BEPPU 1 September
2012 -- A week that has seen the death of
some
religious and Church 'greats' such as Cardinal Martini
(Italy), Fr Dino
Colussi (India, New Delhi Province), should not go by without
mention
of the passing of Fr Martino Akimoto, well-known amongst other
things
for his claim: 'Anch'io
Salesiano' (I'm a Salesian too! And yes, he did
speak some Italian). He is reputed to have been the
first
Japanese Salesian - he certainly was the first Japanese
Salesian
priest, and Fr (Monsignor, in fact) Cimatti's letters throw
some light
on the other claim.
Fr Akimoto was born on 11/11/1913 in Tokyo. He had been drawn
to the
early Salesian presence, which had begun in Kyushu, Miyazaki
in 1926-7)
and which had come to Tokyo in 1934 when work began on the
novitiate
with a view to attracting local vocations.
In December 1935 the first novices began - they included 5
from Italy
and 6 Japanese, amongst which Akimoto. This much we have from
Cimatti's
letters and especially a letter he wrote to the Rector Major
on 29
December, ten years to the day since he sailed from Genoa to
Japan to
begin the Salesian mission there, and the day after the
novitiate began. Along with the opening of the
novitiate, the studentate of philosophy and theology was also
blessed
and opened!
We also know from the same sources that on 29 December 1936
three
Japanese of the six made their first profession. Given that
his surname
was Akimoto, our Martino might well have been the first in
alphebtical
order to make his profession, but we do not know that for
certain. Another was Nishimura who, in 1941, was
called to enlist in the army (Japan had gone to war with the
United
States that year). Cleric Nishimura died in Manila in 1945, a
victim of that
conflict. Many other young Japanese Salesian clerics also lost
their
lives having been required to enlist as the war intensified
(Tokyo came
under severe bombardment in 1944).
Interestingly enough, Akimoto was considered of weak
constitution and
medically unfit for the army (only fit enough to almost reach
99 which
he would have achieved in November 2012!), so he entered
theology
alone, without his promising companion Nishimura. Fr Cimatti
wrote to
him that year: "With your
Japanese
spirit make every effort to carry out your duty well".
That he
did. In fact, because he was Japanese, and under Japanese law
only a
Japanese could be in charge of an official body operating in
the
country, he was made 'Head of the Council of Management' of
the
Salesians, in Tokyo while still preparing for ordination! The
Salesian
Society in Japan, under the direction of Japanese Salesians,
with its
Management Council based in Itabashi-ku, Shakuji, Minami
Tanaka-cho 21,
was formally known as the Japanese
Catholic
Volunteer Body for Work and Prayer.
Martino Akimoto was ordained priest on 25 March 1943; the
first
Japanese Salesian priest after 14 years of hard work of
preparation by
Cimatti and other Salesian missionaries. For the occasion, Fr
Cimatti
composed a hymn in Japanese, in English it would be "O happy
day!". Two
others were ordained as well, but neither of them were
Japanese.
Cimatti's words in a brief letter to the about-to-be-ordained
Akimoto,
ran thus and remain a fitting epitaph:
My dear Fr Martino, The goal is
approaching. Seek to get ever more close to Jesus: - in your thoughts,
words and actions - In your efforts
to perfect yourself - In total
abandonment to his holy will.
They were words that Fr Akimoto cherished and lived till his
dying day.
