JAPAN
JAPAN
A first attempt to introduce Catholicism in Japan started in 1549 when St. Francis Xavier (1506 - 1552) was given permission to preach in the country. Supported by members of the nobility - like the major warlord Oda Nobunaga (1534 - 1582) - his mission work and that of his successors met with some results and in 1588 the importance of the catholic community justified the erection of a separate Japanese diocese of Funai (until 16..). This first period came to an end in the early 17th century as a consequence of the anti-Portuguese and anti-Catholic politics of the Tokugawa Shoguns who had seized power in 1603 : in 1612 Catholicism was outlawed and as a consequence of several ensuing presecutions only a handfull of hidden communities - the so-called Kakure Kurishitan - without contact with the outer world survived after 1640. Modern mission work began in 1844 when French missionaries started working on the Ryukyu islands (at the moment not a part of Japan) and decided to use them also as a base for renewed activities in Japan itself. This reulted in the creation of the Apostolic Vicariate of Japan in 1846. Their work had very little results until the signing of the "opening treaties" of 1858, when freedom of religion was granted to foreigners living in Japan. The last persecution of Japanese Catholics toke place in 1870 and in 1873 they were also granted freedom of religion. Vicars Apostolic 1846 - 1852 Théodore Augustin Forcade, Titular Bishop of Samos in the Provincia Insularum (1) 1816 - 1885 1853 - 1854 Charles Emile Colin 1812 - 1854 1854 - 1866 none Superiors of the Japanese Mission 1854 - 1857 none 1857 - 1866 Prudence Séraphin Barthélemy Girard 1821 - 1867 1866 Louis Théodore Furet 1816 - 1900 1866 - 1876 Bernard Thadée Petitjean, Titular Bishop of Myriophytos in Thracia I 1829 - 1884 (1) He was also appointed Pro-Prefect Apostolic of Hong Kong in 1847 (until 1850) and thereafter he showed very little interest for the Japanese area. __________________________________________________________________________________TOKYO
In 1876 the Apostolic Vicariate was divided into two new vicariates : - Northern Japan (covering the northern part of the island Honshu and Hokkaido) - Southern Japan (covering the southern part of the island Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku and the Ryukyu) Later two other vicariates were detached : - Central Japan in 1888 (covering the southern part of Honshu and Shikoku) - Hakodate in 1891 (covering the extreme north of Honshu and Hokkaido) In 1891 the missionary hierarchy was replaced by a regular one, with Tokyo as the metrpopolitan see. The western incumbents of the sees were gradually replaced by Japanese from 1927 onwards. Vicar Apostolic of Northern Japan 1876 - 1891 Pierre Marie Osouf, Titular Bishop of Arsinoë in Arcadia 1829 - 1906 Archbishops of Tokyo (In Japanese the family names are given first) 1891 - 1906 Pierre Marie Osouf s.a. 1906 - 1910 Pierre Xavier Mugabure 1850 - 1910 1910 - 1912 François Bonne 1855 - 1912 1912 - 1926 Jean-Pierre Rey 1858 - 1930 1927 - 1937 Jean-Baptiste Alexis Chambon 1875 - 1948 1937 - 1970 Doi Peter Tatsuo 1892 - 1970 SUFFRAGANS FUKUOKA The Diocese of Fukuoka was detached from Nagasaki (s.b.) in 1927. Bishops 1927 - 1930 Fernand Jean Joseph Thiry 1884 - 1930 1931 - 1941 Albert Henri Charles Breton 1882 - 1954 1941 - 1944 none Apostolic Administrator 1941 - 1944 Fukahori Dominic Senemon 1894 - 1976 1944 - 1969 Fukahori Dominic Senemon s.a. HIROSHIMA The Vicariate Apostolic of Hiroshima was detached from Osaka (s.b.) in 1923. Vicars Apostolic 1923 - 1927 Heinrich Döring, Titular Archbishop of Madytus in Europa 1859 - 1951 1928 - 1940 Johannes Ross, Titular Bishop of Tabala in Lydia 1875 - 1969 1940 - 1959 none Apostolic Administrator 1940 - 1959 Ogihara Aloysius Akira NAGASAKI The Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Japan was established in 1876. What remained of it after the creation of the Apostolic Vicariate of Central Japan in 1888 became the Diocese of Nagasaki in 1891. Vicars Apqsotolic of Southern Japan 1876 - 1884 Bernard Thadée Petitjean, Titular Bishop of Myriophytos in Thracia I, before Vicar Apostolic of Japan s.a. 1884 - 1885 none Administrator 1884 - 1885 Joseph Marie Laucaigne, Titular Bishop of Apollonia in ... 1838 - 1885 1885 - 1891 Jules Alphonse Cousin, Titular Bishop of Acmonia in Phrygia Pacaziana I 1842 - 1911 Bishops of Nagasaki 1891 - 1911 Jules Alphonse Cousin s.a. 1912 - 1926 Jean-Claude Combaz 1856 - 1926 1927 - 1937 Hayasaka Januarius Kyunosuke 1883 - 1959 1937 - 1959 Yamaguchi Paul Aijiro 1894 - 1976 OSAKA The Apostolic Vicariate of Central Japan was detached from Southern Japan in 1888. It became the Diocese of Osaka in 1891. Vicar Apostolic of Central Japan 1888 - 1891 Félix Nicolas Joseph Midon, Titular Bishop of Caesaropolis in Macedonia II 1840 - 1893 Bishops of Osaka 1891 - 1893 Félix Nicolas Joseph Midon s.a. 1893 - 1896 Henri Caprais Vasselon 1854 - 1896 1896 - 1917 Jules Auguste Chatron 1844 - 1917 1918 - 1940 Jean-Baptiste Castanier 1877 - 1943 1940 - 1969 Taguchi Paul Yoshigoro 1902 - 1978 SAPPORO In 1915 most of Hokkaido island was detached from the diocese of Hokadate (s.b.) and organized into a separate Apostolic Prefecture, which also included Karafuto (until 1932). In 1929 Sapporo was elevated to the rank of a Vicariate Apostolic. Prefect Apostolic 1915 - 1929 Wenceslaus Kinold 1871 - 1952 Vicars Apostolic 1959 - 1940 Wenceslaus Kinold, Titular Bishop of Panemotichus in Pamphylia s.a. 1940 - 1952 none Apostolic Administrators 1940 - 1944 Toda Lawrence Tatewaki 1944 - 1952 Seno Augustine Isamu SENDAI Hakodate was detached from the Apostolic Vicariate of Northern Japan as a separate vicariate in 1891, but became a diocese later in the same year. Its jurisdiction also extended over Hokkaido and Karafuto (since 1905 - s.b.) until 1915. It was renamed Sendai in 1936. Vicar Apostolic 1891 Alexandre Berlioz, Titular Bishop of Calynda in Lycia (became bishop of Hakodate before he was actually consecrated) 1852 - 1929 Bishops 1891 - 1927 Alexandre Berlioz s.a. 1927 - 1936 none Apostolic Administrators 1927 - 1931 Alfred Joseph Wood 1931 - 1936 André Dumas 1936 - 1941 Marie Joseph Lemieux 1902 - 1994 1941 - 1954 Urakawa Michael Wasaburo 1876 - 1955 YOKOHAMA The Diocese of Yokohama was detached from the Archdiocese of Tokyo in 1937. Bishops 1938 - 1940 Jean-Baptiste Alexis Chambon, with the personal title of Archbishop s.a. 1940 - 1945 none Apostolic Administrators 1940 - 1944 Ideguchi Joachim Miyoichi 1944 - 1945 Toda Lawrence Tatewaki s.a. __________________________________________________________________________________KAGOSHIMA
The Apostolic Prefecture of Kagoshima was detached from the Diocese of Nagasaki in 1927. Its jurisdiction also extended over the Ryukyu archipelago. Prefects Aposrolic 1927 - 1936 Egide Marie Roy 1894 - 1947 1936 - 1940 none Apostolic Administrator 1936 - 1940 Yamaguchi Paul Aijiro, Bishop of Nagasaki (1937) s.a. 1940 - 1955 Ideguchi Francis Ichitaro 1... - 1955 __________________________________________________________________________________KARAFUTO
Karafuto - the southern part of Sakhalin island annexed to Japan in 1905 - was part of the Diocese of Hakodate until 1915, when it was transferred to the Prefecture Apostolic of Sapporo. In 1932 Karafuto was detached from Sapporo and became an independent mission area (Mission "Sui Iuris") before becoming an Apostolic Prefecture of its own in 1938. Administrator 1934 - 1938 Wenceslaus Kinold, Vicar Apostolic of Sapporo Prefects Apostolic 1938 - 1941 Felix Herrmann 1941 - 2... none Apostolic Administrators 1941 - 1944 Toda Lawrence Tatewaki, Apostolic Administrator of Sapporo s.a. 1944 - 1952 Seno Augustine Isamu, Apostolic Administrator of Sapporo s.a. __________________________________________________________________________________KYOTO
The Apostolic Prefecture of Kyoto was detached from the Diocese of Osaka in 1937. Prefects Apostolic 1937 - 1940 Patrick Joseph Byrne 1888 - 1950 1940 - 1951 Furuya Paul Yoshiyuki 1900 - 1976 __________________________________________________________________________________MIYAZAKI
In 1928 part of the Diocese of Fukuoka was organized into the independent mission area (Mission "sui iuris") of Miyakazi (now Oita). It became an Apostolic Prefecture in 1935. Superior of the Mission 1928 - 1935 Vincenzo Cimatti 1879 - 1965 Prefects Apostolic 1935 - 1940 Vincenzo Cimatti s.a. 1940 - 1961 none Apostolic Administrator 1940 - 1945 Ideguchi Francis Ichitaro, Prefect Apostolic of Kagoshima s.a. __________________________________________________________________________________NAGOYA
The Apostolic Prefecture of Nagoya was established in 1922 out of parts of the Archdiocese of Tokyo and of the Apostolic Prefecture of Niigata (s.b.) Prefects Apostolic 1922 - 1941 Josef Reiners, also Prefect Apostolic of Niigata 1912 - 1926 1941 - 1945 none Apostlic Administrator 1941 - 1945 Matsuoka Peter Magoshiro, also Prefect Apostolic of Niigata 1887 - 1980 __________________________________________________________________________________NIIGATA
The Apostolic Prefecture of Niigata was created in 1912 out of parts of the Diocese of Hakodate and of the Archdiocese of Tokyo. Prefects Apostolic 1912 - 1926 Josef Reiners s.a. 1926 - 1941 Anton Ceska 1941 - 1945 none Apostolic Administrator 1941 - 1945 Matsuoka Peter Magoshiro, also Prefect Apostolic of Nagoya s.a. __________________________________________________________________________________SHIKOKU
The Apostolic Prefecture of Shikoku (now Takamatsu) was established in 1904 out of parts of the Diocese of Osaka. Prefects Apostolic 1904 - 1931 José Maria Alvarez 1931 - 1935 Tomás de la Hoz 1935 - 1940 Modesto Perez 1940 - 1963 none Apostolic Administrator 1940 - 1963 Taguchi Paul Yoshigoro, Bishop of Osaka s.a. __________________________________________________________________________________URAWA
The Apostolic Prefecture of Ugawa (now Saitama) was created in 1939 out of parts of the Diocese of Yokohama. Prefects Apostolic 1939 - 1940 Ambrose Leblanc 1884 - 1959 1941 - 1945 none Apostolic Administrator 1941 - 1945 Uchino Paul Sakuzo
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