Chiba Ken

Capital:	Chiba City	Size:	5,150 km2
Population :	5,778,793	Density:	1,122 people/km2
Cities:	30	Churches:	P 315, C 16
With 1 church:	2	Church per pop.:	1:18,345
Towns/Villages:	50	Worship attendance:	11,075
With no churches:	27	Attendance/church:	35
With 20,000 pop. & no churches:	O	Missionaries:	168

Geography

The Boso Peninsula extending to the southeastern part of the Kanto Plain makes up most of Chiba. The Tone River on the north and the Edo River on the west form prefectural borders with Ibaraki, Saitama and Tokyo. The north has many old river beds and dried up lakes left by the Tone and Edo Rivers, the Shimofusa Highland in the middle, and the Boso Hills in the south. The climate is mild due to warm ocean currents, with the north very similar to the Kanto Plains. Kujukuri Beach is a stretch of beautiful sandy beach 55 kilometers long.

Industry & Economy

The percent of farm land in Chiba ranks third in the nation, next to Ibaraki and Saitama. With the Pacific Ocean on three sides and with quality seaports such as Choshi and Tateyama, Chiba has also developed a thriving fishing industry. The Keihin Industrial Belt has recently stretched along the Keihin district with landfill projects along the shoreline, making it a major hub for heavy and chemical industries. And economic growth is projected as the Tokyo Bay crossover completed. The gigantic bridge and tunnel greatly shortened the distance between Chiba and Kanagawa.

Cultural Background

Chiba has been the least culturally developed district around the Tokyo area. With the opening of the New Narita International Airport rapid growth is taking place. Makuhari Messe with its large buildings and convention facility has become a major trend-setter making the area "an exhibition arena" of modern culture. In spite of these changes the overall cultural environment is still a long way from being truly modern. Not only are people's attitudes in farming and fishing villages still very conservative compared with other prefectures in the Kanto district, but there also exists some dissension between the farming and fishing cultures. A survey indicates that people here are self-assertive and optimistic, possibly due to the mild climate of the area.

Religious Milieu

Narita Fudo Shrine, famous for its New Year's worship, attracts large crowds every year. The Katori Shrine in the north can trace its origin back to the days when Yamato controlled the Tohoku district. It was used as one of Yamato's headquarters and is believed to be as ancient as the Kashima Shrine in Ibaraki. Other famous temples include several Nichiren temples. The Tanjo Temple in Amatsu Kominato commemorates the birthplace of Nichiren Shonin, the father of the Nichiren sect. The Hokekyo Temple in Ichikawa safeguards Shonin's belongings. Buddhism is a major part of local customs, and many fishing villagers practice magic which predates Buddhism.

The Mission

The village of Hoden, now part of Funabashi City, was once used as a stopover for a merchandise freight route between the Tone River and Edo. A church was built there in the early Edo era through the work of a prominent businessman who found faith during a business trip to Yokohama and returned home with the gospel. Vigorous missionary work during the Meiji era has resulted in many large churches in the southern part of the Boso Peninsula. There is a special need to plant many churches in and around the urbanized areas.