A pilgrimage -- A journey into Silence : pulverization -- A culture of beauty : cultural context for Silence -- Ambiguity and faith : Japan, the ambiguous, and myself -- Ground Zero -- Fumi-e culture -- Hidden faith revealed -- The redemption of Father Rodrigues -- The aroma : toward an antidote to trauma -- Mission beyond the waves -- Appendix 1. Endo and Kawabata -- Appendix 2. Kenzaburo Oe's "Human lamb" -- Appendix 3. A summary of Silence by Shusaku Endo

Internationally renowned artist Makoto Fujimura reflects on Shusaku Endo's novel Silence and grapples with the nature of art, pain and culture. Showing that light is yet present in darkness, he uncovers deep layers of meaning in Japanese history and finds connections to how faith is lived in contexts of trauma. --Publisher