An introduction
What is Scottish Freemasonry?
Freemasonry is a fraternity of men who meet to learn, through ceremony and symbol, how to live well and be useful to others. Scotland holds the oldest Masonic records in the world, and Scottish lodges keep a character of their own.
The short version
A lodge is a group of Freemasons who meet regularly. At most meetings the lodge works one of three ceremonies, called degrees, by which a new member is made an Entered Apprentice, passed to Fellow Craft and raised to Master Mason. Each degree is a short piece of allegorical drama in which the candidate takes part. The working tools of the stonemason, such as the square, the level and the compasses, stand for moral lessons: honesty, equality, restraint.
After the ceremony the brethren dine together. In Scotland this is often a Harmony, with toasts and speeches. Much of the friendship happens there.
Three principles
Brotherly love
Treating every man as an equal, whatever his nationality, religion, rank or wealth.
Relief
Charity to members, their families and the wider community, given quietly.
Truth
A lifelong effort to understand oneself and to keep one’s word.
What makes a Scottish lodge different
- Antiquity. Scottish lodges kept minutes long before Grand Lodges existed. The Grand Lodge of Scotland was founded in 1736 and governs lodges in Scotland and around the world, including those of the District Grand Lodge of the Far East.
- The Mark degree. Unlike England and most other Grand Lodges, Scotland treats the Mark as part of Craft Freemasonry. Star in the East has worked it since 1920.
- Lodge independence. Each Scottish lodge keeps its own bye-laws, customs and style of working, and many have their own regalia colours. A Scottish lodge is a society with a strong local character.
- Titles. The Master of a Scottish lodge is the Right Worshipful Master, assisted by a Depute Master and a Substitute Master as well as the two Wardens.
What Freemasonry is not
It is not a religion, though every member must believe in a Supreme Being, and it is no substitute for one; men of many faiths sit together in lodge. It is not a political body, and discussion of religion and politics is not allowed at meetings. It is not a secret society: lodges are registered, their addresses are public and members are free to say they are Freemasons. The private parts are the traditional modes of recognition and the content of the ceremonies, which are kept so that each new member can experience them fresh.
It is not a way to get ahead. A man who asks to join for business or personal advantage will be turned away.
Freemasonry in Japan
Freemasonry came to Japan through the foreign settlement at Yokohama. A British regimental lodge met there from 1864, and Yokohama Lodge, the first lodge warranted for Japan, began work in 1866, seven years after the port opened to foreign trade. Three nineteenth-century lodges are still working today: Lodge Hiogo and Osaka No. 498 and Rising Sun Lodge No. 1401, both in Kobe, and Star in the East No. 640 in Yokohama. Today Japan also has its own Grand Lodge, founded in 1957, whose first Grand Master was a Past Secretary of this lodge.
Curious about Freemasonry in Yokohama?
Freemasons do not recruit. Every member of this lodge asked to join. If you are thinking about it, write to the Secretary and we will arrange an informal meeting.