by Sakashita Michiaki, pastor
Asagaya Higashi Church,
Principal, Asagaya Kindergarten

Takasaki Yoshiki started Asagaya Kindergarten in October 1925, and it became a government-licensed facility a year later. Takasaki was a pastor in the Nihon Kirisuto Kyokai (Japan Christ Church) denomination, which was absorbed into the Kyodan in 1941. Following the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923, he was involved in earthquake relief, focusing on children, and he felt sad when those efforts were phased out. He had been thinking for quite some time about the importance of religious education for children, particularly those who remained in a particular location until they reached adulthood, so he decided to establish a kindergarten. The Asagaya site he chose was at that time surrounded on both sides by thick forests, with rice fields lining the way to the railway station. In spite of much trouble in the beginning, the records say that 400 children graduated in the first ten years.

One of the things Rev. Takasaki valued was education for mothers. He said, “In order to raise children well, it is necessary to first educate the mothers,” and once a week he taught mothers Christianity and methods of child-rearing in a Mothers’ Course, which was later renamed Mothers’ School. Later, he worked with Rev. Takenami Takashi, who founded Koganei Church and Koganei Church Kindergarten, to publish a magazine on raising children  entitled, Children’s Learning.  Following Takasaki’s wishes, Asagaya Kindergarten requires that all mothers attend Mothers’ School the few times each year that it meets. Recently, so that fathers and grandparents as well as mothers will feel comfortable attending the class, its name was changed to “Soapberry Tree School,” after a soapberry tree on the school grounds.

In 1945, the proprietor's name was changed from Rev. Takasaki as an individual to Asagaya Higashi Church. It’s interesting to note that the kindergarten preceded the church, as the kindergarten's worship service gave birth to Asagaya Church. A kindergarten developed into a church – something that is rather unusual.

The situation today is one of decreasing numbers of children and an increasing need for daycare centers in urban areas. Every kindergarten is affected by this ongoing trend to one degree or another, so Nishi Tokyo District's Commission on Education established the Association of Church-related Kindergartens for the purpose of promoting fellowship among principals and directors and the exchange of information.

Some kindergartens have expanded their programs to include those of daycare centers and have been certified as such. Among these, some now offer daycare from early morning to late at night and during extended vacation periods. It seems likely that the number of conventional kindergartens no longer able to maintain their former structure will continue to increase. In 2017 Asagaya Kindergarten restructured itself to conform to the New Child-rearing Support System and regained some financial stability. However, the reality of decreasing numbers of children remains the same.

Having a kindergarten results in some of those children feeding into the church school program as well, but unfortunately, as they reach the upper years of elementary school and begin attending afterschool “cram schools,” many of them begin to drop out, and after they enter middle school, their various club activities (which are often on Sunday mornings) cause them to quit entirely. Occasionally, the parents of kindergarten students begin to attend church and even receive baptism, but their numbers are small. I do not fret over that, however, because we educate children in love of God in this kindergarten. This is the mission we must faithfully complete. We are sowing the seeds of the Gospel here. (Tr. SK)

From Kyodan Shinpo (The Kyodan Times) No. 4976･77

阿佐谷幼稚園園長・阿佐谷東教会牧師
坂下道朗（さかした　みちお）

　阿佐谷幼稚園は1925（大正一四）年10月、旧日本基督教会の牧師であった高崎能樹(よしき)氏によって始められました（認可は翌1926年10月）。高崎牧師は関東大震災後、子どもたちへの「震災救護活動」に当たっていました。活動が終わり、子どもたちとの関わりが絶たれてしまったことを悲しみ、「一人前になるまで引越してゆかない子供たちの居る処で、長い間の持論である宗教教育を試みたいと思い立」ち、幼稚園を開くことを決断しました。場所を阿佐ヶ谷に定めた当時は、「左右に深い森があり、駅との間には田んぼが広がっていた」といいます。当初は様々な苦労があったようですが、10年後には卒業生400余名を送り出したと記録されています。

　高崎牧師が大切にしたことの一つが母親への教育です。「子供をよくするにはどうしても先ず母性を教育せねばならぬ」と、「母の学校」（最初は「母の講座」）を設け、毎週一回キリスト教や子育てのための知識を教授しました。また後に小金井教会と小金井教会幼稚園を設立する武南高志（たけなみたかし）氏と協力して、育児雑誌『子供の教養』を発行しました。その後「母の学校」は年に数回の開催になりましたが、全員参加を原則としているのは、高崎牧師の願いを引き継いでのことです。最近は「母」のみならず、父親や祖父母なども参加しやすいよう「むくろじ学校」（園庭にある無患子(むくろじ)の木にちなんで）と改称し、現在に至っています。

　その後、1945年、設置者が高崎氏個人から阿佐谷東教会に変更されました。ちなみに教会が先にあって幼稚園を始めたのではなく、園舎内で礼拝を行うところから教会が生まれています。幼稚園から教会。珍しい順序かもしれません。

　さて現状についてです。都市部の幼稚園にも、少子化や保育所増設の影響が出てきました。西東京教区には教育部の下に「幼稚園保育園連絡会」が置かれ、園長・設置者同士の交流や情報交換などが行われていますが、どの園も多かれ少なかれ園児減少に嘆いています。

　すでに保育所機能を併せ持つ認定こども園になったり、早朝・夜間や長期休み中の預かり保育の充実を図っている園もありますが、従来型の幼稚園では立ちゆかなくなる園も増えそうです。当園は2017年度から「子ども子育て支援新制度」の下で運営される園となり、財政的には多少安定しましたが、それでもなお園児が減っていく現実は変わりません。

　幼稚園があることで、教会学校にはそれなりの子どもたちがやってきます。ただ小学校高学年は塾通いのため、中学生は部活動のため、来られなくなる人が多くなります。残念です。保護者の中には子どもの入園を機に求道、受洗へと導かれる人も皆無ではありませんが、ごく稀なことです。それでもよいと思っています。幼稚園は神の愛の中で子どもたちを育む場だからです。その使命を誠実に果たしたいと思います。御言葉の種はしっかり蒔かれていますから。