13 - Endō Shūsaku and the Compassionate Companionship of Christ

Summary

With a substantial readership and a solid international reputation, Endō Shūsaku is demonstrably the most important and influential Christian writer that Japan has produced to date. Beginning with a baptism at age 12 that he described as his mother dressing him in ill-fitting western clothing, Endō grappled throughout his career to re-tailor Christianity to make it more accessible to his Japanese readers. Struggles with his own faith and chronic illness with lengthy hospitalizations led him to create an image of a forgiving, maternal Christ who is an “eternal companion” for all who suffer. In powerful novels such as the internationally acclaimed Silence, along with The Samurai and Deep River, Endō exerted significant and enduring influence on Japanese attitudes toward Christianity.

Introduction

Of all the authors in this handbook who were influenced to varying degrees by Christianity, none achieved as wide a readership or as loyal a following both in Japan and overseas as did Endō Shūsaku (1923–1996). In many of Endō's works, the challenge of being a Christian in Japan is foregrounded more consistently and unapologetically than in the writings of most other Christian authors. And as a spiritual godfather, he influenced a number of authors and critics to convert to Christianity, including three writers considered in this volume: Yasuoka Shōtarō, Kaga Otohiko and Takahashi Takako.

Critics who study his writings concur that Endō's career can be broadly demarcated into two periods: before and after the publication of Chinmoku (Silence*) in 1966. That novel perhaps best exemplifies one of the most distinguishing characteristics of his work: his identification with individuals in Japanese history who, like himself, are earnestly seeking after some source of consolation as they suffer physical and spiritual pain, defeat, a weakness born of fear and faltering faith and ultimately death. That ongoing search played out amidst his own struggles with faith and life-threatening illness; this quest joined his personal experiences (centered around his complicated feelings toward his mother) and his beliefs in Christianity (literally sprinkled onto him before he was old enough to understand what was happening) to shape a distinctive image of Christ in his writings.