Japan Church Records

For information about records for non-Christian religions in Japan, go to the Religious Records page.

For records on Japanese Buddhists, see Buddhist Records.

Online Records-Limited

 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms, Japan, index and images, ($)


 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages, Japan, index and images, ($)


 * British Armed Forces and Overseas Deaths and Burials, index and images, ($)

Historical Background
Christianity, in the form of Catholicism, was introduced into Japan by Jesuit missions starting in 1549. These missionaries were successful in converting large numbers of people in Kyushu, including peasants, former Buddhist monks, and members of the warrior class. In 1559, a mission to the capital, Kyoto, was started. By the following year there were nine churches, and the Christian community grew steadily in the 1560s. By 1569 there were 30,000 Christians and 40 churches. Following the conversion of some lords in Kyushu, mass baptisms of the local populations occurred, and in the 1570s the number of Christians rose rapidly to 100,000. Near the end of the 16th century, Franciscan missionaries arrived in Kyoto, despite a ban issued by Toyotomi Hideyoshi. In 1597, Hideyoshi proclaimed a more serious edict and executed 26 Franciscans in Nagasaki as a warning. Tokugawa Ieyasu and his successors enforced the prohibition of Christianity with several further edicts, especially after the Shimabara Rebellion in the 1630s. Many Christians continued to practice in secret. In 1873, following the Meiji Restoration, the ban was rescinded, freedom of religion was promulgated, and Protestant missionaries began to proselytize in Japan, intensifying their activities after World War II. Today, there are 1 to 3 million Christians in Japan, most of them living in the western part of the country, where the missionaries' activities were greatest during the 16th century. Nagasaki Prefecture has the highest percentage of Christians: about 5.1% in 1996. As of 2007 there are 32,036 Christian priests and pastors in Japan. All major traditional Protestant denominations are present in the country, including Baptists, Pentecostals, Lutherans, Anglicanism, Methodists, Presbyterians, Mennonites, the Salvation Army and some others.

Information Recorded in the Records
Different denominations, different time periods, and practices of different record keepers will effect how much information can be found in the records. This outline will show the types of details which might be found (best case scenario):

Baptisms
In Catholic and Anglican records, children were usually baptized a few days after birth, and therefore, the baptism record proves date of birth. Other religions, such as Baptists, baptized at other points in the member's life. Baptism registers might give:

Marriages
Marriage registers can give:

Burials
Burial registers may give:

Digital Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog
Watch for digitized copies of church records to be added to the collection of the FamilySearch Library. Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a Family History Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations. To find records:
 * a. Click on the [COUNTRY LINK records of Japan].
 * b. Click on Places within Japan and a list of towns will appear.
 * c. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.
 * d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.
 * e. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record. FHL icons.png. The magnifying glass indicates that the record is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the records.

Writing for Records
You will probably need to write to or email the national archives, the diocese, or local parish priests to find records. See French Letter Writing GuideLetter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters.

Writing to a Local Parish
To locate the mailing address or e-mail address for a local parish, consult:
 * The Catholic Directory: Japan

Online Records
Online church information is available to current members, deceased members, and immediate family members who are still living. Sign in to FamilySearch and then select Family Tree in the drop-down menu.

Writing for Records

 * [ Google Maps search results for Anglican churches in Japan]

Writing for Records

 * [ Google Maps search results for Baptist churches in Japan]

Writing for Records

 * [ Google Maps search results for Eastern Orthodox churches in Japan]

Writing for Records

 * [ Google Maps search results for Jehovah's Witnesses churches in Japan]

Writing for Records

 * [ Google Maps search results for Lutheran churches in Japan]

Writing for Records

 * [ Google Maps search results for Mennonite churches in Japan]

Writing for Records

 * [ Google Maps search results for Methodist churches in Japan]

Writing for Records

 * [ Google Maps search results for Presbyterian churches in Japan]

Writing for Records

 * [ Google Maps search results for Reformed churches in Japan]

Writing for Records

 * [ Google Maps search results for Salvation Army churches in Japan]

Writing for Records

 * [ Google Maps search results for United Church of Christ churches in Japan]