Traces of Christianity in Japanese novels
Three recent reads reveal Christian overtones and biblical quotations
Imagine opening a Japanese novel and encountering two quotes straight from Matthew’s gospel on the first page. That’s what happened when I started to read the novel Lost Care by Aki Hamanaka.1
To my surprise, three novels I’ve read recently contained Christian references to varying degrees. With all three, I chose to read them because they looked interesting, had good reviews, and had movies based on them (that way, reading can help reinforce my listening ability).
Of the three, Lost Care had the most overt Christian references, which included mention of Jacob’s ladder (p. 303) and quotes from the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 7:7–11; p. 285), Jesus’s teaching about bringing a sword to the Earth (Matt. 10:34–39; p. 287), and Matthew’s account of the crucifixion (Matt. 27:45–50; p. 289). While the main character wasn’t a Christian himself, his parents were (although it seems they attended a liberal church). Throughout the book, Jesus’s words “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them” (Matt. 7:12 ESV) were cited. There were also quite lengthy and accurate descriptions of the state of Christianity in Japan. The author must either have had firsthand experience of Christianity in Japan or have done his research well.
Another novel in which the main character came from a Christian family is Kyrie’s Song by Shunji Iwai.2 The names of both the main character, Luca, and her older sister, Kyrie, were chosen because of the Christian connections (Luke and the Greek word for Lord, respectively). Because of her Christian upbringing, Kyrie has never entered a Shinto shrine in her life. When she becomes pregnant by her boyfriend while still a high school student, her mother is very accepting of her boyfriend and welcomes him into the family—much to his surprise. Kyrie utters the plea “have mercy on me, a sinner” a couple of times too (Luke 18:13 NIV).
The book with the most subtle references to Christianity was Hōtei Yūgi (The Court Game) by Ritsuto Igarashi (spoiler ahead).3 Set in a law school and later a court, it has strong themes of justice running throughout. The maxim from Exodus 21:24 (“eye for eye, tooth for tooth . . .”) surfaced several times. It was pointed out that while it might appear harsh, the intention behind this law was to place limits on how much punishment someone who was wronged could exact.
The clearest reference to Christianity appeared on the last page when, instead of blindfolded Lady Justice holding a pair of scales, a cross appeared. While it lacked redemptive overtones, its significance was that the character had chosen to bear the punishment of his own sin, which showed surprising insight into the cross.
A sample of three is too small to make statistical inferences. But given the low proportion of Christians in Japan, it’s intriguing that three recent novels, which were also made into movies, have such strong connections to Christianity.
I find that Christians tend to be treated as curiosities in books and films, and inevitably the author or director has to provide significant background as explanation. But, unlike in the West, Christians are often portrayed quite positively. On television in Australia, Christians seem almost always cast in a negative light, whereas on NHK, they are frequently depicted positively.
It’s encouraging that Christianity is making an appearance in films and novels. Hopefully, they will make Japanese people more curious about Christianity and provide valuable entry points for discussions with Japanese people about spiritual things.
1. Aki Hamanaka 葉真中 顕, ロスト・ケア [Lost Care] (Tokyo: Kobunsha 光文社, 2013).
2. Shunji Iwai 岩井 俊二, キリエのうた [Kyrie’s Song] (Tokyo: Bunshun Bunko 文藝春秋, 2023).
3. Ritsuto Igarashi 五十嵐 律人, 法廷遊戯 [Hōtei Yūgi, The Court Game] (Tokyo: Kodansha 講談社, 2023).