Endō Shūsaku was inspired to write Silence (1966; titled Chinmoku in Japanese), his most acclaimed novel, after a friend gave him a fumi-e before undergoing lung surgery. In 16th- and 17th-century Japan a fumi-e was an image of Christ (or sometimes, the Virgin Mary) that Christians were made to step on as a gesture of having renounced their faith. During this era of persecution against Christians in the country, those who did not trample on the image suffered torture and death. This gift moved Endō, who had converted to Roman Catholicism as a child, to research the history of Christian persecution in Japan.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style