Keisai Aoki

Keisai Aoki (青木恵哉, Aoki Keisai, April 8, 1893-March 6, 1969) was a Japanese missionary who virtually paved the way to the establishment of Hansen's disease sanatorium Kunigami-Airakuen, Okinawa, now Okinawa Airakuen Sanatorium, Japan. At age 16 he developed leprosy and later, under the leadership of Hannah Riddell, he helped people with leprosy in Okinawa.

Early history and Hannah Riddell

Kesaie Aoki was born in Tokushima Prefecture on April 8, 1893. His real name was Yasujiro Aoki. At age 16 he developed leprosy and everything did not help, including the pilgrimage of 88 holy places of Shikoku (at that time it was believed to be of help). In 1916 he entered the Oshima Leprosarium and was baptized in 1918. He helped with missionary work, and he sent a letter to Hannah Riddell since he was worried about women's temptation. At Kusatsu, he met Hannah who was vacationing there and decided to go to Hannah's Kaishun Hospital. He helped with missionary work. He cherished affection for Aiko Tamaki, and this worried him because this was against the Riddell's policy of sex segregation. He decided to go to Okinawa on missinary work at the strong suggestion of Riddell.^{[citation needed]}

Okinawa and Okinawa Airakuen Sanatorium

With missionary Arato, he discovered people with leprosy living in caves or other places, first on Iejima Island, and later on Mainland Okinawa, and gave clothes and food and prayed. Angry people were hard on them. At one place, village people burned down the shabby houses of people with leprosy. 40 people had to live in a small island called Jalma Island. Later they landed at Yagaji Island and their land became the Kunigami (Later Okingawa) Airakuen Sanatorium Okinawa Airakuen Sanatorium in 1938. In 1957, he became an official missionary of Okinawa Seikokai(Episcopal Church). On March 6, 1969, he died of myocardial infarction.

Haiku

He composed many short poems (haiku):

Itamihete Shinjutonarinu Kaino Haru

A pearl is produced, through pains, let's congratulate the shellfish, the season is spring.

Saishinaki　Ichidaishinto Ochibafuru

Dead leaves fall On a Christian Without Wife and Children

Koetekite, Hone o Uzumuru, Hito Ha kana

Coming over to Okinawa, I am like a leaf, my bones will be buried here.

Leprosy situation in Okinawa before Aoki

It had been known that among prefectures, leprosy was most thickly distributed in Okinawa　Prefecture in 1925, 1935 and 1940. The Okinawa Government was inconsistent concerning the building of leprosariums. In 1931, Miyako Hoyoen Sanatorium was established in Miyako Island, but opposition was strong in Okinawa mainland. Rioting and burning of houses of leprosy patients occurred. With the help of various organizations and Kensuke Mitsuda, Fumio Hayashi, the Kunigami Airakuen, now (Okinawa Airakuen Sanatorium) was established with the leadership of Keisai Aoki.^[1]

External links

• Photograph
• Barato Sumire No.27, (2009).in Japanese
• Aoki Keisai Dozo Jomaku Kinen (Statue Unveiling Ceremony)(2005) Okinawa Airakun Jichikai. in Japanese
• Hansen's disease policy(1999) Kazuo Saikawa Okinawaken Hansenbyo Yobo Kyokai. in Japanese
• Erabareta Shima(1972) Keisai Aoki, Shinkyo Shuppan Sha, Tokyo. in Japanese
• Aoki Keisai, Mission to Okinawa, Christian Book Room, Hong Kong, (a 352 page English translation of autobiography).
• 青木恵哉とその時代
• On the "Chosen island", abstract in English

References