The Aomori code

On the tail of Easter, it is worth remembering that Christ was not crucified in Palestine but escaped to Japan. No, really.

The year is AD30 and Christ is about to be cruci- fied. After being paraded through the Palestinian streets he is taken to Golgotha. There he is nailed to a cross. The crowds who have been demanding his death watch as he dies, none of them noticing that the man they are torturing looks slightly different from Jesus. As he dies he cries out to God, but refuses to divulge his secret - he is Jesus' brother Isukiri dying as a substitute for the real Jesus who is fleeing through Russia heading east.

So far the story sounds like the latest Dan Brown plotline, however to complete this story we have to travel into the rice fields of Aomori to the sleepy village of Shingo. A village where the children have a crucifix painted on their head at birth and people use words they claim are derived from Hebrew. Past the souvenir stalls and tiny tourist office lies the rest of the story, a simple wooden cross in a mound of earth. Under the cross, it is claimed, rest the remains of the hundred-and-six-year-old Jesus.

"Jesus is such a gripping figure that all sorts of stories exist about Jesus," The Christian Reformed Church in North America states. They have compiled a list of stories about Jesus including legends that place him in France, Tibet, India and of course Japan. The church files all these stories in the Tall Tales about Jesus section of their website, insisting that "all four New Testament gospels were written within the lifetime of people who knew Jesus. In contrast, the story in the Japanese legend … cannot compare with the real, historical accounts of Jesus."

The historical accounts about Jesus have an intriguing gap. A period of 5-10 years in his young adulthood in which there is no written account of his activities in the bible. In the museum near to Christ's supposed grave is the Japanese answer to this historical mystery. On the wall are copies of ancient manuscripts detailing in archaic Japanese how Christ studied in Japan during these years and returned to Palestine to preach about the 'sacred nation' of Japan. These documents known as the Takeuchi Kobunsho, attract thousands of visitors a year and were popularized in a book by archaeologist Kiku Yamane. Unfortunately the original copies of many of these papers went missing in the Second World War and without them most scholars refuse to take this claim seriously.

"I think such legends are interesting and they tell us about perceptions of Christianity at a particular time." Dr. Netland is a Professor of Philosophy of Religion and Intercultural Studies and author of many books on religion. Living in Aomori when he was younger he was exposed to the stories first hand. His research into the era resulted in the theory that the legend was probably the result of Catholic priests fleeing north "to escape religious persecution … Confusion over Christian teachings and identity could very easily result in local people believing that Jesus himself (not just Christians) was in Aomori."

Whatever the truth, the official statistics claim that half of the villagers in the area believe that Christ spent some time in their village, even though none of them are Christian. Conversely numerous visitors and journalists report that it is problematic finding even a single person who truly believes. Even the descendants of Jesus who still farm in the area are "sceptical" about their links to Christ. Ultimately the Shingo Tourist Board summarized the multitude of beliefs best. When asked to comment they stated "maybe the tomb isn't Jesus's, but it is someone special and should be respected."

Text: Matt Coslett Photos: Courtesy Aomori Board of Tourism