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Baptist Churches in Pre-WWII Imperial Japan

Tono Baptist Church, Iwate-ken (Add slide title [en])


Published: Jan. 9, 2011 Modified: April 11, 2025

One of the oldest Christian churches in Northern Japan.   Modeled after the Baptist church in Morioka.  American Baptist missionary Annie Buzzell is standing in front of the Tono Church.



Rev. and Mrs. Wada built a Baptist church in Tono Iwate-ken. The Tono Kindergarten became famous in the area and is still a popular school.   The church is still present today.


Rev. Wada worked closely with American Baptist Missionary and teacher Miss. Annie Buzzell.  Grandmother Mutsu was born in Tono in June 1911.


Rev. Sawano took over from the Wadas as the Wada family went over to Seoul Korea as Baptist missionaries.



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Baptists churches

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Baptist Churches in Pre-WWII Imperial Japan
This album highlights the Wada family Christian missionary work in Japan before 1930. The Wada family started and served at several churches in Northern Japan as well as the Tokyo and Hiroshima areas before the American Baptist Home Missi…
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