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Philip Fyson

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"The Right Rev. Bishop Fyson" in a 1902 publication

Philip Kemball Fyson (21 January 1846, Higham, Suffolk - 30 January 1928, Sutton Valence) was an Anglican bishop of the Diocese of Hokkaido, in the Nippon Sei Ko Kai, the province of the Anglican Communion in Japan.

Philip Kemball Fyson was the son of Edward Fyson, a farmer. He was educated at King Edward VI School in Bury St Edmunds and Christ's College, Cambridge, graduating B.A. in Classics with first class[1] honours (1870) and Theology (1871).[2] He prepared for ordination at the Church Missionary Society College, Islington. He began missionary work with the Church Missionary Society in Japan in 1874 at Yokohama,[3]. Fyson began his career in Japan in Niigata. Some years later he went to Tokyo, Osaka then Yokohama. He was popular with both European and Japanese contacts and in 1896 was appointed Bishop of Hokkaido.[4] The Rev John Batchelor‘s 1902 book concerning the Ainu people of Yezo (or Ezo) includes a photograph of a devotional meeting in 1899 where Bishop Fyson sits amidst his Japanese, Ainu and European attendees.[5]

Fyson was in January 1903 granted the degree Doctor of Divinity honoris causa from the University of Cambridge.[6]

Returning to England in 1908, Fyson was Vicar of Elmley Lovett, Worcestershire from 1908 until 1925.[2] The appointment of the rectory in the parish was in the gift of Fyson's old college, Christ's at Cambridge.[7]

Fyson was said to have become more fluent in Japanese than English. He translated much of the Old Testament into Japanese, and was very active in the preparation of the Japanese Prayer-Book.[2]

References

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  1. ^ Who's Who in the Far East, FYSON, Rt. Rev. Philip Kemball https://en.m.wikisource.org/wiki/Who%27s_Who_in_the_Far_East/FYSON,_Rt._Rev._Philip_Kemball
  2. ^ a b c "Fyson, Philip Kemball (FY866PK)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
  3. ^ "The Church Missionary Gleaner, September 1874". C.M.S. Missionaries in Japan. Adam Matthew Digital. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  4. ^ Sea-Girt Yezo - Glimpses at Missionary Work in North Japan. - By John Batchelor - London: Church Missionary Society, 1902 (at page 5)
  5. ^ Sea-girt Yezo : glimpses of missionary work in North Japan by Batchelor, John (Church Missionary Society 1902) page 23 digitised by Google and uploaded to the Internet Archive at https://archive.org/details/seagirtyezoglim00socigoog
  6. ^ "University intelligence". The Times. No. 36981. London. 19 January 1903. p. 11.
  7. ^ Information from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2003 at https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/WOR/ElmleyLovett