Silence By Shusako Endo : Cultural Clash Between Christianity And Japan

The role of tradition within religion in medieval Japanese society was of great significance. Shinto and Zen Buddhism were two of the major religions practiced in medieval Japan. Shinto was mainly concerned with daily life, while Zen Buddhism prepared the people for the life to come. The samurai also followed an important code called Bushido, a form of warrior philosophy. The ancient Japanese religions helped people understand the universe and also provided a connection between the physical world on earth and the spiritual world.

Many times throughout religious history God has seemed to show silence towards his followers, at times when they really needed Him the most. For instance the Jews have a long history of anguish and suffering at the hands of other religious faiths or races, and often have been met with silence from their God. The holocaust is perhaps the most well-known example of a religious group being persecuted without any protection from the God that they worship and seek protection from. In Shusaku Endo’s book Silence, he writes of another example of religious persecution, this time focusing on the Japanese eliminating Christianity. When religious people face suffering they can often be faced with a horrible dilemma: What 's more important, my faith, or the lives of others? If a religious person has to commit sacrilege in order to save another human beings life, is that the right thing to do? Or even further, if a religious person must give up their religion in order to save other people, is that the option they should, or would take? Regardless of the decisions people make facing such dilemmas, why should they need to face this dilemma in the first place? If their God would not stay silent, and come to the aid of His people, then would the dilemma not be averted?

The author’s purpose for using the title Silence for the book is three-fold. First, it represents the belief by both priest, Rodrigues and Ferreira, that God was silent during times of persecution when the Christians of Japan was being persecuted for not renouncing their faith. Why does God allow His believers to suffer vicious and horrendous persecution? Rodrigues questioned God on numerous occasions. The most heart-wrenching question Rodrigues posed to God was just before he apostatized; actually, it was a statement to God. “Lord, it is now that you should break the silence. You must not remain silent.” Second, the Japanese government was determined to remove Christianity from Japan. Basically, the government was silencing Christians and anything related to Christianity. After Rodrigues had apostatized, the Japanese officials used him to inspect the “strange goods” of foreigners to ensure the items were not “forbidden Christian objects (p. 176). Third, it represents the silence of those Christians who kept their Christian faith a secret for fear of persecution. Like the peasants of Tomogi, who had to hide everything they possessed that represented Christianity whenever the officials appeared. They were a secret society of Christian. Therefore, in appearance, the Japanese government was silencing the Christian faith, but in actuality there was a remnant of Christians silently

In addition to their stylistic differences, these two authors also differed in their portrayal of Christianity in Portuguese-occupied Japan. Hamilton introduces his work by discussing the situation of Christianity in Japan. According to his account, “the Portuguese found this island and Japan to be easily brought over to their notions of Christianity.” Indeed, they converted 180,000 families and “it was believed that the Emperor himself would have become Christian, but a Civil War [was]breaking out in Japan” (Hamilton 299). Therefore, from Hamilton’s account, it seems clear that not only were the Portuguese intent on converting the people of Japan to Christianity, they had little difficulty in doing so. In fact, it seems that conversion was

D. A. Carson is research professor and teaches New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and has written nearly fifty books on an extensive range of topics. His Christ and Culture Revisited is a revisit of H. Richard Niebuhr 's five models for seeing the relationship between Christ and culture. The book is also a revisit of the broader question of Christ and culture in general, and how it has dramatically changed from Niebuhr 's day.

Although much research has taken place on the involvement of Japan in WWII, only limited research has been conducted into the connection between Japan and the Jewish people who were being prosecuted at the time. This paper aims to produce further acknowledgement and understanding of the history of the Jewish people in Japan, as well as give a different perspective on Japanese views and ideas of the period and strive to correct any misconceptions that may be strongly held since Japan’s defeat in 1945. Throughout Japan’s history, foreigners have been regarded with alternating reverence and contempt, as benevolent gods and threatening demons (Goodman and Miyazawa, 1995). So substantial was this ambivalence that it evolved into a major feature of Japanese religion, whose deities are often interpreted as ‘visitors from afar’ (Goodman and Miyazawa, 1995). These deities would be waited upon until they could give their blessings to the Japanese people, and would then be ushered away. Japanese attitudes towards the Jews and foreigners in general have always followed this basic pattern, even in the present day. Foreigners are seen as visitors to be admired and revered or criticized and expelled depending on the fluctuating needs of Japan (Goodman and Miyazawa, 1995).

By 1597 the nation saw its highest percentage of converts with roughly 300,000 converts to the Christian faith. Many of these converts did not know the deep meaning of being a Christian. Many times the word of God was preached by the edge of the sword. Many Buddhist priests were given the choice of banishment or to accept the Christian faith. In 17th century Japan, Christianity was prevalent throughout the land. However, with the introduction of the Tokugawa rule, Christianity soon lost its foothold in which a strict social order marked by its isolationist approach took over the country.

In Japanese society, elements of Shintoism, Buddhism, and Christianity are found woven within its culture. Major holidays that are celebrated in Japan are: Hatsumode, Obon, and Christmas, which all derive out of three different religions. Hatsumode, a Shinto celebration, is the first shrine visit of the year on New Year's Day, where the idea of a ‘new beginning’ is heavily emphasized. A majority of the Japanese population will visit Shinto shrine or Buddhist temples to worship for happiness, success and a healthy life and a year. After they pray, they continue on to buy new omamori, a good-luck charm for the year, and omikuji, a fortune telling paper that predicts luck and success in just about anything.

Western Influence on Japan Japan, as a nation, is a continually changing society. Ever since western nations became involved with Japan, its changes over recent times have increased at a substantial rate. Japan now faces cultural, economical and social differences as a result of the western involvement. The involvement was initiated by the Japanese themselves, beginning during the Meiji Period1 through current times.

Although skeptical of the trustworthiness of Kichijiro, they entrust “[their] futures” (21) to Kichijiro, in faith, because their “Lord himself had entrusted his destiny to untrustworthy people”(21) as well. They finally do reach Japan and they arrive and stay in a small village of Christians, spending their time “[giving] instruction”(29) and “[teaching] them how to pray”(29).

The people of Japan in the 16th century were greatly influenced by the Christian missionaries, mainly the Jesuits. This paper will discuss the life of St. Francis Xavier and his role in leading the first Japanese mission, the Jesuits’ influence on Japanese culture, and the persecution of Christians and the events leading up to Japan closing itself off to the rest of the world. What first started off as a major success story for the Catholic Church quickly turned in to the persecution of thousands of Japanese and the abolishment of Christianity in Japan.

Therefore, as the title suggests, the silence of God—perceived or real—in the face of human suffering is an overarching theme in this book, as is the theological idea of silence itself, ultimately unveiling a new perspective on the “real” God. The presence of the furthering of the silence of God and forced suppression of religion and faith -by the incompatibility with Japanese culture and religion- is overwhelming in this text. How this said “Silence” functions as a theme of the book and of Japan during this time frame in general. I think metaphorically, just as blacks were oppressed not all that long ago, in our society, these Japanese Christians were experiencing some of the same adversity.

All around the world, religion is a dominant idea for many cultures; exemplifying a certain way of life, serving as a basis for faith, and bringing charity to the world, religion is a extensive concept. For several cultures and countries religion may vary according to demographics, socio-economical class, and ethnicity. Main concepts of religion in Japan are natural and superstitious based. The leading religion in Japan remains Shinto, while other religions have come and go, interweaving themselves among the Japanese society.

The book Silence, by Shusako Endo follows a theme of a silent God who accompanies a believer in adversity. The main character of the book is Sebastian Rodrigues. It tells of Sebastian Rodrigues’ arduous journey halfway around the world to Japan in the 1630s, in order to track down a rumor that his mentor Father Ferreira had abandoned his faith, at a time where the Japanese leaders were extremely hostile to foreigners and Christianity and also suspicious of their intentions. He travels with two other missionaries but one of them falls sick whilst travelling and is deemed unfit to carry on to accompany him. The book is not fast paced, but immensely character driven. For example, we see the growth of Sebastian Rodrigues as a priest. At one point he labels Kichijiro a coward. “Was it possible that he was of our faith – this wretch.” Here we see him being judgmental. However, later in the novel we see him for the first time-sharing a proper

Jomo Kenyatta’s ethnography, Facing Mt. Kenya was written in the 1930’s about Kikuyu society during 1890-1910, the early years of British colonialism in Kenya. Since the coming of the early colonization the Kikuyu people have tried to develop a religious attitude that would define it’s own culture while adapting forcefully to the European conforms of religion.