Jesus in Japan

We were serious in that first bit; think about how many Japanese shows you've seen a character wearing a cross in, both live action and animated. Or think of all the times you've seen a shrine, or clothing line, or accessory that was more of a Western style memento mori (artistic or symbolic reminder of death; memento mori is rooted in a combination of classical antiquities and Christianity and has been shown in funerary art and architecture since the medieval period) than its own "individual style." You should be picturing gothic style, both classic and modern.

Anyway, the Christian imagery goes deeper than that in Japan, there is an alleged tomb of Jesus in Japan as well in Shingo, Aomori. Shingo village alleges that it has the residence of the last of Jesus' descendants-the Sajiro Sawaguchi family. Allegedly, Jesus did not die on the cross in Israel and instead his brother took his place on the cross as Jesus escaped across Siberia to the Mutsu Province in northern Japan. Once in Japan, Jesus then changed his name to Torai Tora Daitenku and became a garlic farmer and married a woman with whom he fathered three daughters. The eldest daughter is said to have married into the Sawaguchi family, which has since claimed to hold a direct lineage to Jesus. Allegedly, upon his death, Jesus was buried in the village and his brother's ear and a lock of his mother's hair were buried in the mound next to his.

Historically speaking, this doesn't quite make sense as the journey from Israel to Japan is more than 5,000 miles and there's a bit of ocean in between which would have taken more than half a year to travel. Not to mention, this would require travel through unfamiliar climates, as several countries between Japan and Israel are known for their brutal winters, which isn't really something that happens in desert areas. If you decide to chance international travel and you make it to Shingo, Aomori there is a Christian church that has been repurposed into a Legend of Christ Museum that might be worth visiting if for nothing else to understand the legend of Jesus trekking and dying in Japan. This museum also happens to be a point of tourism for Shingo, so there's likely other things to do in the area if some of your party isn't interested in the mystery of Jesus Christ in Japan.

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