This was my first attempt to read a real book in Japanese. To be honest, I utterly failed. But I also read the English version, and if the the translation is true, this book has a few interesting ideas in it.
"Silence" is the story of some Jesuit missionaries in Japan around the turn of the 17th century. The time before this had been a time of strong trade with the West, and the missionaries enjoyed a warm atmosphere, many converts, and the sanction of the Japanese warlords. But around 1614, moves were made to expel the Christians and extinguish their religion from Japanese soil.
The missionaries were thrown out, the converts were forced to recant their beliefs, and those who did not obey were tortured and killed. The favorite technique for making Christians apostatize was to ask them to tread on a picture of the Virgin Mary or of Christ (called the fumie). Those who did were traitors to Christianity, and those who refused were tortured as followers of the evil Western religion.
The story is not so much about this process as about the effects of it on real people. Rumor reached Rome that a missionary named Ferreira had stepped on the fumie and hence apostatized, but few would believe it. Ferreira had been an ardent Jesuit. Could he really do that? Several of his students set sail for Japan to find out, despite the fact that Japan had already closed its borders to foreigners (and would not reopen them until the Meiji Restoration 250 years later).
Undaunted, two followers named Rodriguez and Garrpe head for Japan. (Their third companion fell ill and could not complete the journey). Along the way, in Macao, they pick up a Japanese man named Kichijiro-- a miserable wretch, actually, but one who might serve as a guide in the alien land. Kichijiro is trapped abroad because Japanese who were out of the country when the doors slammed shut were not allowed back in. He welcomes the chance to go home by slipping in with the Westerners.
And slip in they do. Rodriguez and Garrpe make it to a small town and set up shop as the local priests, nurturing the "hidden Christians" in that area. (The hidden Christians have an interesting history. Despite the warlords' attempts to abolish Christianity, it survived in modified form through a few secret bands here and there, mostly near Kyoto and in Kyushu. That's a different story, though).
I won't retell the whole story. The point is mostly the psychological tale of what happens in Rodriguez' mind as he tries to help the Christians in Japan under threat of being killed if discovered. Of course he is discovered, taken to prison, and asked to tread on the fumie. The dilemma is that the guards will kill a group of Japanese Christians if Rodriguez doesn't comply. Is standing up for his faith worth the lives of those Christians? I'll leave the details out in case you want to read the book. There are also interesting interactions with Kichijiro (who plays the role of Judas) and Ferreira, whom Rodriguez does eventually meet up with.
One response is to dismiss the book, saying, "Well, who says stepping on a picture of Christ means betraying him? Couldn't you just step on it but still believe in your mind?" This would be missing the point, for reasons that are made clear in the book. And besides, many other complex issues are addressed through Rodriguez' thoughts on his stay in Japan.
One is the concept of suffering. The Japanese Christians suffered enormously at the hands of the shoguns, and as they hang on in their secret groups, Rodriguez asks why they must suffer so. Why won't God give them a sign, or some relief? They have done nothing to deserve his silence. The theme of silence encompasses both the silence of the Christians in preserving their religion undergound and the silence of God or Christ in the face of danger.
Another point touched upon is whether Christianity is even able to be cultivated in Japan. Of course the missionaries think so, but Endo leaves some doubt as to whether the concept might be changed in the minds of the Japanese, with their differing cultural background.
In fact, Endo is a Japanese Christian (he converted in his early teen years due to family circumstances) who has thought a lot about Christianity in Japan. He has had a stormy relationship with it, but retains his faith in the end by appropriately modifying the emphasis of the religion. He sees a greater role for Christ the mother-figure (one of comfort and acceptance) compared to God the father-figure (who sits in judgment). He deals more with the ugly, weak side of humans, rather that the noble, heroic side appreciated in the West.
If you read "Silence," you should read some essays about Endo's religious views first. Otherwise, you may not fully appreciate the book. (Try a Google search; there are several such essays on the Web).
Overall, I would give this book a "weak +," for two reasons. First, I'm just not that into religion. And second, I think the translation I read (by William Johnston) wasn't that great. The words had no poetry-- it sounded like a third-grade essay at some points. Who knows, maybe Endo writes that way in Japanese, but somehow I doubt it. Anyway, have a look. It's certainly not your normal fare, even for novels about moral dilemmas.
Copyright © Kim Allen 2003
