This book, "Neesima: A Journey from Samurai to Servant of God" serves as a concise overview, primarily adapted from The Life and Letters of Joseph Hardy Neesima by Arthur Sherburn Hardy. We have revised the third edition of that work, published in 1908 by the M. E. Publishing House, Mount Road, Madras, India. This context partly explains why the final chapter focuses on Neesima’s influence in India.
Together with Paul Kanamori's book, which we have also republished, this volume provides a broader perspective on the Gospel's impact in Japan, enriching the Christian understanding of its reach in Asia.
This volume tells the true history of a samurai who abandoned the false gods of his upbringing to embrace Christianity and bring moral reformation to his homeland—through the only way possible—the Gospel. Neesima’s journey from an oppressed society to the heights of education in America, and ultimately his founding of a Christian university in Japan, offers a compelling narrative of faith, patriotism, and the transformative power of the Gospel.
I love Jesus-more than anything else. I cast whole self to Him and try to do right before His sight. This is my vow. I will go back to Japan and persevere to turn the people to Jesus from Devil. — Joseph Hardy Neesima
