In Search of Japan's Hidden Christians

In search of Japan's Hidden Christians recounts a remarkable story of perseverance - one of the most remarkable in religious history- and tells it with such deftness that it unfolds with the drama of a well-told mystery. Remarkably descendants of the Hidden Christians continue to this day to practice their own religion, refusing to rejoin the Catholic Church. Why? And what is it about Christianity that is so antagonistic to Japanese culture? In an attempt to answer these questions, the author sets out on a voyage of discovery that covers almost 2,000 miles and takes him through 450 years of history, from the coming of the first missionaries to the present day. He reconstructs the Hidden Christians' story as it recounts a clash of civilisations - of East and West - that resonates to this day, and offers insights about the tenacity of belief and unchanging aspects of Japanese Culture.

John Dougill studied modern languages at Leeds in the UK and did a postgraduate course in Slavonic Studies at Oxford University. In 1986 he went to Japan as a visiting lecturer at Kanazawa University. He completed a Ph.D. in English Literature, and moved to Ryukoku University in Kyoto, where he now works as professor of British Studies.