Hiroshi Fukunishi

HIROSHI FUKUNISHI

Every year, about the end of November and the beginning of December, the Japanese ice breaker, the SHIRAZ would call in at Fremantle, Western Australia, en route to taking scientists and supplies to the Japanese research station MIZUHO STATKW in Antarctica.

Every year I would be invited, as Senior Chaplain of the Missions to Seafarers, to a drinks party on board the ship. It was not something I looked forward to since the crew’s knowledge of English was as good as my knowledge of Japanese, and so for a couple of hours we would stand and bow to one another with a wide grin on our faces.

However, in 1986 I was delighted to meet Hiroshi Fukunishi, a Japanese scientist and deputy leader of the expedition. What was more memorable was that he was a Christian, and an Anglican one! When I tell you Christians represent about I% of the population, you realise how unique this was. He had a wife and two children back in Tokyo.

Unfortunately, he remembered me from two years earlier shortly after he had been confirmed in Tokyo, and he had made his communion at the seafarers centre the evening before he sailed. (Incidentally, we always celebrated the Eucharist at 7pm on a Sunday evening since seafarers are usually otherwise occupied on board their ships in the morning.) I recalled the occasion, but alas did not recognise him.

Since he had a previous engagement on the Sunday evening, I arranged to pick him up from his ship at 7.30am and take him to St Christopher's, Bicton, where I was preaching. After the service he met many of the parishioners, some of whom were members of the 100 plus volunteers who helped to make the seafarers' centre a home from home.

Later that day, he had lunch with my wife and two sons. He asked for a copy of An Australian Prayer Book, and I also gave him a copy of the Bible in Japanese. These would be his spiritual support for the next year, since he would be the only practising Christian at the base. The next time he would receive Holy Communion would be some fourteen months later in Tokyo.

I was reminded of Hiroshi when I came across a letter which he wrote to me, just before he sailed. He wrote:

‘Dear Reverend Ranson,

A merry Christmas to you. Thank you very much for your kind hospitality. I will never forget your nice family. I was deeply moved by the Holy Communion service at St Christopher’s Anglican Church. I will devote myself for the scientific projects in Antarctica. I look forward to seeing you again.

Sincerely yours, Hiroshi.’

I fear we often take the existence of the Christian Church for granted, and the opportunity to worship regularly with fellow Christians.

However, this is not so for some of our brothers and sisters in Christ such as Hiroshi.

Today there are pockets of Christians who feel very isolated, especially in Muslim dominated countries, where they cannot always openly practise their faith. Pray for them, that they may be strengthened.