logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2025
1h 1m

Christianity in Japanese Literature

Alison Fincher
About this episode

In this episode, we look into the history of Christianity in Japan—especially the role Christianity has played in Japanese literature. Our focus text is Shusaku Endo's Silence.

Notes and sources on the episode page.  Transcript available.

Let RJL know what you think! (Contact us through the website if you want a response.)

Please note that text messages are for feedback only. RJL can't respond directly.
Get in touch at www.readjapaneseliterature.com.
Support RJL on Patreon.com.
Buy your books from Bookshop.org.
All content © 2025 Read Japanese Literature.

Up next
Oct 29
The Master of the Japanese Ghost Story
In this episode, we explore the enduring legacy of Greek/English/Irish/American/Japanese author Lafcadio Hearn and the ghost story The Peony Lantern.We'll start out by looking at Hearn's life. We'll discuss the long history of the story Boton Doro, more commonly known as The Peon ... Show More
54m 57s
Sep 20
Bullying in Japanese Literature
In this episode, we look at bullying in Japanese literature.We'll start out by defining bullying and looking at bullying in Japanese schools as well as the Japanese workplace. We'll see some examples in Japanese novels. And then we'll talk about Mizuki Tsujimura's Lonely Castle i ... Show More
57m 6s
Mar 2025
Japanese Writers Standing Up to the State
In this episode, we take a look at the Japanese proletarian writers’ movement of the 1920s and early 1930s. We also take a deep dive into the life of author Genzaburo Yoshino—not a proletarian writer, but a man who spent prison alongside them and for some of the same beliefs—and ... Show More
1h 3m
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2020
Learn English with Arty Anglais: Episode 18 An Introduction to Ukiyo-e and Japanese Woodblock prints
Welcome back to The Arty Anglais Podcast. If you're learning English and you're curious about arts and culture then you have landed on the right place. We teach English in context by talking about interesting and creative subjects. In today's episode we discuss Japanese Woodblock ... Show More
40m 38s
Jun 2025
How Gen Z found religion
For the first time in decades, American Christianity is not in decline. What are young people looking for–and finding–at church? Further reading: The surprising chasm splitting Americans along religious lines by Christian Paz. Pew report: Decline of Christianity in the U.S. Has S ... Show More
29m 53s
Jun 2021
NT Pod 98: The Origins of Early Christian Literature: In Conversation with Robyn Walsh
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMkPnybqLKxS1dN-xErOliIuGVz5kirez8UIS_nKqozA8Xzcx8ND5bEgSrknnV6F3j6ETsisS5nq_M8ahv7y-hTB7cQRRrVZN9SG08BZk-OhtCF0MvdlPdIuNLXoOt_18J6X8dqHgDuds/s648/9 ... Show More
58m 4s
May 2020
Learn English with Arty Anglais: Episode 24: Does being bilingual make you more creative?
In today's episode, I'm talking about being bilingual and if it makes you more creative. I think it does, but I wanted to find an article with real research to back up my beliefs! What do you think? You can find the article that I talk about in today's episode here. You can find ... Show More
8m 52s
Mar 2025
#241 - God's Secretaries by Adam Nicolson
I started off 2025 reading straight through the King James Version of the Bible. As I was doing so, I kept wondering how that translation came about. It’s now over 400 years old. What English translation will people be reading 400 years from now? And I had other questions. Did pe ... Show More
32m 28s
Feb 2025
#240 - The Bible | King James Version
I start each year reading straight through a different version of the Bible during January & February. This year, I selected the King James Version designed & illustrated by Barry Moser. This version contains 232 beautiful illustrations. This was my first time reading the full Ki ... Show More
56m 33s
Jul 2024
The Book of Five Rings - Book Summary
"A Classic Text on the Japanese Way of the Sword" 👉 For more insights, check out the full book here 📖 Transcript and written book summary available here for free 🗒️ Author: Miyamoto Musashi Category: Management & Leadership 
17m 29s
Mar 2014
Debunking Christianity (with John W. Loftus)
CAMP QUEST DONATION LINK:  <a href="http://www.youcaring.com/nonprofits/2014-cqok-fundraising-drive/145726" rel="noopener">http://www.youcaring.com/nonprofits/2014-cqok-fundraising-drive/145726</a><br /><br /><br />It's the most popular religion on earth.  But are its claims easi ... Show More
54m 45s
Feb 2025
Episode-13: My Trip to Japan | Easy English Listening
Join Anisa (yes I’m back!) as she talks about her trip to Japan. (And to my Japanese audience, I’m sorry if I pronounced some Japanese nouns wrong. It was purely muscle memory and a mistake.)The vocabulary and expression note: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DrlFL2khFiV06b4WM ... Show More
2m 36s
Jan 2025
American Christian Publishing: 19th-Century Roots
How did Christian publishing take root in America? Today, Stephen Nichols traces the development of Christian literature, highlighting the innovative ways the gospel has been spread through the printed word. Read the transcript: https://ligonier.org/podcasts/5-minutes-in-church-h ... Show More
5 m