Although a century and a half of Christian proselytizing has only led to the conversion of about one percent of the Japanese population, the proportion of writers who have either been baptized or significantly influenced in their work by Christian teachings is much higher. The seventeen authors examined in this volume have all employed themes and imagery in their writings influenced by Christian teachings. Those writing between the 1880s and the start of World War II were largely drawn to the Protestant emphasis on individual freedom, though many of them eventually rejected sectarian affiliation. Since 1945, on the other hand, Catholicism has produced a number of religiously committed authors, led by figures such as Endo Shusaku, the most popular and influential Christian writer in Japan to date. The authors discussed in these essays have contributed in a variety of ways to the indigenization of the imported religion.
- Cover
- Table of Contents
- Contributors
- Abbreviations
- Preface
- Mark Williams, Van C. Gessel and Yamane Michihiro
- Introduction
- 1. Prophet of the Inner Life: Kitamura Tōkoku
- 2. Shimazaki Tōson and Christianity: When the Cherries Ripen in the Taishō Period
- 3. Arishima Takeo and Christianity
- 4. Akutagawa Ryūnosuke: A Christian Life
- 5. Incarnation of the Christian Faith in the Poetry of Yagi Jūkichi
- 6. Hori Tatsuo: The Cross Dyed in Bloody Red and the Little Gods of Ancient Times
- 7. Nagai Takashi on Divine Providence and Christian Self-Surrender: Towards a New Understanding of hansai
- 8. Dazai Osamu: His Wrestle with the Bible
- 9. Shiina Rinzō: His Two Visages
- 10. From out of the Depths: Shimao Toshio’s Literary Response to Adversity
- 11. Yasuoka Shōtarō and Christianity: From Postwar “Emptiness” to Religious Longing
- 12. Miura Ayako and the Human Face of Faith
- 13. Endō Shūsaku and the Compassionate Companionship of Christ
- 14. Ogawa Kunio: Renewal of Faith and Identity in His seishomono (Bible Stories)
- 15. Kaga Otohiko: In Search of What Lies Beyond Death
- 16. Sono Ayako: Amor Vincit Omnia
- 17. Takahashi Takako: Drawing Closer to God Through Literature
- Index
- Index of titles
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