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In Search of Japan's Hidden Christians: A Story of Suppression, Secrecy and Survival Paperback – December 1, 2015

by John Dougill (Author)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 68 ratings
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The story of Japan's hidden Christians is the subject of a major motion picture by director Martin Scorsese, based on Shusaku Endo's famous novel, Silence.

From the time the first Christian missionary arrived in Japan in 1549 to when a nationwide ban was issued in 1614, over 300,000 Japanese were converted to Christianity. A vicious campaign of persecution forced the faithful to go underground. For seven generations, Hidden Christians—or Kirishitan—preserved a faith that was strictly forbidden on pain of death. Illiterate peasants handed down the Catholicism that had been taught to their ancestors despite having no Bible or contact with the outside world.

Just as remarkably, descendants of the Hidden Christians continue to this day to practice their own religion, refusing to rejoin the Catholic Church. Why? And what is it about Christianity that is so antagonistic to Japanese culture? In Search of Japan's Hidden Christians is an attempt to answer these questions. A journey in both space and time, In Search of Japan's Hidden Christians recounts a clash of civilizations—of East and West—that resonates to this day and offers insights about the tenacity of belief and unchanging aspects of Japanese culture.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    272 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Tuttle Publishing
  4. Publication date
    December 1, 2015
  5. Dimensions
    5.13 x 0.9 x 8 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    4805313560
  7. ISBN-13
    978-4805313565
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"John Dougill's In Search of Japan's Hidden Christians is one of the most compelling and important books on Japan in recent years. The story of Japan's Hidden Christians is one of the least known and most interesting aspects of Japanese history, and Dougill brings the story to life brilliantly." --Chris Rowthorn, author of Lonely Planet Japan and Lonely Planet Kyoto

"Eloquently written, with surprises around every corner, Hidden Christians is an engaging read. Dougill's personal touch to the narrative makes the book lively and highly readable." --Amy Chavez, columnist, Japan Times

"In Search of Japan's Hidden Christians: A Story of Suppression, Secrecy and Survival is the best non-fiction work I've read in the past three years." --Bookish.asia

"This book is a moving and personal meditation on the history and present situation of Japan's Kakure Kirishitan. The combination of individual testimonies and reflections based on sound research paints a rounded and up-to-date picture of these remarkable communities." --Stephen Turnbull, author of Samurai Swordsman

"The narrative is engaging, as Dougill's perspective is both instructive and playful. This is one of the best books out there about this subject of east meeting west." --San Francisco Book Review

"Readers are immersed in Dougill's travel adventures as he visits historical sites of the Kirishitan. And even those who stumble over the Japanese terminology will understand the importance of a book detailing a dwindling subculture now fading into history." --Publishers Weekly

"The most original and beneficial contribution of this book is Dougill's narrative of his travels around southern Japan visiting historical sites. His travelogue offers glimpses of how modern Japanese address their country's Christian past, whether memorializing martyrdoms, exploiting a semi-foreign faith for tourism, or simply forgetting it was ever there." --Catholic Library World

"A nonfiction work about devotion, the book is also a lively travelogue. And Dougill is a tireless journeyman and sleuth, going to wherever there is a story or lead. He tracks down descendants of hidden Christians on the island clusters of Amakusa, Goto and Ikitsuki, meets with curators, historians in Shimabara and Nagasaki, engages fisher folk in conversations about history." --Stephen Mansfield, columnist, Japan Times

About the Author

John Dougill has lived in Japan for over twenty years and is professor at a Buddhist university in the heart of Kyoto. He is an associate editor for Japanese Religions and co-author of a guide to Shinto Shrines. Educated at Leeds and Oxford Universities, he taught for three years in the Middle East before spending ten months traveling around the world. As well as following the path of early Christians around Kyushu, he has journeyed from Lake Baikal to Lake Biwa in search of Japan's shamanistic roots and traversed the country researching Japan's World Heritage Sites. Amongst his hobbies are chess, the GreenShinto blog, and bird-spotting on the Kamogawa River.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tuttle Publishing; Reprint edition (December 1, 2015)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 4805313560
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-4805313565
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.13 x 0.9 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 68 ratings

About the author

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John Dougill

John Dougill

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John Dougill grew up in Grimsby, UK, and has spent most of his life abroad. He currently resides in Kyoto, Japan, where he is professor of British Studies at Ryukoku University. His student days took place at Leeds University and Queen's College, Oxford, in the heady days of the early 1970s when the future beckoned with golden arms. He completed his education at the University of Life when he spent a year travelling round the world: Nepal and Bali were his favourites. As a teacher, he spent three years in the Middle East and seven years in Oxford before moving to Japan in 1986. In addition to the books listed here he has produced twelve Japanese college textbooks and 'Gentleman and Hooligan: The British on Film 1921-1971' by Ryukoku Univ. Press. He completed a PhD in English Literature in 1993, and is now consumed in the fascinations of Japanese spirituality. Amongst his hobbies are chess, haiku and visiting Shinto shrines. He has a particular interest in the spirit of place and contributed an essay to the ebook 'Deep Kyoto Walks'.

Conch-shell echoing

In the deepening woods:

Red, red berries

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
68 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent book
Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2013
Verified Purchase
Ever since by chance, I visited the museum in Nagasaki on the Hidden Christians, I have been fascinated by this subject. (Incidentally, the museum is right next to the escalator leading to a Park, and is opposite a church.)

I was fascinated by a figurine, which to my eyes, was that of Kannon, the goddess of mercy in Buddhism, but was actually Mary with the bay Jesus. That raise a very interesting idea in my mind - the meaning of symbols are provided by our mind's projection. A symbol is a symbol is a symbol. An object is "holy" because of our human mind. Therefore, in a sense, anything can be holy, and anything deemed to be holy, in fact that "holiness" is in the perceiver's mind. The furor about the burning of "holy books" is pure nonsense.

But that's besides the point. This book is very well researched and gives a fascinating story of the Hidden Christians.
7 people found this helpful
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Trey Hoffman
4.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful personal guide to the history of Christianity in Japan
Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2016
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A casual yet thorough journey through time and space as John Dougill physically travels to the various places in Japan where Christians arrived, prospered and suffered in the 16th and 17th centuries. There is a good balance of history, theological reflection, travel writing, and personal interjection. It's like a long talk with a friend who really knows his stuff and knows well enough to not try and reach too definite conclusions about the meaning of it all. I'm a devout Catholic and I give the author kudos for being a truly objective and fair recounter of history and religion. No axes to grind or agendas to push, just an informed account of some very interesting times and themes in the arena of Japanese-Western relations.
11 people found this helpful
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Kirk of the Rockies
5.0 out of 5 stars It is an interesting and historical account to read
Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2013
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The author offers an interesting and historical view on efforts to Christianize Japan with many unusual circumstances along the way.
3 people found this helpful
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Maggie Gallagher
3.0 out of 5 stars After I saw Silence I wanted to learn more of ...
Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2017
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After I saw Silence I wanted to learn more of Christianity in Japan. This is a really accessible introduction framed around the survival of the "Hidden Christians" for several hundred years. I read of Takayama just days before he was beatified by the Vatican as a martyr.
4 people found this helpful
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Hugginsjl
4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyed it!
Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2012
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The setup of this book is different than I thought. It was like reading a video of a documentary. The author goes around each part of Japan talking with people trying to find more out about the history of Christians and Japan.
4 people found this helpful
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Rick
5.0 out of 5 stars Hidden
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2016
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Great book on a little known subject. Highly worthwhile.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2018
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great research!
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Karen Brown
1.0 out of 5 stars Blah
Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2021
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Definitely written by a secular lost soul. He’s fascinated by Christianity but is influenced by what he wants to hear, very SECULAR, would not recommend
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Cassisa
5.0 out of 5 stars Arrived as and in the condition expected
Reviewed in Canada on October 2, 2020
Verified Purchase
I am very happy with the condition product arrived in as well as the product itself. Very excited to begin reading!
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Marko P. Joensuu
5.0 out of 5 stars A myth-busting insight into hidden Japan
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 2, 2012
Verified Purchase
Most people don't know that by the end of the 16th century there were 300,000 Christians in Japan and that Christianity was set to be much more than a minority religion before it was brutally suppressed and went underground. This book tells both the story of the rise of Christianity in Japan and what happened to it when it went underground. It is filled with fascinating stories such as how the hidden Christians, having no access to the Bible or priests mixed Christianity with Buddhism and Shintoism, came up with rice and sake communion, and how, tragically, Nagasaki, their stronghold, was destroyed by the atomic bomb. It is a story of survival and genocide as the Japanese authorities grew ever more inventive in torturing and killing Christians. Did you know that there was a time in Japan when practically every Japanese had to walk over Christian symbols once a year to prove that they weren't Christians and how it became compulsory to belong to a temple to prove that you weren't a Christian? This is a fascinating history/travel book filled with stories about Christian samurai and statues that look like bodhisatvas but are in reality statues of Mary and Jesus. Did you know that the tea ceremony might have been influenced by the communion? There's something myth-busting on nearly every page!
8 people found this helpful
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Jud
4.0 out of 5 stars Not academic
Reviewed in Japan on July 26, 2013
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Although the book is not academic and sources are questionable, it is a good read for those who are interested in Kirishitan history in Japan.
One person found this helpful
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Anuradha
5.0 out of 5 stars In Search of Japan's Hidden Christians
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 1, 2012
Verified Purchase
In his search for Japan's hidden Christians, John Dougill takes the reader on an intriguing journey across modern-day Japan, while exploring an almost forgotten chapter in its history; the rise and fall of Christianity on its shores.

The author is a fine story-teller who plays part historian, part detective uncovering and piecing together some fascinating facts to paint a vivid account of what went on in the lives of the early Christians; their persecution over the years, their fight for survival and now, generations later their quiet decline.

It's written as a travelogue and as such I found it to be a wonderful introduction to a country I have never been to and know very little of. And as all good travelogues should do, it made me want to visit the place one day.

The author's love for his adopted country and its people is very apparent throughout the book, but what brings it alive are his personal insights and objectivity which only a foreigner can have.

Highly recommended to anyone, with or without an interest in history, looking for a good read.
3 people found this helpful
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Richard Ashton
3.0 out of 5 stars The Japanese see things differently
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 2, 2014
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Part history, part travelogue, part theological reflexion ... it was interesting to read how the 'Hidden Christians' managed to hold on to some version of their faith for centuries, despite some ferocious persecution. I was less impressed by the author's thesis that Christianity is enriched by adding a few strands of paganism. But I believe that the opposite is true, that authentic nature worship is completed, fulfilled, transformed, by Christian belief.
4 people found this helpful
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