CONSPIRACY THEORIES

"Hey, did you hear that one of the lost tribes of Israel may be here in Japan?"asked LAL.

I studied her closely, wondering if this remark was prompted by the cold medication she was on.

"One of the lost tribes of Israel?" I repeated.

"Tell her! Tell her what your students told you this week!" LAL exhorted her husband.

The uber-rational BAL shifted in his seat for a moment before answering.  The story goes that a group of Israelites emigrated from Israel to Japan via the Silk Road.  They became known as the Hata Clan.  Over the centuries, Jewish customs began to permeate Japanese culture.  The tokin worn on the foreheads of Buddhist priests (yamabushi) are said to be derived from the tefillin worn by Orthodox Jews.  

Yamabushi wearing tokin.  From samuraidave.wordpress.com

Representations of the mountain god Tengu are reportedly based on Western physiognomy, perhaps even King David.  

One representation of Tengu. From amazingnotes.com

The Japanese syllabary called katakana (used to transcribe foreign words into the Japanese language) is remarkably similar to Hebrew, as are certain words in both languages.  The mikoshi (portable shrines) used in Japanese religious festivals have been likened to the Ark of the Covenant.  Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.  A comprehensive list of comparisons can be found at this website, written by a self-proclaimed Japanese Christian.  

Mikoshi being carried.  From  http://pictures.nicolas.delerue.org 

Some of the evidence in support of the connections between Japanese culture and Judaism resembles material from a third-rate stand up act.  The Hata were said to be "adept in financial matters," while images of the mountain god Tengu are characterized by a large nose. Sound familiar?! The implication is that since these stereotypes are often applied to Jewish people, they only reinforce the theories.  It doesn't help that at least one rabbi from the Investigative Body Amishav and a former Israeli ambassador to Japan, Eli Cohen, have been proponents of this historical narrative.  In fact, there have been efforts by the investigative body to perform DNA testing in certain areas in Japan, in order to prove that a link exists between the Israelis and the Japanese.  As far as I know, no genetic similarities have been found.

The most radical claim made by the Japanese-Judaism experts is that when the Israelites came to Japan, they brought with them the Ark of the Covenant. The ark was then hidden within the damp limestone caves on Shikoku Island, which have since collapsed. To me, this is most far-fetched assertion.  Somehow I doubt that the caretakers of the ark would have journeyed so far, only to conceal their priceless (wooden) treasure in a place where it was sure to sustain massive water damage. Apparently other people are skeptical as well; Shikoku is not listed under "Rumored current locations" on Ark of the Covenant Wikipedia page.  

Let's face it, we all know where the ark really is:

P.S. In case you want to learn even more, a TV program called "Mystery File" did a broadcast on the topic, which can be seen here: part 1, part 2, and part 3.