William posted about Martin Scorsese’s new film, Silence. I think the setting is Nagasaki but there were many hidden Christians in Amakusa as well, so the story is not unrelated to Kumamoto. Sakitsu Church in Amakusa was built on a site were Christians were forced to step on an image of Jesus or the Virgin Mary in order to signify their renunciation of the faith (the practice is called fumie). According to the following Japan Times article, Sakitsu, where “Christians practice their faith despite a ban, . . . is one of several Christian sites the government will put forward . . . as candidates for a . . . UNESCO world heritage listing.” The proposal discussed in the article was postponed but is being pursued again now.
If you enjoy listing to audio, you can download an mp3 of an interview with Martin Scorsese about the movie or stream it directly.
– Kirk
