|
In Search Of Japan's Hidden Christians: A Story Of Suppression, Secrecy And Survival
by Dougill, John
About This Book
It is probably not widely known that since the 16th century there has been in Japan a very small Christian minority of Japanese who were originally converted through the work of Francis Xavier (1506-1552). From 1614 to the 1860s, they had to live in secret and were/are known as Hidden Christians. This British author in 2003 visited sites with Hidden Christian buildings or artefacts and met with some now-aged members of the declining group which probably now numbers a few hundred (50000 were identified in the 1870s by French Roman Catholic missionaries of which more than half became Roman Catholic). Many issues of identification, rites, survival and persistence are raised and discussed. With photographs, timelines and bibliography.
* Actual charges are made in Singapore Dollars (SGD). SGD1.00 = US$0.77
|