in his life) a promoter of Christian art.^[2] He also worked to fit Christian theology more closely to indigenous culture in Asia, for instance by defining God as the "rice of life" instead of as the "bread of life".^[7]

Books

Takenaka was the author of several books:

• The development of social, educational and medical work in Japan since Meiji (Van Keulen, 1959)
• Creation and Redemption Through Japanese Art (Sogensha, 1966)
• Reconciliation and renewal in Japan (Friendship Press, 1967)
• Christian Art in Asia, (Kyo Bun Kwan and the Christian Conference of Asia, 1975; World Council of Churches, 1983)
• God Is Rice: Asian Culture and Christian Faith (World Council of Churches, 1986; Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2009)
• Consider the flowers: meditations in ikebana (with Koho Kamiya, Kyo Bun Kwan, 1990)
• The Bible Through Asian Eyes (with Ron O'Grady, Friendship Press, 1991)
• The Place Where God Dwells: An Introduction to Church Architecture in Asia (World Council of Churches, 1995)
• When the bamboo bends: Christ and culture in Japan (World Council of Churches, 2002)

Reference

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} Johanus, Stephan (in German), Christus und die Moderne in Japan: in memoriam TAKENAKA Masao 9. 6. 1925–17. 8. 2006, Deutsche Ostasienmission, http://www.doam.org/u_memoriam_takenaka.html .
2. ^ ^{a b} Kobia, Samuel (August 22, 2006), Tribute to Prof. Dr Masao Takenaka, World Council of Churches, http://www.oikoumene.org/resources/documents/general-secretary/tributes/masao-takenaka.html .
3. ^ Yukimoto, Hisashi (August 2006), "Masao Takenaka – renowned Japanese ecumenist", Ecumenical News International (World Student Christian Federation), http://www.wscfglobal.org/showStoryMediaArchive.php?id=13 
4. ^ Ariyoshi, Koji (June 26, 1958), "A Japanese Christian's Views", Honolulu Record 10 (48): 8, http://www.hawaii.edu/uhwo/clear/HonoluluRecord/articles/v10n48/A%20Japanese%20Christians%20Views.html .
5. ^ Townsend, Tim (Fall 2002), "Alumni profile: Tracing Christian Influences in Japan – Masao Takenaka", Spectrum (Yale Divinity School): 34, http://www.yale.edu/divinity/publications/SpecF02.alumniprofiles.pdf .
6. ^ Masao Takenaka, YDS alumnus and ecumenical leader, dead at 80, Yale Divinity School, http://www.yale.edu/divinity/news/060829_news_takenaka.shtml .
7. ^ Kim, Sebastian C. H. (2008), Christian Theology in Asia, Cambridge University Press, p. 125, ISBN 9780521681834, http://books.google.com/books?id=hXh3iq94MWIC&pg=PA125 .

Persondata
Name	Takenaka, Masao
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	June 9, 1925
Place of birth
Date of death	August 17, 2006
Place of death