Hi
@TheLightWithin –
The Japanese author Endo Shusaku (1923-1996) was a Catholic.
Famous for having written "
Silence" (1966) made into a film by Martin Scorsese in 2016, about the persecution of Christians in Japan in the 17th century.
Not read it, or seen film. I have read his
The Samurai, set in the same era, about a samurai travelling as part of a diplomatic mission to the Spanish in Mexico.
Christianity – Catholicism – was introduced into Japan by Francis Xavier, co-founder of the Jesuit order. He arrived in 1549.
Initially well-received, as the self-sacrifice of Jesus was seen in a positive light. It gained converts, but was later banned by the shogunate, who suspected (correctly) it would be used as a foothold for European trade conquest.
In the TV series
Shogun, the character of Mariko is draws on the biography of a notable female figure in Japanese history,
Hosokawa Gracia.
(If you've read the book/seen the show, she never met Anjin-san, the real-life ship-wrecked navigator William Adams.)
