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Silence is the story of a search for God's presence and voice in the midst of persecution, betrayal and doubt that seemed overshadowed by God's silence. It tells a story of Christian perseverance in the face of terrible danger, a story that continues to unfold today. Through the character of Father Sebastian Rodrigues and the story of Silence, Endo also explores the viability and relevance of Christianity in Japan. Was the Catholic mission to Japan doomed from the start? Was reforming the notion of God necessary for the Gospel to flourish in the Japanese context? From the way Endo crafted the book, it is clear that he does not believe Christianity was doomed in Japan. He does not seem to suggest that reforming the idea of God would have made it easier for Christianity to grow in peace. …show more content…
His search for his lost and apostate teacher, Ferreira, takes him to a few villages where he serves as priest, witnessing the struggles of Christian peasants. He is eventually captured and kept in prison in an attempt to make him apostatise.
Although Christian missionaries were welcomed in the 1540s by the Japanese rulers, Christianity was banned after the unification of Japan under a single shogun. The missionaries were welcomed primarily because they came with traders who brought weapons for the Japanese. During the Shimabara Rebellion, a large number of Christians rose up in a revolt that was violently put down. Silence is set in the aftermath of this rebellion - an atmosphere of vengeful
José, the protagonist, is a young man of African descent living in Black Shack Alley with his grandmother, M’Man Tine. The people who work harvesting sugar cane are the close descendants of only recently freed slaves – they live in conditions of poverty similar to that of slavery due to the wealthy, ruling white class. Catholic imagery is found throughout the film – notably, M’Man Tine keeps a portrait of Jesus Christ in her shack in Black Shack Alley, and later, above her bed. This portrait serves as a visual cue to the reach of French colonialism and an iteration of French power – the idols of white religion hang in the houses of black oppressed peoples. Perhaps Jesus, to M’Man Tine, represents the notion of life after death and a means of escaping the physical and psychological toil of harvesting cane, much in the same way the converts in Things Fell Apart looked for solace in
Four warships of America’s East Asia Squadron anchored at Uraga, in the predawn hours of July 14, 1853. This is twenty-seven miles south of Japanese capital, also known as Edo (renamed Tokyo in 1868). A prominent scholar had recently warned of people who came from the earth’s “hindmost regions” were “incapable of doing good things,” to Japan. The recent Mexican Spanish-American War, Americans has sharpened his desire for taking advantage of his wealth and power for political and commercial benefit. For al...
Image and Text.” Japanese Journal of Religious Studies 33.2 (2006): 297-317. Jstor. 12 Oct 2011.
Ives, Christopher. "Wartime Nationalism and Peaceful Representation: Issues Surrounding the Multiple Zens of Modern Japan ." Japan Studies Review Five (2001): 37-46. Print.
In the late 16th and early 17th century, Jesuit missionaries went to Japan in order to spread their Christian faith. In the beginning these missions went well, with nearly 300k converting to Christianity. However, over time their presence was frowned upon, as they were seen as outsiders interested in changing Japan’s culture. As a result, Christian missionaries began to sneak back into Japan. This led to the systematic elimination of many Japanese Christians, and Jesuit missionaries. In the novel Silence, Shusaku Endo illustrates the discrimination, and suffering many Christians endured in Japan during this period.
Ogawa, D. (1993) The Japanese of Los Angeles. Journal of Asian and African Studies, v19, pp.142-3.
Xavier continued to admire the people of Japan to be of very good will, very sociable and very eager of knowledge. He was awed, because of all the lands to which he had seen, whether Christians or other never did he see people living so honestly. Xavier, Saint Francis remain in Japan for a short period of time he departed on November, 1551, nevertheless, he left behind him a promising Christian community of thousands. However, things became different after the departure of Xavier Christianity was forced unto many of the Japanese. Buddhism was suppressed and many of the temples and idols were burnt in an attempt to convert the Japanese. Many became converts before dying for example a old Daimyo died of cancer but on a final visit to the padres was baptized and converted to Christianity. This event resulted in the persecution of the Christians and Jesuits for three years. Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who was the dictator of the time although not quite an advocate of Buddhist images, was not involved in destroying them on occasions. When a Buddhist priest from Takayama appealed fro the protection of their temples from the Christians, Hideyoshi not only decline to intervene on their behalf but also ordered that the sacred images, which they had brought with them, be burnt for firewood at Kyoto. Hideyoshi did not convert to Christianity because it prevented him from having many women more ever, he asked the Jesuits to change this rule, and then will he convert to Christianity.
Others have tried to do what Diogenes Allen, Professor of Philosophy at Princeton Theological Seminary, does in his book but none with his breadth or effectiveness. That is, others have attempted to exploit for theism's benefit the hard times now befalling the modern world's emphasis on scientific reasoning and pure rationality, which for quite a while had placed Christianity (and religious belief in general) on the intellectual and cultural defensive. Many of these earlier attempts made use of the Wittgensteinian concepts of "form of life" or "language game" to show that both science and religion depended on unproven assumptions and therefore rested equally on grounds without firm foundations. These kinds of attempts, however, could most always aim no higher than to make the world safe for fideism. And fideism is not to defend the faith. What makes Allen's contribution special and important is his effort to examine in a philosophically rigorous way what we mean when we say Christianity is true. He quotes Colossians 2:2 at the start of his book, but I Peter 3:15 is just as appropriate for what follows: "Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence."
Japan has been a home for Shinto and Buddhist religions for centuries. The Christian missionaries during the 16th, 19th and 20th centuries worked hard to evangelize the Japanese nation but could not get desired success. There efforts in past failed partly due to sanctions imposed by the local rulers. The Jesuits missionaries traveled with Spanish and Portuguese traders to many areas of America and Asia-Pacific and established their churches and religious missions. They were funded, sponsored and trained by their respective governments in order to spread Christianity. At several places they preached the Christian faith by force but the aboriginal population did not accept it wholeheartedly. Initially the Jesuits targeted the elite class of the country and a large number was converted. The rulers also forced their subject to embrace the same faith. About 300,000 Japanese were converted in the first phase. Later on, Christianity was prohibited as the rulers started seeing them as a threat to their authority. Following a change of regime, the ban was lifted and missionaries were again allowed to enter Japan. Like many Native American tribes, the Japanese also resisted the new religion. As a result, presently Christians form only 1% of the total population in Japan. This paper is focused on how the Christian religion was introduced in Japan, the evolution of evangelism, establishment of churches, the restrictions and hurdles faced by the missionaries and priest of the new religion and the response of Japanese nation towards an alien faith. All these queries are answered in detail given as follows.
Shusaku Endo’s novel Silence takes place during the 1600’s in Japan, mostly Nagasaki. During this time, the land of Japan was unified under the leadership of Tokugawa Ieyasu, who by 1600 had formed a strong unification in Japan on a political and societal level. Endo’s story about the missionary work of Padre Sebastian Rodrigues takes place during the Tokugawa Era (1600-1868). A shift of power had happened from the main city of Kyoto to Edo (modern day Tokyo), a small fishing town that became a thriving metropolis. Endo’s Silence bridges the Warring States Era into the Tokugawa Era. The Warring States Era was a very militaristic period when the
Fourteenth century Japan was a time of peace for many people. Buddhism had just become a major part of Japanese culture due to the Shogun Yoshimitsu. He became ruler in 1367 at the sapling age of ten (Waley 21). Yoshimitsu needed to distinguish himself from his ancestors and he did this by being devoted to Buddhism, specifically the Zen Sect (21). “Zen Buddhism and the life and teaching of Shinran are popularly identified as typical Japanese Buddhism.” (Takeda 27) However Buddhism, in Japan, is different and unique from Buddhism in other countries because it is considered the “funeral religion” (27). This is mainly influenced by ancient Japanese beliefs of the onryo.
Usually when a medieval period is spoken about, our minds roll back and think of medieval Europe with knights, chivalry and feudal Kings. Few, if not any, think of the Japanese medieval period which took place almost six centuries after the European medieval period started. Medieval Japan had a social structure much like medieval Europe’s but also varied because of the different cultural backgrounds. Both Japan’s and Europe’s medieval periods have similarities as well as differences in their political organization, warrior bonds, and the predominance of religion.
The embarrassing defeat of China directly influenced Japan to voluntarily accept Western culture. Both Japan and China adopted bits and pieces from Western culture and adapted it to their traditional culture rather than becoming Westernized. The Boxer Rebellion is proof of China’s refusal to accept Western culture, in particular for Christianity. The slaughtering of practicing Christians, both Chinese and Western, is a very distinct rejection of Western religion.
The Japanese medieval age consists of the Kamakura and Muromachi periods (from approximately 1185 to 1600). During this time, the political power was switching from the imperial family to a militaristic government. In addition, civil wars (from 1156 to 1568) were increasing throughout Japan. This change of centrality in society’s focus from court to warriors shifted the perception and style of Japanese literature.
Gamble, Adam, and Takesato Watanabe. A Public Betrayed: An inside Look at Japanese Media Atrocities and Their Warnings to the West. Washington, D.C.: Regnery Pub., 2004. Print.