
Teruhiko Okohira
Photo courtesy of Japan Union Conference.
Okohira, Teruhiko Henry (1865–1939)
By Tadashi Ino
Tadashi Ino, Ph.D., was born in Tokyo, Japan. After working for a company as an engineer, he became a pastor and also served as a teacher and a chaplain. Currently, he works as a translator in the office of the Japan Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. The title of his doctoral dissertation is “Paul’s Use of Canonical and Noncanonical Wisdom Literature in Romans and the Corinthian Letters.”
First Published: April 13, 2022
Teruhiko Henry1 Okohira was one of the earliest Japanese Seventh-day Adventists, translator, teacher, pastor, administrator, and editor.
Early Life
Teruhiko Okohira was born on December 12, 1865, in Kagoshima, Japan, as the fifth son of Gendazaemon Okohira in an influential family in the region.2 After considering that it had become difficult to live as a Samurai, he entered Keio Gijuku, a famous private school in Tokyo, Japan. When he felt ill, he returned to his home.3 After his recovery he went to Kobe and Yokohama to study English.4 In 1886 or 1887, with an ambition to become a successful businessman, he left for the United States and entered California State Commercial School.5
On a certain day with friends, he was invited to a meal with a Christian family, and there he was deeply moved by kindness of a girl in that family.6 This became a cue to be interested in Christianity, and he finally converted to the Methodist faith in California.7 After knowing about his conversion, his family stopped sending him money as an allowance. In order to live by himself and to enter Moody Institute to become a minister, he worked at a hotel in the town of Paso Robles.8
In the summer of 1892, he fervently attended the camp meetings of the Southern California Seventh-day Adventist Church,9 directed by Professor H. F. Courter of Healdsburg College. He was associated with two students from the school. One of the young men was Herbert H. Dexter. He regularly went to Okohira’s room to teach the truth of the Bible. With another Japanese, Mr. Oyama, Okohira learned hard the Scriptures from Dexter.10
Before the meetings ended, Professor W. C. Grainger, president of Healdsburg College, visited the tent and met Okohira for the first time, who would be so closely associated with him for the rest of his life. Professor Grainger invited Okohira to enter his college and offered financial support.11 Okohira entered Healdsburg College and was baptized by Pastor R. S. Owen later that same fall.12 In June of 1894, near the end of his study, Okohira expressed a strong desire in a Friday evening vesper service for a volunteer to accompany him in taking the Adventist message to Japan. Although Pastor Grainger was absent at the meeting, Mrs. Elizabeth Grainger was there. She immediately responded to the appeal, and shortly after, Pastor Grainger willingly accepted it.13
Missionary Work in California and Japan
In 1893 while studying at Healdsburg College in accordance with the recommendation of the California Conference, with the help of Mr. and Mrs. E. L. Merrill, Okohira led in establishing “Kinmon Waei Gakko” (that means “Golden Gate Japanese-English School”) in San Francisco.14 Some students converted while Okohira was working there. This was the first Japanese fruits of the missionary work by him and Mr. and Mrs. Merrill.15 The school attracted many Japanese people and had a good reputation. Although other denominations were also running their school for Japanese people there, “Kinmon Waei Gakko” became the biggest in San Francisco in 1894, according to Merrill.16
On November 3, 1896, with W. C. Grainger, Okohira left for Japan under the General Conference appointment.17 Their ship was delayed due to bad weather and finally arrived at Yokohama Harbor on the 19th day of the same month.18 About that day, Okohira wrote, “This day is the first monumental day when the missionary of our church came for the ministry in Japan.”19
After careful observation and consideration, they selected Tokyo as the center of their mission and rented a small house in Azabu-ku Nishi-machi.20 As a translator, teacher, evangelist, and editor of Owari no Fukuin (Japanese The Signs of the Times), Okohira diligently worked with William C. Grainger.21 The strong interest and good reputation of Owari no Fukuin were reported by W. D. Burden,22 who was the second president of “Shiba Waei Seisho Gakko” (that means “Shiba Japanese-English Bible School”), which was the first Seventh-day Adventist educational institution in Japan.
On October 31, 1899, Okohira lost W. C. Grainger. His teacher’s death reinforced the reality that he became a pillar of the Seventh-day Adventists in Japan. In January of 1907, with Elder Hiizu Kuniya, he was ordained as a minister by Elder W. W. Prescott and became the first official Japanese minister of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.23 On August 14 of the same year, he married Aiko Ogata.24 They had four sons and two daughters.25
According to Kajiyama, Okohira was almost always working in the headquarters office of the Japanese Mission in Tokyo, except for his days as director of the West Mission Department from 1919 to 1930.26 Furthermore, he was pastor of Shiba Church, Sendagaya Church, and Amanuma Church in Tokyo.27 During his over thirty years in the headquarters, despite many business journeys, he mainly spent time as the chair of the Japan Publishing House as editor of Owari no Fukuin and other publications.28 Moreover, Okohira was president of the Japan San-iku Gakuin Girls’ School.29 He served as a delegate to the General Conference sessions of 1913 and 1936.30
From the end of January 1939, he went as a delegate to the publishing meeting in Singapore, held in conjunction with the Far Eastern Division committee meeting.31 At that time his pancreas cancer became advanced. After returning from the meeting, he was immediately placed in the hospital.32 However, two days later he preached in the Seventh-day Adventist Kobe Church, and the audience was deeply moved.33
He breathed his last at noon of December 8, 1939.34 At the Seventh-day Adventist Amanuma Church, his funeral was held on December 10. It was conducted by Elder Shirou Ogura.35 Okohira was buried in the Tama Cemetery in Tokyo.36 Since Okohira talked less about himself because of his character of taciturnity and condescension,37 there are few records about him. However, his presence and what he has done became the solid foundation of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Japan and the Japanese societies in the United States.
Sources
Armstrong, V. T. “Reminiscences: From the Sunrise Kingdom.” The Youth’s Instructor, October 19, 1937.
Armstrong, V. T. “Reminiscences: From the Sunrise Kingdom.” The Youth’s Instructor, October 26, 1937.
Armstrong, V. T. “Reminiscences: From the Sunrise Kingdom.” The Youth’s Instructor, November 2, 1937.
Armstrong, V. T. “Reminiscences: From the Sunrise Kingdom.” The Youth’s Instructor, November 9, 1937.
Baptist, Rick and Harold Kono. “Japanese Church History in Pacific Union.” Pacific Union Recorder, October 4, 1999.
Burden, W. D. “Japan.” The Missionary Magazine, April 1900.
General Conference Bulletin. Vol. 3 (July-September 1897).
Grainger, W. C. “Japan.” ARH, April 6, 1897.
Kajiyama, Tsumoru. Shimeini Moete: Nihon Sebunsudeadobenchisuto Kyoukaishi (The History of Japanese Seventh-day Adventist Church). Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan: Fukuinsha, 1982.
Kitabayashi, Satoshi. “Shinkou no Keishou: Watashi no Shiru So-Sofu, Okohira Teruhiko.” San-iku Hakobune 226 (Seventh-day Adventist Hiroshima San-iku Gakuin Christ Church Newsletter), November 26, 2011.
Kondou, Shigekazu. “Meijiishin to Okohira Teruhiko sensei.” In Hi no Hashira (The eightieth-anniversary issue of Seventh-day Adventist Kagoshima Church, 1991). Edited by Kagoshima Kyoukai.
“Ko Okohira Teruhiko Chourou no Ryakureki” (Biography of Teruhiko Okohira). A copy in the author’s private collection.
Kuniya, Hiizu (narrator) and Jiichi Yamamoto (editor). Arano wo Hiraku Hito. Tokyo, Japan: “Arano wo Hiraku Hito” Kankoukai, 1954.
Machida, Hidesaburou. “Nihon no Adobenchisuto Kyoukai niokeru Kikan no Yakuwari to sono Rekishi : 1 Kyouikukikan no Setsuritsu.” Adobenchisuto Raifu 101, no. 4 (April 2015).
Machida, Hidesaburou. “Nihon no Adobenchisuto Kyoukai niokeru Kikan no Yakuwari to sono Rekishi : 1 Kyouikukikan no Setsuritsu.” Adobenchisuto Raifu 101, no. 5 (May 2015): 16-19.
Machida, Hidesaburou. “Nihon no Adobenchisuto Kyoukai niokeru Kikan no Yakuwari to sono Rekishi : 1 Kyouikukikan no Setsuritsu.” Adobenchisuto Raifu 101, no. 6 (June 2015): 18-21.
Merrill, E. L. “The Golden Gate Japanese Mission School.” The Home Missionary, May 1894.
Okafuji, Yonezou. Kibou eno Ayumi: Sebunsudeadobenchisuto Kyoudan Nihon Senkyou Hyakunenshi. Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan: Fukuinsha, 2006.
Okohira, Teruhiko Henry. “Firstfruits and Beginnings in Japan.” Far Eastern Division Outlook, June 1932.
Owari no Fukuin 137 (February 1909).
Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia. Second revised edition. Hagerstown, MD: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1996. S.v. “Okohira, Teruhiko H.”
Notes
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For his middle name, see V. T. Armstrong, “Reminiscences: From the Sunrise Kingdom,” The Youth’s Instructor, October 19, 1937.↩
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“Ko Okohira Teruhiko Chourou no Ryakureki” (Biography of Elder Teruhiko Okohira), a copy in the author’s private collection.↩
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Ibid.↩
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Ibid.↩
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Ibid.; see also Tsumoru Kajiyama, Shimeini Moete: Nihon Sebunsudeadobenchisuto Kyoukaishi (The History of Japanese Seventh-day Adventist Church) (Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan: Fukuinsha, 1982), 566.↩
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For the story, see Satoshi Kitabayashi, “Shinkou no Keishou: Watashi no Shiru So-Sofu, Okohira Teruhiko,” San-iku Hakobune 226 (Seventh-day Adventist Hiroshima San-iku Gakuin Christ Church Newsletter), published by Communication Department, (November 26, 2011).↩
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Armstrong, 6.↩
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Ibid., 12.↩
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Teruhiko Henry Okohira, “Firstfruits and Beginnings in Japan,” Far Eastern Division Outlook, June 1932.↩
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Armstrong, 12.↩
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Ibid.↩
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Ibid.↩
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Kajiyama, 20, 565. See also Okohira, 3.↩
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“Ko Okohira Teruhiko Chourou no Ryakureki”; See also Rick Baptist and Harold Kono, “Japanese Church History in Pacific Union,” Pacific Union Recorder, October 4, 1999, 4; Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia, second revised edition (1996), s.v. “Okohira, Teruhiko H.”↩
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“Biography.”↩
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E. L. Merrill, “The Golden Gate Japanese Mission School,” The Home Missionary, May 1894, 103. For more information about The Golden Gate Japanese Mission School, see Hidesaburou Machida, “Nihon no Adobenchisuto Kyoukai niokeru Kikan no Yakuwari to sono Rekishi: 1 Kyouikukikan no Setsuritsu,” Adobenchisuto Raifu 101, no. 4 (April 2015): 18-21.↩
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W. C. Grainger, “Japan,” ARH, April 6, 1897, 220.↩
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Ibid.↩
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Okohira, “Reminiscence,” quoted in Kajiyama, 21.↩
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General Conference Bulletin, vol. 3 (July-Sept 1897); Owari no Fukuin 137 (February 1909): 9.↩
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For the details of the missionary work with W. C. Grainger in Japan, see the ESDA article about him.↩
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W. D. Burden, “Japan,” The Missionary Magazine, April 1900, 179.↩
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Kajiyama, 567.↩
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“Ko Okohira Teruhiko Chourou no Ryakureki.”↩
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Ibid.↩
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Kajiyama, 567, 568.↩
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Ibid., 568.↩
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Ibid.↩
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Ibid.↩
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Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia (1996), s.v. “Okohira, Teruhiko H.”↩
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“Ko Okohira Teruhiko Chourou no Ryakureki.”↩
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Kajiyama, 223.↩
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“Biography.”↩
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Ibid.; see also, Hiizu Kuniya (dictator) and Jiichi Yamamoto (writer), Arano wo Hiraku Hito (Tokyo, Japan: “Arano wo Hiraku Hito” Kankoukai, 1954), 114, 115; Kajiyama, 571.↩
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Ibid.↩
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Ibid.↩
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Nobuko Kitabayashi, a note to author, August 28, 2011.↩