The Church of World Messianity (Sekai Kyūsei Kyō), often abbreviated as COWM, is a Japanese new religion founded in 1935 by Mokichi Okada. In 1926, Okada reported receiving a divine revelation that, according to the religion’s teachings, enabled him to act as a channel of God’s “healing light.” Followers refer to Okada with the honorific “Meishu-Sama,” meaning “Lord of Light.” After establishing the movement, its headquarters, known as the Zuiunkyō or “Land of Auspicious Clouds,” was later located in Atami, Japan.
The central focus of the religion is “johrei,” which is described as a method of channeling divine light into another person for healing purposes. COWM teaches that johrei purifies the spiritual realm, addressing what are viewed as the underlying spiritual causes of illness, poverty, and conflict, and that this purification will contribute to the arrival of a new messianic age. The ability to administer johrei is granted to members by wearing a special pendant containing a reproduction of one of Okada’s calligraphies.
In addition to johrei, two other practices are emphasized: the Art of Nature and the Art of Beauty. The Art of Nature centers on nature farming, while the Art of Beauty includes aesthetic disciplines such as flower arranging. Okada’s teachings are recorded in texts such as Foundation of Paradise and Johrei: Divine Light of Salvation.
COWM has had influence on other Japanese new religions. Yoshikazu Okada, who later founded the Mahikari movement, was previously a follower of Sekai Kyūsei Kyō. Scholarly comparisons note similarities between COWM and Mahikari, particularly regarding their healing practices. These groups are sometimes categorized as kazashi-kei religions, based on a Japanese term referencing the gesture of holding one’s hand over another person during healing.
Within the movement’s belief system, interpretations of healing, suffering, and medical care vary. Some teachings discourage the use of conventional medicine, presenting johrei as preferable for treating illness and framing physical pain or symptoms as evidence of spiritual “purification.” Reports indicate that guidance to members has differed over time, with some being advised to stop using prescribed drugs and others instructed to continue medical treatment alongside religious practices.
Additional teachings in the religion include the belief that both the Bible and the Quran are true but without adopting Christian or Muslim doctrines. The movement also promotes views such as the rejection of the theory of evolution and the idea that the moon is composed entirely of ice.
From the mid-20th century onward, COWM expanded internationally, and it currently claims around 800,000 followers worldwide. A large number of adherents are found in Brazil, where Japanese new religions have been present since the 1930s and collectively include at least a million Brazilian followers of non-Japanese descent.
Key Sources:
Matsuoka, H. (2000). Messianity Makes the Person Useful: Describing Differences in a Japanese Religion in Brazil. University of California, Berkeley.
Staemmler, B., & Dehn, U. M. (2011). Establishing the revolutionary: An Introduction to New Religions in Japan. LIT Verlag Münster.
Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religious Movements 