Amakusa Shirō, la Rebelión de Shimabara y el cristianismo en el manga Makai tenshō (1987)

RESUMEN: El objetivo del presente trabajo es analizar la imagen del cristianismo en el manga de Ishikawa Ken Makai tenshō (1987), adaptación libre de la novela de ficción histórica de mismo nombre compuesta en 1967 por Yamada Fūtarō. Ambientado a finales del Japón medieval, tiene como punto de partida un famoso acontecimiento en la historia del archipiélago, la Rebelión de Shimabara, que puso punto final al llamado "siglo cristiano" de Japón. Uno de los protagonistas de la obra es el líder de esa rebelión, el joven cristiano Amakusa Shirō, convertido en los últimos decenios en un personaje frecuente en la cultura de consumo popular japonesa. La representación del cristianismo en Makai Tenshō, publicado en un periodo de fuerte presencia de nacionalismo japonés en el manga seinen, recoge algunos elementos de la imagen de los misioneros cristianos desarrollada en el Periodo Edo como legitimación del shogunato Tokugawa; entre otros, la naturaleza demoniaca de los misioneros, similares a los tengu, demonios del folclore japonés, su asociación con la magia y la medicina y su objetivo, frustrado por Tokugawa Ieyasu, de invadir y someter Japón. ABSTRACT: The aim of this paper is to analyze the image of Christianity in Ishikawa Ken's manga Makai Tenshō (1987), adapted freely from Yamada Fūtarō's historic fiction novel of the same name published in 1967. The manga is set at the end of Japan's medieval period, beginning with a famous event in Japanese history, the Shimabara Rebellion, which is considered the end of the "Christian century" of Japan. One of the main characters of the work is the leader of that rebellion, Amakusa Shirō, a very frequent character in recent Japanese pop culture. The representation of Christianity in Makai Tenshō, published in a period of strong presence of Japanese nationalism in seinen manga, derives partly from some characteristics of the image of the Christian missionaries developed in Edo Period as legitimation of Tokugawa shogunate; among others, their demonic nature, close to the tengu, demons in Japanese folklore, their association with magic and medicine and their intention, frustrated by Tokugawa Ieyasu, of invading and subduing Japan.

Reinhold Niebuhr and the Christian realist pendulum

Reinhold Niebuhr is widely acknowledged as the father of Christian realism and a staunch critic of pacifism. In a famous exchange with his brother H. Richard in The Christian Century, Niebuhr defended the necessity of entering the fray of battle to combat evil as opposed to opting for non-violent detachment that ultimately usurps God’s authority to decide on final matters. Niebuhr, however, never endorsed an aggressive Just War doctrine. Striving to reconcile the Christian command of love with the harsh realities of power resulting from universal sinfulness, Niebuhr emphasised the necessity of negotiating the distance between the two extremes of a pendulum swinging from Christian pacifism to the endorsement of interventionist policies. Rather than this being an expression of the ambiguity of his moral convictions, this paper argues that it is a product of his sensitivity to applying contextual moral and political judgement as an exercise of theological responsibility.

Jesuits and Western Clock in Japan’s “Christian Century” (1549–c.1650)

This paper explores how the Jesuits in Japan’s “Christian Century (1549–c.1650)” used Western mechanical clocks in missionary activities and how this new technology was received and transformed in the country. Sources show that it was a common practice for the missionaries to present clocks as unusual gifts to gain access to the ruling class. This policy eventually led to the production of mechanical clocks by local craftsmen by around 1600. Although Christianity was strictly prohibited after 1614, the technology survived and found its way into the secular world.

Translation During the Christian Century in Japan

This essay presents examples of translation of keywords of the Christian doctrine translated by Jesuit missionaries during the so-called ‘Christian century’, when Europeans undertook the conversion of the Japanese, between the second half of the 16th century and the first part of the following. The purpose is to highlight the difficulties of translation between very distant and different cultures, and the strategies that were devised in order to overcome the problems.

Bateren und Samurai

Summary Bateren and Samurai.The Exchange of Knowledge by the Jesuit Mission in Japan This article focuses on the production and exchange of knowledge stimulated by the missionary work of the Jesuit Order in Japan’s „Christian century“ (Charles R. Boxer). The paper shows how the printing and dissemination of Jesuit travel reports and letters created a new image of East Asia, which slowly replaced the older one based mainly on Marco Polo’s book. „Zipangu“ was replaced by „Japan“. The journey of four young Japanese nobles through Portugal, Spain and Italy, misunderstood by European observers as a spectacular diplomatic visit, aroused an overwhelming public interest in their physical appearance, habits and cultural background and made dialogues possible that led to a more detailed knowledge of the Japanese islands. On the other side of the globe, the Japanese were fascinated by the material goods, daily practices and customs of the „Southern barbarians“ (namban-jin), which is what they called the (South) European merchants and missionaries. This namban boom did not last for a long time, but it had significant effects for the geographical knowledge and cartographical practice of the time. In particular, the so-called namban world map screens, highly decorative pieces of art, brought different cultural traditions together and reflected the transcultural interactions that the Jesuit missionaries had initiated.

Conclusion

This conclusion asks questions: Does a minister remain silent in the face of injustice? What happens to important ministerial concepts such as “freedom of the pulpit”? Can a pastor balance the prophetic with pastoral duties? Can he/she ignore the inclusive message of the Christian Church for fear of losing a pulpit? These ministers did not remain silent in the face of injustice. They believed in “freedom of the pulpit.” They did not ignore the inclusive message of Christianity. Many lost their pulpits and some were never given pulpits. As James Wall, a southern white minister who served as editor of The Christian Century magazine expressed, “These ministers carried a heavy burden and many were truly prophets without honor in ‘their own country. In answering a questionnaire, ministers responded that faith in the Christian message and their witness to racial atrocities were the two most important factors influencing their actions.