Jesus in Japan

OK, I've heard that Jesus escaped to Paris now, Japan? Could he have gotten that far? Maybe the powers that be are hiding more than imagined.

I got it here...

Jesus in Japan
by Phillip Wood

It was not Jesus Christ who died on the cross, but his younger brother, Isukiri. Jesus escaped crucifixion by fleeing to a small village in northern Japan, where he married a local woman and lived until the age of 106.

These are some of the extraordinary claims made by the residents of Herai, the village that proclaims itself to be the final resting place of Jesus. The legend originated in the 1930s when Koma Takenouchi, a Shinto priest in Ibaraki Prefecture, discovered that he was in possession of an ancient family document that had incorporated into it the last will and testament of Jesus Christ.

The Takenouchi document, written entirely in archaic Japanese, alleged Jesus not only lived in Herai but also that two graves relating to him and his family could be found in the remote village. When Takenouchi realized the immense significance of his discovery, he subsequently visited the village with Banzan Toya, a researcher in ancient Japanese history.

Graves Located

With the aid of Denjiro Sasaki, the village mayor, they managed to track down the graves to two mounds in the Sawaguchi family cemetery. After translating the document into modern-day Japanese, Takenouchi and Toya were able to ascertain that the mound on the right, �Juraizuka,� belonged to Jesus and the mound on the left, �Judaibo,� contained the ears of his brother, Isukiri, and a lock of hair from their mother, the Virgin Mary.

While the Bible makes no mention of what Jesus did with his life between the ages of 21 and 33, the Takenouchi document provides a detailed explanation of what Jesus was up to during these �lost years.� According to Jesus�s will, known as �The Last Testament,� he first came to Japan during the reign of the Emperor Suinin when he was 21 and spent the next 12 years under the tutelage of a distinguished Japanese priest, studying the culture and religion of Japan. Some may instantly dismiss this notion as ridiculous; however, when compared to some of the other explanations that have been put forward to explain Jesus�s whereabouts during these missing years, such as visiting Tibet or living aboard a spaceship, the idea that he came to Japan at some point during this period doesn�t seem quite so absurd.

The Lost Years

The Last Testament tells us that after completing his studies, Jesus left Japan and returned to Judea to spread the word of God. Although devoted to preaching, Jesus never forgot about Japan and continued to speak about the �holy country� to his disciples and John the Baptist.

The story takes an even stranger turn when the details of Jesus�s return to Japan are described. The document states that after being condemned to death by Pontius Pilate, Jesus escaped to Siberia. It was his brother, Isukiri, who was crucified in his place.

After four years of suffering in Siberia, Jesus arrived at Alaska. From there, he took a boat to Hachinohe in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. Changing his name to Daitenku Taro Jurai, Jesus eventually settled 20 miles from Hachinohe in the rice fields of Herai. During this period, he married a Japanese woman named Miyuko, and the pair were blessed with three daughters. Although no longer preaching the word of God, the �long-nosed goblin,� as he was known, spent the remainder of his life traveling extensively around Japan endeavoring to save the common man.

Every week Herai manages to attract a number of curious day-trippers, all anxious to see the reputed �Tomb of Christ.� In order to see the spectacle, visitors must travel deep into the lonely Japanese countryside. It quickly becomes apparent why the Japanese regard northern Japan as the back of beyond. Save for the occasional house and grocery store, the entire area is given over to forests, garlic fields, and rice paddies. If Jesus did make it to Herai 2,000 years ago, then that achievement deserves to rank as his greatest miracle, since even today the place isn�t easy to find.

Graves of Jesus and Isukiri

Upon arriving at the specially designed Tomb of Christ parking lot, visitors must negotiate a small hill that enables them to enter a bamboo clearing. Once inside the clearing, a sign in Japanese and English gives a brief account of Jesus�s life in Japan after escaping the crucifixion. After reading the startling explanation for why Jesus�s remains happen to be located in the grounds, they are then invited to climb a dozen stone steps and are soon confronted by two four-foot-high wooden crosses. The crosses are surrounded by a white picket fence, and each of the graves has its own small basket that allows pilgrims to make offerings of flowers, coins, and sake (Japanese rice wine) to Jesus and his brother. This is certainly a modest resting place for the man responsible for the foundation of Christianity.

The graves of Jesus and Isukiri overlook a small museum that displays a copy of Jesus�s Last Testament and dedicates itself to the difficult task of showing the world irrefutable evidence proving that Herai�s outlandish claims are true.

Included among the museum exhibits are waxwork images of Jesus and his Japanese family. There is also a replica of what a house in Herai would have looked like at the time Jesus was said to have been living there. Inside the house, there is a waxwork of a baby with a cross painted on its forehead. Apparently, this unusual custom used to be carried out on all Herai�s newborn children before they left home for the first time. The practice was believed to protect an infant from evil. The museum claims that this custom originated in Judea and was introduced by Jesus himself, thus proving that Jesus must have lived there once.

Another local custom accredited to Jesus is the licking of the finger and the drawing of a cross on the forehead if one�s legs become numb through sitting. Supposedly, if this process is repeated three times, the numbness disappears. It�s even suggested that the name of the village (Herai) is based on the English word �Hebrew.� Even if we disregard Jesus�s inability to speak English, the fact still remains that the word �Hebrew� only came into use during the 16th century.

According to the museum, Herai�s traditional folk song, �Nanyadoyara� (sung annually on the first Sunday of June at the grave during the Christ Festival) doesn�t originate from Japan. This has been corroborated by Doctor of Divinity Eiji Kawamorita, who has been quoted as saying that �Nanyadoyara� is a �military song of ancient Judea, and it means to give glory to God in Hebrew.� However, Doctor Kunio Yanagida, a premier ethnologist, has offered a different interpretation of the song. He believes that the lyrics mean, �You must have nerve to express your heart� and that �Nanyadoyara� was a �love song in the local accent that appealed to members of the opposite sex.�

The Sawaguchi Family

Since the grave of Jesus is located in the Sawaguchi family cemetery, it is perhaps unsurprising to find that the family also plays an integral role in the story. Local legend has it that the foreign-looking Sawaguchi family are descendants of Jesus. In particular, the now deceased Sanjiro Sawaguchi was described by the author of Light from the East, Kikuko Yamane, as looking �exactly like the Jesus drawn in pictures.� Sanjiro�s photograph adorns the museum walls, and since the decidedly Japanese-looking Sanjiro doesn�t resemble any pictures of Jesus most Christians will be familiar with, one is left to contemplate what pictures (if any) of Jesus Yamane has seen. The final piece of evidence offered by the museum proving that the Sawaguchi family is descended from Jesus is the revelation that their family crest resembles the Star of David and can be seen outside their home.

When pressed about whether she believes the legend, the museum receptionist was diplomatic: �I have read a lot about the subject and believe the answer to be a mystery,� she smiled.

The legend wasn�t given as much credence by Kiyoe Iwadate, a first-time visitor, who gave a much more prosaic response. �I don�t think anyone actually believes the story is true. It�s a tourist attraction, a novel way of making money.� After pausing for a moment, she added, �It�s possible that somebody who was important a long time ago is buried here, but I doubt very much that it�s Jesus Christ.�

Assuming Jesus didn�t escape the crucifixion and died on the cross, there is still a mystery surrounding the tombs. Who or what is actually buried there? Explanations offered by locals vary from a Christian missionary to a rich Japanese landowner.

Philip Wood is a resident of Durham, England

I personally don't believe in Christian mythology but, I thought this was interesting. What do you think?

Very interesting but as it state at the end it is a legend and as a legend it loses credibility, you know the Jesus of Christianity is also a legend but that is a concept that most Christians will never accept.

Is that it is possible.

I've heard alot of different stories concerning Jesus not being crucified... some having him going to France with Mary of Magdaline, while others having him going to greater distances...

It's already 'known' that Jesus traveled through India (Lost Teachings of Jesus Christ), so I would guess Japan couldn't be that far off.

But what I was referring to when I said 'greater distances' was South America. When Jesus dies on the cross, the words he uttered were Mayan... and the fact that the Mayans had a Jesus figure as well, from curing sick, raising the dead... and even holes within his hands and feet (he also came from the Atlantic).

His name?

Depending on what you read, it is either Yt-Zamma or Itzamna. I used to have a cool link showing the pictographs of Itzamna... but can't find them (but they are on another thread).

Happy Hunting.

Originally posted by soothsayer


But what I was referring to when I said 'greater distances' was South America. When Jesus dies on the cross, the words he uttered were Mayan... and the fact that the Mayans had a Jesus figure as well, from curing sick, raising the dead... and even holes within his hands and feet (he also came from the Atlantic).

"Eli, Eli, Lama Sabatani."

do you have any evidence that this is mayan??? the bible clearly says that it is hebrew for "father, father, why have you forsaken me

great find. although legend will always remain legend until a solid evidence that can support it. and if this is true, ohhh boy, will mel gibson be hated even more