Watanabe was a statistical outlier of excellence in the world of uniform Japanese art, he created a contemporary version of the illuminated biblical manuscripts. He devoted his life to biblical imagery in his woodcut/stenciled prints in a country that averages 3% Christianity. When the former big Protestant churches of the United States divided up the world for proselytizing, they didn't understand the challenges of bringing the gospels to Japan. There is a statement in Japan: Japanese are born Shinto and die Buddhist; they have no problem being two different religions at the same time. The Christian concept that “You Shall Not Have Any Other Gods Before Me” straight out of the 10 Commandments from Exodus and Deuteronomy made no sense to the Japanese. The Japanese believe there should be multiple Gods. Watanabe was born on July 7, 1913 in Tokyo, and his father died when he was 10 years old. Fatherless, a neighbor (a Christian Japanese school teacher) invited him to church w