A native of Kumamoto, Japan, he was baptized as a Protestant at the age of fifteen, and soon afterwards joined the Nonchurch Movement started by Uchimura Kanzō.
Other religious figures that made a great impact upon Teshima's belief and religiosity include Toyohiko Kagawa, Sadhu Sundar Singh, and Martin Buber.
He fled to Mount Aso in central Kyūshū, where he stayed in an inn for a long period, the place he claims to have had a face-to-face encounter with God.
Despite his serious illness (terminal cirrhosis), Teshima organized, with 3,000 of his adherents, a campaign for Israel in front of the Diet building in Tokyo.
His unconditional love, devotion and support for Israel, which stemmed from his biblical faith is, to this day, carried on by the members of the Makuya movement.