Hisho Uga

Hisho Uga (b. 7/8/1987) is a Japanese-American theologian, a leading theologian in the area of practical theology concerning a Japanese social phenomenon "hikikomori".

Background

Born in Tokyo, Japan, he was raised by his American mother and his Japanese father. Consequently, he grew up learning both English and Japanese. His first memory is a dream he had crawling towards a radiant door. Other toddlers were crawling in the same direction and as he approached the door, he woke up from his dream, he realized he was in the preschool near his home at Ooizumigakuen.

Studies

He entered Christian Academy Japan in April 1992, and only spent 2 months in Kindergarten and then soon moved to First Grade. On a certain day of his first grade year, the class was having a time of prayer. After the time of prayer, Hisho righteously reported to the teacher that a certain individual had his eyes open during the prayer. It was an educational moment for him, as he was soon pointed out that he had confessed that he had his own eyes open as well. In second grade, his teacher told him that if he accepts Jesus into his heart then he will be saved. Considering it a good deal Hisho went home and made a prayer to become a Christian without considering the cost implied in doing so. From this point on, Hisho identified himself as a Christian. During the remainder of his elementary years he showed no signs of interest towards reading and it became the greatest point of struggle in his academics. As he moved on to his middle school years several events began to shift his life into a different direction. For the first quarter of sixth grade he lived in Arlington, VA, since his dad was working temporarily at Georgetown University. During this time he began to gain weight rapidly. Upon his return to Japan his parents soon separated and divorced. Hisho remained with his father while his mother returned to Connecticut. During 7th and 8th grade he was quite introverted. As he entered high school, he became more extroverted and simultaneously rebellious. His life was centered around his core friends and soccer in which he put the most effort into. He wrote his "world view paper" under the instructions of Caitlin Pettit, on his communist beliefs and the importance of pursuing idealism in the formation of a intimate community. He then began to pursue the sciences in his Junior and Senior year and took and passed AP Calculus and Physics under the instructions of Sazi Mhlanga. His "senior comprehensive" discussed the prevailing issue of AIDS in third-world countries and also surveyed the present conditions of AIDS in Cambodia to further his research. Upon his graduation, he applied to Azusa Pacific University with the hopes of finding an area of study that would interest him. Upon arrival he did not find this drive in his initial major which was Math/Physics. He soon decided to change his major to Biblical Studies which suited him much better. By his sophomore year, his efforts were realized as he received high honors from Dr. Paul Shrier in his class Intro to Practical Theology. His paper, "Theology of Hikikomori" was submitted to the American Academy of Religion for presentation at the annual meeting in San Diego during November 2007. His other essays include an exegesis on 1 Samuel 24:1-22 and on 1 Corinthians 14:26-33 and 1 Kings 18 focusing on Baal Worship and a report on Philo of Alexandria.

Soccer

Soccer was his favorite sport since childhood and though he played basketball during middle school and on the junior varsity tennis team, his main ambition was in playing soccer. After an unfortunate year on the junior varsity team his freshman year, he spent his remaining three years securing his position as a center back. Though sometimes conceding goals through careless mistakes, he worked with the rest of the defensive unit to maintain an ever improving solid defense. He also contributed to the offensive side occasionally and scored a total of three goals in his career. After a frustrating third place finish for the CAJ Knights in his junior year, the team was ready to grab the first DoDDS AA Far East Championship title. In the final match held at Yokota Air Base, the Knights finished on the winning side over the Kadena Panthers who had been undefeated in official matches for three years. The game went on to overtime and the Knights won with a final score of 2-1. Hisho and the defensive squad only allowed 4 goals throughout the tournament, the fewest of all the participating teams. Hisho himself received the all-star award along with three other CAJ players. Though being offered scholarships to play at the college level, Hisho decided to terminate his competitive career there.