Toyohiko Kagawa (1888-1960) was a Japanese evangelist, pacifist and social movement leader. Both of his parents died before he was five years old, and he was raised by extended family. When he was 11 years old, he began to study English and eventually became a student of a pair of Presbyterian missionaries. He converted to Christianity when he was 15 years old.

Kagawa was an avid and prolific reader and at a young age became passionate about the life of Jesus. He went to live in the neighborhood of Kobe, which suffered from extreme poverty. It was here that he began to write books, becoming a successful author. He donated all the profits of his books to provide assistance to impoverished communities where he chose to live.

Motivated by the desire for social and economic change after his experience living in Kobe, Kagawa became a strong labor advocate. He focused on what he believed to be the Gospel mandate for fair wages, healthy working conditions, and reasonable hours for all people, including advocating for more fruitful farming practices. He was briefly imprisoned for his labor activism. This, in addition to his vigorous opposition to militarism, put him at odds with the Japanese government, creating a double bind he had to navigate in order to continue the gospel work he felt called to do.

After a lifetime of service motivated by his love of the Gospel and humanity, Toyohiko Kagawa died on April 23, 1960. We honor his extraordinary and prophetic life today.