The Samurai - Shusaku Endo

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Category: Historical fiction, based on persons and events from the 17th century. Acquired: Found by chance at Half-Price Books last Monday while picking up books to read during Mexico vacation. Read: May 2008 (267 pages, 3 days - pretty good for me) Briefly: A Japanese samurai and a Catholic monk travel to Rome during the 17th century, both in submission to their respective lords. Both come away with profound learnings about the nature of trust and loyalty, and where to place it (and not to place it). The samurai learns to see past the affluent, political Christianity that surrounds him, and discovers a Christ who relates to the outcasts of society.

Comments: The two main characters contrast sharply - the monk is an ambitious Spanish missionary, and wants nothing more than to conquer Japan for God (those are his words... remember, this is an era when the line between evangelism and subjugation was often a little fuzzy). He is ambitious to a fault, and yet, as we listen to the arguments playing out in his mind, his motives are generally not the problem. Rather, it's his passion that drives him to overzealous actions, where the ends justify the means. This ultimately results in a scheme to bring a delegation of Japanese envoys to Mexico, Madrid and eventually Rome, in hopes of building trade relationships (which the Japanese want) in exchange for an open door to more missionary work (which he wants - along with an appointment to be Bishop of Japan).

The samurai is head of a poor farming family just trying to survive off their marshland. Being traditional Japanese, he submits without question when his patron orders him to join the monk's trade delegation. As we see into his thoughts, he wonders why a lowly, inarticulate person such as himself would be assigned to such a high-profile task, but naturally such concerns are never voiced. The questions he does ask, though, are about the the emaciated, disfigured man whose figure is constantly on display in the churches and monasteries to which he travels. And why does this man on the cross elicit such reverence from the monks, when everyone knows that honor and worship are due only to the rich and powerful who have earned it?

In the end, both characters are ultimately betrayed and abandoned by their earthly lords, and return to Japan in shame. But as the aftermath unfolds, it begins to click in the samurai's mind that the monk's Lord understands his situation deeply - He understands poverty, humiliation, shame. He knows what it's like to be victimized by a ruling class that cares only for themselves. Perhaps this is why He holds such appeal for the common folk he has met.

What makes this book unique is that the author is both Japanese and Catholic. His writing contains rich detail about both cultures, and a nuanced understanding of what happens when they interact - no doubt shaped by his own experiences growing up. Philip Yancey devotes a chapter to Shusaku Endo in Soul Survivor, and regards him as one of the great Christian authors of all time (I'm very much inclined to agree). Interestingly, Endo is also widely known and well-regarded among the Japanese - who obviously have no concept of "Christian author" - as simply one of their very accomplished writers.

For more about Endo, here's an article worth reading.