Abraham Setsuzō Kotsuji (小辻 節三, Kotsuji Setsuzō, 1899, Kyoto - 31 October 1973) was a Japanese Orientalist, and the son of a Shinto priest who descended from a long line of Shinto priests. During the Holocaust he helped Jewish refugees to escape the Nazis, arranging for them to stay first in Kobe and later in Japanese-occupied Shanghai. He also fought against Nazi-inspired anti-Jewish propaganda.[1] A book about how he helped Jewish refugees was written by Japanese actor Jundai Yamada and published in April 2013 by NHK Shuppan.[2]
Abraham Setsuzō Kotsuji | |
|---|---|
| 小辻 節三 | |
 | |
| Born | Setsuzō Kotsuji 1899 Kyoto |
| Died | 31 October 1973 United States |
| Other names | Abraham |
He converted to Judaism in 1959 after converting to Christianity from Shinto in his youth.[3] In his book "From Tokyo to Jerusalem" he explained that he never was satisfied from his conversion to Christianity.
He first encountered Jews while working for the South Manchuria Railroad Company during World War II.
See also
edit- Chiune Sugihara, Japanese diplomat who saved thousands of Jews during the Holocaust
References
edit- ^ Sofer, D. (20 November 2004). "The Japanese Convert". Aish HaTorah. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
- ^ 命のビザを繋いだ男―小辻節三とユダヤ難民。山田 純大 (著) "Inochi no biza wo tsunaida otoko - Kotsuji Setsuzo". ISBN 978-4140815991
- ^ Time (magazine)
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