Religion in a Prisoner of Wa
Camp in Japan
By CHAPLAIN JAMES E. DAVIS, USN
Only two of the five Navy chaplains taken prisoners by the Japanese survived. They were James E. Davis and Earl R. Brewster, both of whom have written of their experiences for The Army and Navy Chaplain.
Davis was held for three years and nine months, during which time he
was the only United States chaplain in his prison camp.
C APTURED in Guam on December 10, 1941, after one OVERCOMING OBSTACLES
month I was taken to Japan for the balance of the The material obstacles were numerous. Although th ar, spending all except the last two and one-half months Japanese granted permission for services, they did little: the Zentsuji Prisoner of War Camp, Shikoku Island, aid us. Since no space was available for the purpose, son
n. of the prisoners gave up their living compartment for w.
is difficult to curb the expression of man's religious ship on Sundays. Those who did not desire to attend wev even in a prisoner of war camp in Japan. It was not visiting during that hour. There was not even one hym after the opening of the Zentsuji camp on January 15, book in the camp, and it was necessary for us to rack of that divine services were organized. On the second brains for the words of familiar hymns. As many vez y, services were held, and they were continued with as we could remember, we copied into notebooks p a few breaks until the end of the war. chased in the canteen. Thus originated the Zentsuji hym entsuji was fortunate in its religious program, since book, which made possible some lusty singing. A tabl st of the prison camps under Japanese custody had no was used as an altar and a navy tablecloth to cover it. A aplains, although a number of them had some form of cross and a pulpit were constructed from wood salvage religious observance without the aid of a chaplain. The from Japanese construction work in the camp. Fortunate Japanese did not disperse the chaplains among the camps, where spiritual resources are adequate, very little mater as was done to some degree in the case of the doctors. In aid is necessary. During those early days, well over a he fact, in some sectors, the chaplains of the Allied forces dred of the approximately five hundred prisoners in t were regarded with suspicion by the Japanese. Such chap- camp at that time crowded into the compartment. It lains as were attached to their military forces were largely unfortunate that the winter weather did not permit propaganda agents and were used in no small degree to holding of the services out of doors because in this whip the fighting spirit of the men. Their religious func- more people could have attended. After four or tion was relatively less significant in their military program months, a larger room, called the conference hall, than in ours. made available for religious services, entertainment, an
This may help to account for the fact that Zentsuji lectures.
ended up with seven chaplains, while so many of the As time went on, worship materials increased, than camps had none. Along with some instances of Japanese mainly to the Red Cross, International Y.M.C.A., and t perverseness, it helps to explain the difficulties encountered incoming chaplains. The new equipment included al by some of the American chaplains in the Philippines in cloths, vestments, communion sets, a metal cross, byn carrying on their work, and why religious services were and prayer books, and a good selection of religious boo prohibited altogether in some camps. for the library. Communion wine was manufactured
But religious observance was not prohibited in Zentsuji, the camp from Red Cross raisins and prunes. Flowers WVe and here we find an interesting development and expres- brought in from time to time by working parties, and0 sion of religion under abnormal and difficult conditions. some special occasions the Japanese furnished them. During the first six. months, I was the only chaplain in should also be noted that the Australian Catholic chapl  wasFather Turner, secured some vestments from the R0n Zentsuji. During those early days, religious interest was Father Turner, secured some vestments from the Ro hCatholic bishop in Japan. This bishop also visited the cas high, largely as a result of the harrowing experience of once. He was the only clergyman in Japan who secured p the war. Many of us felt that we were living on borrowed mission to do this. On one occasion, the Episcopalian b time and were thankful to God for our preservation. We op sent some communion wine. We wrote to Kagawa b also strongly felt the need of divine support in our time of received no answer. We were unable to secure hymnbo trouble. As soon as we secured the necessary permission or other materials from any individual Christian church from the Japanese, we expressed our thanksgiving and in Japan. It was very difficult to do business through praise to God in worship. Japanese army.
6 The Army and Navy Chapl'