Hiizu (Hide) Kuniya was one of the earliest Japanese Seventh-day Adventist ministers. The start of Adventist work in Korea began in 1904 when Kuniya shared the Sabbath truth with two Korean Christians. He later went to Korea and was ordained as one of the first Japanese Adventist ministers.
Hiizu (Hide) Kuniya was one of the earliest Japanese Seventh-day Adventist ministers.
Hiizu Kuniya was born in Japan in 1872. When he turned twenty, he was called for military service.
In the military, he was led to become a Christian through the influence of a friend. Then he met an intern military doctor named Mokutarou Kawasaki. Kawasaki attended English Bible studies presented by William Calhoun Grainger, the first official Seventh-day Adventist missionary to Japan. Kawasaki invited Kuniya to attend the studies with him.
Kuniya accepted the invitation. Studying the Bible fervently, he became convinced that the Adventist message was the biblical truth and that Jesus was coming soon. Soon, he and Kawasaki were baptized.
Following his baptism, Kuniya became engaged in outreach. He preached on the street, began colporteuring, and helped with the editorial work of the first Seventh-day Adventist Japanese language periodical.
In the summer of 1900, Kuniya supported the opening of the small “Kobe Sanitarium,” for poor Japanese people. This led the way for a church to be planted. According to Kuniya, although the establishment of the church had growing pains, for a while it was the center of the Japanese missionary work.
In 1904, Kuniya met two Korean Christians. He told them about the seventh-day Sabbath, and they accepted the biblical truth and were baptized. This became the first Adventist work for Korean people. Kuniya went to Korea and engaged in the missionary work there. In 1907, he was ordained and became one of the first Seventh-day Adventist Japanese official ministers.
Kuniya attended the 1909 General Conference Session and reported about his ministry and experience in Japan.
Like the apostle Paul, Kuniya had a conviction that it was his mission to proclaim the gospel in unreached places. While doing colporteur work, he established churches in many Japanese cities.
In 1918 Kuniya was called to advance the missionary work in Tokyo. As a result of his ministry, the church grew significantly in this capital city. During World War II, the police arrested 42 Japanese Seventh-day Adventists, including Kuniya. He was incarcerated for about six months when it was discovered he had both kidney and heart disease and was sent to a hospital. Fortunately, he recovered from his health ailments. Kuniya was exempted from prosecution and went free. After the war, he immediately began visiting scattered believers and seekers in local regions to encourage them.
Pastor Hiizu Kuniya died in 1962. His faithful service to God laid a solid foundation for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Japan.
For more stories about pioneer missionaries, visit encyclopedia.adventist.org.
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