October 8, 2008

To our Friends and Supporters:

Greetings to you from the “Land of the Rising Sun” in the name of the “Risen Son!” We’ve had a busy summer at the Buraku Liberation Center, beginning with a three-day national conference that’s held every other year. This time, we met in Okayama, about two and a half hours by train to the west of us. With over 200 in attendance, it was our most successful conference to date.

Ishikawa showing his calligraphy.

Among the participants was Kazuo Ishikawa, the buraku man who was framed for a murder in 1963 and spent many years on death row before being conditionally paroled in 1994. He gave a moving presentation describing how a prison guard took an interest in him and taught him to read and write. The guard later said that he recognized that Ishikawa could not possibly be the real culprit, since he was functionally illiterate. After all, the murdered girl had been kidnapped, and a neatly written ransom note received—something Ishikawa couldn’t have done himself.

The guard encouraged Ishikawa to learn writing skills so that he could appeal and prove his innocence. We were all inspired to hear how this prison guard helped Ishikawa, including doing things that could have gotten him into a trouble, such as smuggling in writing paper and pencils. Likewise, he spent practically every morning for eight years tutoring Ishikawa. Normally, such guards are frequently transferred and stay in one place for four years at most. But this guard appealed to his superiors to let him remain in charge of Ishikawa, and he was able to extend his tenure at that prison. When Ishikawa was finally paroled, one of the first things he did was to find this guard and thank him. He found that the man was then the administrative head of a prison, and they were able to renew their friendship. The former guard invited Ishikawa to various events, including his own daughter’s wedding, where he introduced Ishikawa as an honored guest and had him give an extemporaneous speech.

The guard later told Ishikawa that two of his relatives were so incensed that he had asked Ishikawa to speak that they had declared they didn’t want to associate with him anymore. That was “good riddance” as far as he was concerned, he said. Their reaction, he said, was not based on Ishikawa’s having been in prison but that he was of buraku descent. It was a great encouragement to us all to know that a decent prison official had done so much to help, even at personal risk. The utter injustice of the conviction was clear to him from the start, and he was willing to step in to do what he could to support Ishikawa as an individual and also to support the cause of justice in bringing an end to discrimination.

Those of you on our email list will soon receive the latest “Crowned With Thorns” newsletter, which includes an appeal to send letters to the Japanese court and the prosecutor’s office to grant a retrial. It is important to keep the pressure on, and pressure from overseas is particularly effective in moving recalcitrant officials. Those of you not on the list can view it on our PC(USA) home page or on the “konkyo” Web site. We also have posted Tim’s paper on the history of buraku discrimination so that you can get a sense of how this form of discrimination began and why it has so stubbornly remained.

One bit of exciting news is the announcement of the rebuilding of the Yodogawa Christian Hospital, where Tim is a board member. The city of Osaka recognizes the importance of the hospital, and in order keep it from moving elsewhere, they have agreed to sell YCH a prime piece of land at a bargain price. It is really the only adequate land available in the area and will be ideal for the rebuilding of the hospital. The plot is 1.7 times the present total area YCH now has (which is divided up into several lots separated by other buildings), and being in one large plot right next to a train station, the new location will allow YCH to really develop a state-of-the-art facility that will not only be more efficient to operate but will also allow YCH to expand its services.

Tim translating for Hugh Ross last year at YCH chapel.

The present operation can continue unobstructed during the construction period. Construction can begin this year, and completion is expected within four years. The cost will be huge, but the finances are in place, and the outlook for loan repayment within a reasonable time frame looks promising. We are imagining the improvements we would like to see, such as a larger chapel. The present one is often jammed with 200 people, many of them standing in the back during the 15-minute morning chapels. Tim has spoken there several times and is scheduled again in November. We’d like to see the new hospital have space for at least 400 seats.

As for family news, Jennifer is now in Florence, Italy, where she is studying art. Her program runs through next April, and she’ll return to Japan in May, shortly before we return from our home assignment. She is seeking guidance as to how best to utilize her new skills in the service of God, and so please do remember her in your prayers, along with your prayers for us and our future work.

Love,

Tim and Juji Boyle

The 2008 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 104