In accordance with the 1939 Religious Organizations Law, Christian churches were required to comply with conditions set by the Ministry of Education in order to receive official recognition or legal status.
[2] With the establishment of religious freedom by the Allied occupation forces in 1946, many groups left the Kyōdan to reestablish their prewar denominational identities.
He became attracted to Christianity as a young man as a result of attending the Bible lectures of Uchimura Kanzō, the well-known founder of the Nonchurch movement.
After his conversion, he attended a Nonchurch Bible study group led by Takeshi Fujii, one of Uchimura's disciples, for a period of five years (1925–1930).
[5] Founded in 1946 by Ōtsuki Takeji, The Holy Ecclesia of Jesus is a movement aimed at recovering apostolic Christianity and entrusted with a special mission regarding the nation of Israel in these "last days."
Indeed, to this day Ōtsuki refers to Nakada as his teacher and great prophet, adding that before meeting him he had understood nothing of the Bible's teaching's regarding personal sanctification, the restoration of Israel, and the Second Coming of Christ.
[6] The founder of the Okinawa Christian Gospel, Nakahara Masao, had moved to Kyoto and enrolled in a professional school in order to obtain credentials as a radiologist.
In 1977 an experience of divine healing and revelation from God led him to resign from his position as an X-ray technician to devote the remainder of his life to evangelistic work.
His independent Christian fellowship grew rapidly and in less than twenty years had six branch churches, two mission outreach centers, and a membership of approximately 1,500.
Matsumura initially called his movement the One Heart Association but in 1907 renamed it to the "Church of Japan", to create a new Japanese Christianity independent of Western control.
In sharp contrast to Protestant missionary policy, the Christ Heart Church allow its members to maintain the traditional Buddhist altar in the home.
The Spirit of Jesus Church was organized before the Pacific War by Murai Jun, and named in accordance with a 'heavenly vision' he reportedly received in 1941.
It is the aim of the Original Gospel movement, Teshima explains, to join in Jesus' mission to restore this true humanity to all people.
Following a one-year period of study in Israel as a Makuya member, Imahashi returned to Japan in 1964 and began his ministry as an evangelist under the direction of Teshima Ikuro.