by Keith E. Webb

In the 16th century, Christianity was introduced to Japan and quickly gained a wide acceptance. Much of the populace and several high-ranking political leaders throughout Japan turned to Christ in droves through the efforts of several dozen priests. Fifty years later a terrible persecution was carried out by the government in which tens of thousands of Japanese Christians were tortured and made to recant or were killed. Christianity was efficiently and effectively wiped out. Nearly three hundred years later Christianity was reintroduced, but despite more than a hundred years of extensive missionary efforts, few Japanese are Christians today.

When I first heard of this as an undergraduate studying Japanese history and culture at the University of Washington, I was horrified and angered by the ruthless persecution of Christians in 17th century Japan. I was angry at the Tokugawa government that ordered it, local officials who carried it out, and had trouble understanding why God would allow it to happen. What I saw was the visible reality. In the years since then I’ve been able to discover the invisible spiritual reality.

Seeing History Through “Spiritual Eyes”

I would like to present a new way to examine this historical and visible reality. It’s no less frustrating to view these events through “spiritual eyes”—the battle was still lost—but it does provide a better view of the situation which may lead to breaking some of the spiritual strongholds that still exist today.

Mission leader John Dawson has correctly stated that “unless you understand biblical warfare you will be frustrated, angry, confused and ineffective in your ministry” (1989:70). Many godly Christians have given the best years of their lives to ministry in Japan, with relatively little spiritual fruit to show for it. Does the problem lie with the missionaries, the Japanese themselves, or is it something sinister, something unseen?

The Apostle Paul understood the unseen forces when he said, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 6:12). More workers, money or better methods will not help a situation that is the result of spiritual strongholds. Spiritual weapons must be used for this battle (2 Cor. 10:3, 4).

The enemy has deceived Japanese people into worshipping the creature rather than the creator (Rom. 1:18-23). He is currently blinding the minds of Japanese people “so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ” (2 Cor. 4:4). The deception used to blind people to the truth is called a “stronghold” (2 Cor. 10:4). New Testament scholar Clinton Arnold explains that in the original context a stronghold is a demonically inspired teaching meant to lead believers away from God (1997:55). Others such as C. Peter Wagner, take a broader view and think of strongholds as “a place where the devil and his forces are entrenched” (1992:64). Whether a stronghold is a philosophical teaching or a physical place empowered by the enemy, the result is the same—blindness to the gospel.

The enemy is not evenly distributed over the planet. Some places and peoples, like Japan, seem to exhibit more “blindness” to the gospel than others. George Otis Jr. attempts to explain this phenomena through the illustration of spiritual “beachheads” that were developed by previous generations. Authority, he says, is given to the enemy when “human beings welcome evil spirits to dwell among them” (1991:89). Demons take this authority and then influence “the ways of this world” (Eph. 2:2) to keep people from seeing the truth of the Gospel. In the case of Japan, the very spiritual character of the people was changed.

Otis further develops his explanation for why spiritual darkness lingers where it does with three other factors. First, the nature of the evil spirits involved. Second, the amount of time the pact has been in force. The longer the more difficult to get rid of. Third, the extent that succeeding generations honor the pact. This is usually through religious festivals and pilgrimages, cultural traditions, syncretism, and unresolved social injustices (1997:200).

Spiritual strongholds have been developed in Japan by giving authority to the enemy, and they can be broken by taking that authority back. Research is necessary to understand the historical events that established the spiritual strongholds in the first place. Then Christians can pray specifically with this information to weaken or break the strongholds that blind the minds of Japanese people.

Strongholds have the potential to be redeemed by the Lord and used for His glory. Wrong teachings and world views influenced by the enemy can be corrected by the Holy Spirit and be used to lead people toward a right understanding of God. This is called a redemptive gift.

This study will briefly examine the invisible spiritual reality behind the rise of the Tokugawa dynasty, the 17th century persecution of Christians, and most importantly, the demonic welcome at Toshogu Shrine and the consequent spiritual strongholds that have been established and are still effectively holding the Japanese population in bondage. By identifying the strongholds and their background, it is my hope and prayer that they can be broken soon so that the redemptive gifts of this legacy can be put to use for millions of Japanese to come to faith.