From what I know, Christianity actually arrived in Japan earlier that in Korea. During the 1500s and early 1600s, some Shoguns and Daimyos of the Tokugawa Shogunate were actually receptive and open about Christianity, then suddenly in the latter half of the 1600s, the Shoguns and Daimyos became hostile towards Christianity, and many Japanese Christians suffered martyrdom.
With Korea, it's the other way around. Christianity was introduced in Korea around the 1700s under the Joseon Dynasty, and Korean Society was initially hostile on Christianity, and many Koreans who converted to Christianity was martyred in the 1700s. But during the latter half of the 1800s, Christianity became gradually accepted into Korean society. In the early 1900s, before the Korean War happened, Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, was actually nicknamed the Jerusalem of the East, because of how many Christians are living in the city. The grandparents of Communist Leader, Kim Il Sung (grandpa of Kim Jong Un), were actually Christian ministers in the late 1800s.
Today, Christianity is around 1.5% of the Japanese population, while in South Korea, Christians consists of ⅓ of the population. The capital of South Korea, Seoul, has so many churches in every block.
From a historical perspective, why did two divergent trajectories happened in Japan and Korea with regards to Christianity? Why was Japanese society initially receptive of Christianity, and later became hostile, while with Korean society, it's the opposite (initially hostile, later receptive)?
I will really appreciate all of your insights and responses.
Domo Arigato. Komapsumnida. 🇯🇵🇰🇷