Masaru

by Michael T. Cibenko

“Be like wheat whereas the taller you grow,
the lower you bow your head to the ground.”
~Japanese Proverb

In the mid-16th century AD, Christianity arrived in Japan. Heralded by daring Jesuits from Spain and Portugal zealous to bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the four corners of the earth, Christianity soon took root in that distant land. At that time, Japan was fractured among warring states as feudal lords known as daimyo vied for supremacy. From the first day, the Catholic faith found surprising acceptance among Japanese of all social status and within fifty years, Japanese converts known as Kirishitans numbered in the hundreds of thousands.

But with the advent of a unified Japan under the powerful Tokugawa shogunate in the early 17th century, things began to change. While the Tokugawa shoguns appreciated European weapons and trade goods, they had little use for the foreign religion, whose success came to be viewed with increasing suspicion and hostility.

Shiro Nakagawa comes from a family of recent converts living near Hitoyoshi castle on the island of Kyushu. A young man of the samurai class, Shiro studies to be a healer, but has also heard the call to become a Catholic priest. His plans for the future, however, are disrupted when the Shogun in Kyoto orders all churches closed throughout Japan. All gaijin priests are to be expelled from the country. All Christian practices and images are summarily banned. This order leads to widespread persecution, abuse and even slaughter of Christians throughout the islands.

When the small church of Saint Michael in Hitoyoshi is closed, its priest Fr. Olivera arrested, and his friend Kumiko brutally attacked, Shiro knows he must take action. Along with his boyhood friend, Tomi, Shiro embarks on a mission to rescue Fr. Olivera and defend the helpless Kirishitans of southern Kyushu. Along with an army of ronin and outraged villagers, Shiro captures the castle at Yatsushiro, sheltering tens of thousands of Christian refugees. But even as the spark of justified resistance begins to burn, Shiro and his comrades realize that it's only a matter of time before the Shogun’s army descends upon Yatsushiro in full force deploying new and terrifying European weapons.

Masaru is an historical novel which paints the travails of the first Japanese Christians in brilliant colors. Author Michael T. Cibenko utilizes his expert knowledge of Japanese culture and language to create a memorable and authentic epic of early Christian Japan which entertains the reader while effortlessly conveying a lesson on this fascinating and complex period of history.

"In a manner reminiscent of Clavell’s Shogun, Masaru transports the reader to medieval Japan with realism that delights the senses, offering up a blend of history, philosophy and adventure. Based on events little known to those in the West, Masaru artfully presents the faith with a compelling synthesis of action and dialog. Calling upon his own heritage and experiences living in Japan, the author brings to life with vivid textures the characters and settings of the tale. Timeless truths of the faith are presented with fidelity, yet in a manner that is both refreshing and provocative. This is a must-read for anyone who appreciates Japanese culture, lovers of history and philosophy, or those who simply enjoy an exceptionally well-told story."
—Jeffrey Bond, PhD, The University of Chicago

Genres: Historical

272 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2021

Reviews

[Fonch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ladies and gentlemen I apologize for having taken so long to write new reviews (identical problem I currently have on my Instagram account). This is the first of my English readings this year. Next up is "Our lady of Artilech" by Andrew Gillsmith https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... , · I Thirst" by Gina Marinello Sweeney https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... and the Penury City trilogy by Thomas E. https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... . I must admit that one of the causes of my slowness was the fact that I have lost English skills lately, but we will do what we can to finish these Herculean tasks.
This book like most has history, and was praised with the author himself in four languages Spanish, English, Japanese, and Polish. I see no problem in writing it in another language thanks to the magic of Microsoft Word if some goodreads user asked me to.
Due to a problem the reading of this book was accelerated, and the reading of another novel that was reading "Aviado" by Eugene Vodolazkin was suspended https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... (which I was liking very much), but as I previously referred a matter forced me to advance it, to compensate the author for the damage caused. I promised him that if I liked to write a review in four languages, and I would recommend it (although I do not think it will be very successful in this work) to Spanish publishers specialized in editing Asian literature such as Quaterni, or Satori.
We will see how I am given this criticism, because I had a lot of problems writing it on Instagram, and I had to redo it several times. In fact, there was part of the English review that was lost.
However I wanted to read this book at any price, the user. My admired Don Juan Manuel de Prada https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... would say the four women who still support him. The Goodreads user will know, that if there are two issues that I am passionate about these are two Japan, including its history, and its world and Catholicism, and its attempt to introduce it to the country of the Rising Sun. I have already mentioned it on several occasions there are two countries (except mine) for which I feel a great weakness. One of them is Poland for its history, religiosity, the goodness of its people, and the beauty of its women. True, it is not a fair vision, but the vision I had of Poland comes from the Nobel Prize Henryk Sienkiewicz https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5..., it also helped a lot that my favorite Pope who is St. John Paul II https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... It is curious I thought that as I progressed I would distance myself from beliefs (understood not religious), but from my views of my childhood, but despite growing in the question of John Paul II my postulates have not changed at all, and except in the question of Islam I agree with St. John Paul II in everything. Although Vatican II is with the Pope that most identified me, surpassing other previous Popes with whom I could be more in tune, but it is still my favorite, perhaps because he was the first one I met. I never got over his death, and the emptiness he left me, although it was magnificently well happened https://www.goodreads.com/author/show.... St. John Paul II visited Japan, and he kept it in mind. In fact there is a link between those two countries between both Poland and Japan, and it is Maximilian Kolbe who was a missionary there https://www.goodreads.com/author/show.... In fact, the great writer Shusaku Endo dedicated a short story https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...
But going back to Japan is that the same thing happens, or similar to that in the case of Poland my love for this country. A priori so opposed to Poland is also born of childhood. At a time when I should have had things clear by the time I was 9 years old. I didn't want to be a doctor, biologist, computer scientist, or some profession that would guarantee me a comfortable position, but I wanted to be a ninja, or a shinobi. So much so that a friend of mine from school named Guechu to whom he sent a hug, and his wife also took me to his house, to try to explain what ninjas were, and I think that after seeing the American warrior in his house with Michael Dudikoff I ended up liking them more. I grow up playing video games, and watching anime as a son of the 80s of the last century that I am particularly Captain Tsubasa, Dragon Ball, or Doraemon https://www.goodreads.com/series/5741... https://www.goodreads.com/series/6520... https://www.goodreads.com/series/8199... https://www.goodreads.com/series/5764... as you can see it was very steeped in Japanese culture. I also didn't miss any Japanese films whether it was Akira Kurosawa https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..., or Kenji Mizoguchi https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... I wouldn't know until later, but there was also a tradition. A grandmother of mine was very devoted to St. Francis Xavier https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4..., recently passed away the Jesuit Peter Milward https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... (to whom a review was dedicated) "Murder in the honjin" https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... If I could have been another man I would have wanted to be Father Milward a friend of the Inklings, especially C.S. Lewis https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... apart from that Peter Milward was a scholar of Elizabethan theatre, and Jacobean, defending the catholicity of William Shakespeare https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... , but what unites him to the country of the Rising Sun is that he was Professor at the Sophia Press. I was so interested in this man, that when my friend Manuel Alfonseca told me https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... who was in the Sophia Press I asked him if I had met him, but at that time I did not know of the existence of Peter Milward. One of the things that saddens me the most is not being able to meet him personally.
This interest in Japan has been rekindled because of my fascination with Japanese Christian writers, he only cited two, because they are the only ones I have read, but there are more https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show.... The presence of Christianity in Japanese cultural elites will be a touched upon, when talking about "Masaru".
Already after having bored them with such a long prologue talking about such varied topics including my love for Japan. I think it's time to talk about the author's work in particular. The subject touched by Michael Thomas Cibenko had been dealt with in some books edited by Quaterni. In Kyotaku that tells you about the birth of Bazuin Chobe https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... the revolt of Jiro Akagawa in Shimabara was the trigger of the facts. This theme was played on in the prologue of Koga's Ninjas, or Yamada Futaro's Koga Nin Pocho (in the prologue to Quaterni's edition). This novel is also very interesting, because it was told how they proceeded to choose between Iemitsu Tokugawa, and Tadanaga (my hope at first was, that if Tadanaga had been chosen his father's favorite, perhaps he would have been more tolerant of Christians, but my joy in a well since he was a psychopath) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2... . On the subject of Tadanaga (this question is not mentioned by Michael Thomas Cibenko, but I think it needs to be clarified when Iemitsu Tokugawa ascends to the shogunate the first thing he does is kill his brother Tadanaga, because he was his greatest rival for the Shogunate, as if he were a Turkish Sultan). Nor are we told, despite the historical anecdotes that Michael homas Cibenko gives us, how he murdered his male lover. Regarding Tadanaga is fiction, but it is interesting to see what the character was like, and this can be seen reading one of the cruelest novels I have read "Shigurui. The Sunpu Tournament" by Norio Nanjio https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2..., which is interesting to compare with "The Ninjas of Koga", and with "Battle Royale" by Koushun Takami https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5... (this novel inspired the very naïve saga of "The hunger games" by Suzanne Collins https://www.goodreads.com/series/7375...) novels the latter very cruel, and bloody, although impeccably well written. It is true that there is violence, and death in the novels cited, but we have hope in "Battle Royale" that at least two people survive, and in "The Ninjas of Koga" despite the tragic outcome we are left with the idea that love ends up triumphing despite the hatred of the Koga clans, and Iga, and the state absolutism of Pagan Rome. However, in "Shigurui the Sunpu tournament" by Norio Nanjio (I tell you this so you can see what Japan was like that Jesuits, Dominicans, Franciscans, and Augustinians had to evangelize) Tadanaga celebrates a tournament to the death ten fights. But they are special battles of people who have outstanding accounts with the contender, turning into a food of hatred. I have never seen more cruel, and more bitter, work. Almost on the verge of the cruelest dystopias, where the rebellion of the survivors is crushed by the cruelty of the master. Not even the end of Tadanaga offers us a consolation of the tragedy that happens in the eyes of the reader. As I read about Michael Thomas Cibenko I was reminiscing about everything I had read. It is very good that the author starts with the arrival of Francisco Javier in 1549 until reaching the time of Shiro Nakagawa (the author has changed the name to the leader of the Shimabara revolt). I think it's a platonic novel in which religious positions clash. We see it in the dialogue between Hiromi father of Shiro, or Masaru as his grandmother calls him, or Obazan, when they talk about the rejection that Catholicism supposes to her, since she is a Buddhist. Hiromi is refuting it point by point, talking about the foreign origin of Buddhism as well, and seeing the similarity of Christianity with the myths she defends. A success for example, and it is the first thing I should have mentioned is the map that is in the book, and that each chapter is preceded by quotations from Western books, and Japanese works. Famous sayings appearing, and quotes from Musashi Miyamoo, Murasaki Shikibu and Matsuo Basho https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7... (Japanese Shakespeare) https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... . Michael Thomas Cibenko uses dialogues to talk about Catholicism, but unlike Thackeray he does it very well, and the explanation of Catholic theological questions does not harm the development of the work by the ontrario the improvement. The dialogue between Masaru (it is the name given by his grandmother to Shiro, which means victory) about the presence of God in the Eucharist is very interesting. Maybe one thing, that if I would like Michael Thomas Cibenko to improve, they are two things. One that would make a list of characters in the future, saying which are real, and which are not, and which fictional character is inspired by historical characters, and another thing I would like is for him to try to be as faithful as possible to the story. Shimabra is a fascinating event you do not need to add fictional events to what has already happened, because sometimes the story itself, or reality is usually more interesting than fiction. In fact, more would have been gained, if things had been told as they happened. Although it has a gallery of great characters from Father Olivera, Kuritani, Yoshimua, Kuniko.

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had picked up this book to read as part of the Good Reads Catholic book club. But because of my issues I refrained from commenting in the chats until after I had processed and written the following review. I have mixed feeling about this volume. I give it a solid 4/5 stars as a debut effort. My consternation comes from the liberties taken. Over the last few years I have read several works about saints and martyrs from around the world. I have been trying to track down the out of print volume Martyrs of Nagasaki by Lucian Hunt from the Catholic Truth Society, after having read The Martyrs of Korea by Father Richard Rutt. I had heard a lot of good things about this volume prior to reading it. And as a novel, even a Christian or Catholic novel it is well written. But the moving of dates, events, and attribution of faith to a princess with no historical evidence detracted from the story for me. A few times I stopped reading to go and check certain dates, events, or even the use of canons in Japan. If the authors note at the end of the volume where he explains some of this had been at the beginning it would not have been so perplexing while I read. And I know I am probably in the minority of readers who would have picked up on these things. And yet, it did play a roll in my enjoyment at the time of reading. Michael states in the author’s note:

“The statue is the likeness of Shirō Amakusa, the young Catholic samurai who is the inspiration for the main character in Masaru. The family name of Nakagawa was borrowed from my Japanese maternal grandmother. The real-life Shirō did indeed lead an uprising of peasants, many of whom were persecuted Christians, in what came to be known as The Shimabara Rebellion.

The actual rebellion, which lasted from December 1637 to April 1638, took place on the Shimabara Peninsula of Nagasaki, just north of Amakusa. Visitors today can see the ruins of Hara Castle, the fortress where some thirty thousand people, including women and children, sought refuge. In Masaru, the setting of events was shifted slightly eastward, primarily between Yatsushiro and Hitoyoshi on the main island of Kyūshū. This is the area more intimately familiar to me, having lived there for a considerable time. But those wishing to learn more about the actual events will find themselves directed to points northwest of the setting in Masaru.”

And also:

“Following the events of the Shimabara Rebellion, Christianity in Japan was strictly banned for nearly two and half centuries. With the arrival of Commodore Perry in 1853 and the subsequent reopening of Japan to the outside world, foreigners were once again permitted into the country. French Catholic missionaries were astonished to discover an entire community of “hidden Christians” in Nagasaki. This underground group had, albeit without the benefit of ordained priests, baptized and handed down the faith to their children over the course of all those generations. When news of this reached the West, Pope Pius IX declared it a miracle.”

It is a very interesting novel. It presents many historical events in an engaging and entertaining read. I am certain my son will love it and it has been added to his summer reading list. It is a book I can see tweens and teens really getting into. And there is some great presentation of Christian doctrine in the dialogue.

Both history and historical fiction books from the time of this book are important. Much like reading about the Holocaust it is not fun to do, but important to do. The presentation of the fledgling Catholic faith in Japan at this time is well written. The story is engaging. After reading the authors note I had a much greater appreciation overall. I do not believe this volume has the power of Shusaku Endo’s Silence, I could see the author growing towards that achievement. I would have no issue picking up another volume from the author. As much as I struggled with the historical inaccuracies I find the book well worth the read, and therefore can recommend it to tweens, teen, and young adult readers without hesitation.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2022 Catholic Reading Plan!

[Manuel Alfonseca · Rating 4 out of 5]

ENGLISH: Interesting and engaging novel about the persecution of Catholics in Japan during the government of the third Tokugawa Shogun. The novel uses several characters to expound some of the ideas of the Christian belief.

Rather than a typical historic novel, this book is a fictional novel remotely based on history, but without the intention of being faithful to history. So it belongs to a different literary genre. There were a number of intended anachronisms: the author has moved in time several historic facts and grouped them together, so as to make the story "more interesting." In the final author's note, some (not all) of the liberties taken with history are explained. It would have been better if historical facts had been clearly separated from fiction. Some sections of the book (as the first part of chapter 13) appear to be purely historical, but they aren't, for they include fictional modifications.

ESPAÑOL: Interesante novela sobre la persecución de los católicos en Japón durante el gobierno del tercer Shogun Tokugawa. La novela utiliza a varios personajes para exponer algunas de las ideas de la fe cristiana.

Más que una novela histórica típica, este libro es una novela de ficción remotamente basada en la historia, pero sin la intención de ser fiel a la historia, por lo que pertenece a un género literario diferente. Hay una serie de anacronismos intencionados: el autor ha movido en el tiempo varios hechos históricos y los ha agrupado para que su relato sea "más interesante". En la nota final del autor, se explican algunas (no todas) de las libertades tomadas con la historia. Habría sido mejor si los hechos históricos estuvieran claramente separados de la ficción. Algunas zonas del libro (como la primera parte del capítulo 13) parecen ser puramente históricas, pero no lo son, pues incluyen modificaciones.

[Asunción · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have liked this book a lot. It's written in an entertaining way. One learns about the persecution against Christians in Japan. St. Ignacio de Loyola, together with St. Francis Xavier and four others founded the Company of Jesus. Xavier was sent to India and later traveled to Malacca, the Maluku islands, and Japan, where he was the first Christian to preach Christianity. He died while trying to get to China. Francis was born in Javier (Xavier), Navarra, Spain.

[Michael Thomas Cibenko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad for a first novel.

[Mariangel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel about martyrs in Japan is a fast and gripping read.
I enjoyed the friendship and loyalty between Shiro and Tomi, and the hardiness and resolve of the Christians.

[Deacon Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd like to thank the author for giving us insight to the true history of Catholicism in Japan. His ability to take the historical facts of the culture and incorporate them with Christian values at that time makes for a very good read.

[Carolyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was intrigued by the premise of Masaru, a novel for teens about the historic (16th c.) persecution and martyrdom of Japanese Christians. The setting is intriguing, and I enjoyed being immersed in the culture. My favorite scenes were those including the hero, Shiro, and his friend, Tomi.

Masaru has all the elements of a great story, including a self-sacrificial hero and, in the second half of the book, lots of action. Unfortunately, it lost me at times with so many unfamiliar names, places, and details of military or political history. In a couple of instances, major changes in Shiro's life happen so abruptly that it pulled me out of the story.

I liked the book, but it fell a little short of the stellar novel it could be.

[Lizzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

*GoodReads First Read Giveaway*
I think I was not the target audience for this book - I was interested in reading about Medieval Japan, but not so interested in the history of Christianity there. Hopefully someone who finds it in a Little Free Library will enjoy it.

[Anna M · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author brings to light in a very lucid style the absolute faith and perseverance of a group of people from a country so new to Christ and Catholicism. For any reader, regardless of faith, the historical events portrayed in this novel makes it a fascinating read. I couldn't put the book down until I finished reading it. Truly a great novel for anyone interested in historical events, but an absolute "must read" for all Catholics!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading historical fiction helps me understand history that is otherwise boring with dates of wars from so long ago. This book is amazing because it helps me "see" the past through the lives of people and I appreciate better what many Catholic martyrs have experienced! The description of the landscape and culture of the people painted a vivid image in my mind! This is a FANTASTIC book to read!

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a page turner about the suppression of Christianity in Japan in 16th and 17th centuries. I found the character development excellent and the action sequences very good. The discussions of religion occasionally seemed forced, but also very thought provoking. This is a great story that will make you love the Japanese people and their culture.

[Onni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly interesting story about a time in Japanese history that is rarely written about from the Japanese Christian convert's point of view. As another reviewer described, the best part of the story was the relationship between Shiro and Tomi -- very well done. Fans of James Clavell's Shogun will enjoy the historical connection to William Adams (Anjin).

[Andrea Mulder · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed learning about this period of history through this book. It is a decidedly Catholic book, which I did not care for the preachy bits. Well written and interesting.