Hiizu (Hide) Kunya was one of the earliest Japanese Seventh-day Adventist ministers.
Kunya was born in Japan in 1872.
When he turned 20, he was called for military service.
In the military, he was led to become a Christian
through the influence of a friend.
Then he met an intern military doctor named Mokutaru Kawasaki.
Kawasaki attended English Bible studies presented by William Calhoun Grainger,
the first official Seventh-day Adventist missionary to Japan.
Kawasaki invited Kuniya to attend the studies with him.
Kuniya accepted the invitation.
Studying the Bible fervently, he became convinced
that the Adventist message was the biblical truth
and that Jesus was coming soon.
Soon, he and Kawasaki were baptized.
Following his baptism, Kuniya became engaged in outreach.
He preached on the street, began colportering,
and helped with the editorial work
of the first Seventh-day Adventist Japanese language periodical.
In the summer of 1900,
Kuniya supported the opening of the small "Kobe Sanitarium"
for poor Japanese people.
This led the way for a church to be planted.
According to Kuniya,
although the establishment of the church had growing pains,
for a while it was the center of the Japanese missionary work.
In 1904, Kuniya met two Korean Christians.
He told them about the Seventh-day Sabbath,
and they accepted the biblical truth and were baptized.
This became the first Adventist work for Korean people.
Kuniya went to Korea and engaged in the missionary work there.
In 1907, he was ordained
and became one of the first Seventh-day Adventist Japanese official ministers.
Kuniya attended the 1909 General Conference Session
and reported about his ministry and experience in Japan.
Like the Apostle Paul, Kuniya had a conviction
that it was his mission
to proclaim the gospel in unreached places.
While doing colporteur work,
he established churches in many Japanese cities.
In 1918, Kuniya was called to advance the missionary work in Tokyo.
As a result of his ministry,
the church grew significantly in this capital city.
During World War II, the police arrested 42 Japanese Seventh-day Adventists,
including Kuniya.
He was incarcerated for about six months
when it was discovered he had both kidney and heart disease
and was sent to a hospital.
Fortunately, he recovered from his health ailments.
Kuniya was exempted from prosecution and went free.
After the war, he immediately began visiting
scattered believers and seekers in local regions to encourage them.
Pastor Hiizu Kuniya died in 1962.
His faithful service to God laid a solid foundation
for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Japan.
For more stories about pioneer missionaries,
visit encyclopedia.adventist.org.