CHRIST’S SAMURAI
Jonathan Clements

If you watched The Silence directed by Martin Scorsese you will be familiar with anti-Christian persecution in Japan, and its methods, from the early-1600s to the mid-1800s, a period known as the Shogunate.* Christ’s Samurai covers events during the same period as The Silence and begins with the Battle of Sekigahara which ushers in an era of rulers who continued the established view of regarding Christianity with suspicion and sought its eradication.

^{_{The Christians truly did recognize and serve a higher power than the Shogun. What if, some reasoned, that same power ordered them not to die for their faith, but to fight for it?}}

Christ’s Samurai by Jonathan Clements

Christ’s Samurai traces the Christians peasants’ fight starting with a meeting at Parley Island to Hara Castle where the rebellion ends, and at several points along the way we learn about the devastating impact of the mistrust and rivalry between Catholic and Protestant missionaries upon the local people of Japan.

The willingness of Christians to suffer and die for their faith baffled the government officials during the time of the Shimabara Rebellion. It still continues to cause unease in many people and establishments since faith – and all that comes with it – ranks higher than most other allegiances people have.

In all instances of persecution, persecutors never limit their mistreatment to merely one group of people. In Christ’s Samurai, we learn that alongside the mistreatment and murder of Christians, the authorities executed similar punishments upon non-Christians who, for instance, were unable to pay their taxes. This should serve as an eye-opener to us that tolerating the persecution of others may pave the way for us to be next.

_{*The Silence is based on a book by Japanese Catholic author Shusaku Endo whose other novels are also set against the backdrop of persecution experienced by Christians in Japan.}

PRAYER
Dear Jesus, thank you for the faithfulness of persecuted Christians in Japan who followed your example of being obedient to God, despite a sentence of death. We remember their sacrifice and we thank you for the freedom people now have to learn more about you and form a relationship with you. We pray for your blessings of peace, prosperity, brotherhood and truth upon Japan.

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DID YOU KNOW?
Masuda no Shiro, or Jerome Amakusa, is the inspiration behind the TYPE-MOON anime character Amakusa Shiro Tokisada.