Christian in the Buddhist country (novel) ②
This is the English translation of
my Christian novel.
It's a story about a Japanese man,
Maki, born with feudalistic old
family background
forsaking the ties to follow Jesus.
Plus his very unromantic courtship
story with a girl fifteen years
younger than him.
Part one is here↓
For those Japanese cultural words, I put (※) with number. There is explanation for those words at the end. See the translation note.
It was an autumn’s Sunday. The sky was clear and the air was drowsy. My granny and I were on a bus to Maki san’s home church. The bus was pretty empty, and we sat together at the back.
Granny was elegant, her posture was straight despite her age. She wore a dark brown chiffon blouse and a nice woolen jacket and was very dignified. With coral brooch on her breast. She just scolded me for not dressing up properly for church. I was being swayed by the chaotic international church, but my granny had an air of a lady.
Maki san paid a visit to my granny's house where I live. Granny and uncle, a professor at university, lives in the house. Granny took a liking to Maki san. She got excited saying, He is just the man God has created for my granddaughter! And decided to come to church with me, though she is a Catholic.
Older local ladies were chatting loudly on the bus. I wished I had chosen a taxi instead of a bus, having granny with me today. The ladies spoke with a thick accent, and at first, it sounded like nostalgic music in my ear. But their voices got louder and louder as the topic went to gossip about the younger generation not caring much about customs and tradition, and the decrease of parishioners at the local Buddhist temple.(※1)
"Ah reckon Maki's Honke paypul throwed awf thur Butsudan (※2)."
"Rilly? Whut did thay do with it?"
”Thay took it tuh uh dump sete. Such uh graceless scamp.”
”Thay is Christian, yawl know."
He didn't tell me he took it to a dump site, thought I, as I try to concentrate on minor things to distract myself. But I was sweating and shivering.
"Yae chan?"
Granny whispered in a barely audible voice. "That is about him, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"Is this the bus stop?"
Granny urged me and we got off the bus at last. It's not so far from the bus stop. The light was warm but the cold mountainous wind made me shiver even worse.
"How daring. I like him even more."
Granny laughed.
"When you live in a rural place like here, the eyes of society becomes a God to you somehow. But as Jesus tells, man cannot serve two masters. Yet, you rarely see people who can get it done. Maki san is very marvelous."
"Can you really throw Butsudan at a damp site?"
I am not sure, said granny and held my hand.
"Maki san is fighting it with determination. You are not used to being gossipped about, so you might be shaken now. But don't show it to him. It will be his burden. Be proud of him when people speak badly about him. You will awaken sooner if you stay with him."
I couldn't hold my tears. As we entered the Maki san's mansion's gate, I hid behind granny, embarrassed of my crying.
"I'm sorry, granny. Will you go ahead?"
Paulo san was at the entrance receiving visitors. Granny was conversing with him in fluent English she learned in her youth, at missionary school.
"I reckon you got baptism."
Maki san found me hiding in the corner of the garden, with sandals on his feet.
"Your grandmother told me."
"Granny told me not to cry in front of you."
The harder I tried to hold my tears, the more I cried. How childish of me, I was surprised at myself. I'm like an elementary pupil.
"Come inside. Rest awhile in my office and calm yourself before attending the service."
Here, said Maki san and gave me a pocket tissue.
By the way, Maki san is being very careful not to touch me. That is because we are in courtship (※3) now. Courtship is not like dating and is a season of trying to decide if two are suitable for marriage or not. So it is not allowed to touch each other during this season, in case we decide that we are not meant to be.
Why does he have pocket tissue? thought I, and it must have appeared on my face. He teased me gently saying, I found it at the entrance room, I knew you are a crybaby.
I sat down in the office and wiped my nose. I felt guilty for leaving granny alone, when it's her first time here. Can I really interpret today? If I don't calm myself, the tears might come back at any opportunity. I breathed deeply and prayed.
"Jesus, please give me strength. Help me so I can help Maki san and Paulo san."
Feeling soothed by prayer, I made up my mind and stood up. I left the office and entered the big room where the church is going on. Somebody prepared a low chair for granny. People gave me an affectionate glances though it was during the worship.
This church is so little, yet the worship is so good. This is my third week here, but I always feel the sweet heavenly atmosphere here and feel God beside me.
By the way, Maki san is a very reserved person who always avoids the spotlight. He plays a big role here as a pianist and an owner of the house, but it seems like he is determined not to make anybody feel small about it. He seems really relieved to pass the role of interpreter to me.
So when the testimony time came, I was really surprised to see Maki san raising his hand slightly. He looked at me and asked,
"Can you do Japanese to English? Or should I speak in English?"
With only my eyes and expression, I told him,
"I don't want to interpret the words of someone who spent so many years abroad into English. Please go ahead and speak English".
"Born in this old family, I was expected to succeed in all the duties of Honke's master. My mother was a good person, but she lived and died in the world of old traditions and customs."
"I run away to America, to escape from its heaviness. And I met Jesus there. First time in my life, I saw a way of life opened before me. And like a dry sponge, I absorbed all of God and all of the Bible, receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost. "
"When I graduated the university, my family wished me to return to Japan. But I did everything I could to find a job there to stay in America. I was blessed with a good church, pastor and friends there so I didn't want to leave them. But moreover, I was fearful if I could still follow Jesus if I went back to this old house."
"As a Christian, I grew and matured as the years go by. Paulo, my best friend was climbing up the ladder of life smoothly, accepting the call to be a preacher, preaching in many churches, and getting married. But I was just there to watch it, feeling like a runaway not being where I am called to be. In America, I was just a life's observer, and it was not where I was called to be."
"But still, I did not have the courage to go back and be the heir of Honke. I knew I cannot keep the Butsudan nor even live with it. It was impossible for me to do Buddhist rituals for my ancestors' death anniversaries (※4), and play the role of Hoke's master. It was just impossible for me as long as the Holy Spirit dwells in me. And once I get the Spirit of Jesus inside, it will never leave me."
"Two years ago, my mother passed away. I finally had to face what I was afraid of for so long. When I returned, my mother was already criminated. The funeral was already done by my uncle's hand. It was my mother's will, for she considered I may not make it in time. People called me in back, a prodigal son who didn't even hold a funeral for a mother."
"I talked with my uncle from a branch family (※5). I told him I cannot keep the Butsudan and he agreed to move Honke's Butsudan to his house. I was ready to give up inheriting this house and it's assets, because I refused to play the role of Honke's master. But my uncle, who is a younger brother of my mother, and was very kind to her while I was gone, told me to keep them, saying it was her wish that I come home anyhow."
"Then I went to talk with the monk of the Buddhist temple my family has been a Danka (parishioner). The Chief monk was furious saying he has never heard of Honke of an old family leaving the temple. Maki family has been a Danka of this temple since the Edo period, and all the records of our ancestors (※7), all the graves of the deceased are there. He said to me, Are you not ashamed of yourself as Japanese? And said, you got Americanized for staying there too long. But by paying a crazily expensive penalty fee (※6), I could leave the Danka at last."
"After finishing all the business, I got depressed and kept myself at home. The rumors crept through the four walls, though I withdrew from the outside world. My social influence was almost killed. I was alone and had no church, no pastor, no friends to help me. But it was Jesus, who visited me in a lonely closed mansion."
"The Lord touched my heart, healed the depression, and told me. That as Jesus hunged on the cross, God hunged me on a cross in the eyes of people. This is exactly the plan of God, and God was preparing me for this time."
"Then a way opened up in front of me. Paulo told me he wants to come to Japan as a missionary, and I decided to open up this house as a church. My neighbors still look at me coldly and do not even greet me. But God set me free from the spirit of fear and gave me the power to overcome those thoughts of self-consciousness. What I am suffering is a tiny part of Christ's pain on the cross, and His humiliation. Little by little, it became something to be proud of."
Maki san stopped his word there. We were crying. I was an interpreter so I tried hard to keep my tears, but when he stopped I couldn't hold it anymore. It was especially moving for my granny and Takada san, who knows this old Japanese society well.
Paulo san gently tapped Maki san's shoulder who was weeping without realizing it. Let us sing, said Paulo san and started singing quietly with a low carrying voice.
Holy Spirit, Thou art welcome in this place
Holy Spirit, Thou art welcome in this place
Omnipotent Father of Mercy and Grace
Thou art welcome in this place
There was no preaching that day, and we dwelled in the atmosphere of prayer and worship. I knelt and prayed. While I am on the floor, I felt somebody praying for somebody, and the Holy Spirit coming down to baptize some person. But I concentrated on my conversation with the Lord, in His presence.
I asked God to kill me. Kill my ego, kill my pride. Kill me, crush me and fill me with the Spirit of Jesus. The Lord gladly accepted my prayer. I came out of prayer feeling washed by the Holy Spirit.
"Yae chan"
Granny was standing beside me. I forgot she was here. My Catholic granny, her first time here.
"What should I do to follow Jesus like this?"
Granny seemed deeply touched by the service she just saw. The one she has never seen before, totally committed to the Holy Spirit. I said what came to my mind without realizing what I was saying.
"The Bible says, be baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall received the gift of the Holy Spirit."
"Then I shall do that."
I couldn't believe my ears. Maki san was watching us, conscious of our conversation.
We ate curry lunch with our hearts still pounding. Today's cook was Marian san and it was not like Japanese ordinary curry, but more like a Philippine cuisine.
Maki san took seat next to my granny and said,
" Are you going to be baptized, ma'am?"
"Will you baptize me?"
Granny looked into Maki san's eye cheekily.
"No, ma'am.. Not me but Paulo will……"
"Protestant people immerse the whole body unlike the sprinkling of us Catholics, right? I am too old for cold waters. Can you do it with a bathtub?"
"Yes, I have a bathtub here. But that's not the point. Grandmother, if you do, you will be excommunicated from Catholic church. Are you sure?"
"You are not very persuasive, Maki san. I skipped a Mass to come here, why don't we get excommunicated while we are at it? Please don't interrupt me for following Jesus Christ."
Granny was full of humor and was so charming. Maki san was taken aback a little and muttered.
"You were just like your granddaughter when you said that."
Maki san's ancestor, which goes back to the Edo period, might never have imagined the kind of people filling this mansion now, and the One true God they never knew.
Translation note
Because this novel is deeply rooted in Japanese culture, some words are untranslatable, or difficult to understand by itself. Here is a sneak peak into Japanese tradition, mostly about feudalistic ie system and ancestral history.
Parishioner of Local Buddhist temple, Danka. In this episode, the word, Danka appears very often. In the Edo period (1603－1868), every household was obliged to be a parishioner of a local Buddhist temple. Christianity was banned during the period, and it was to make sure no one believes in Christianity. It also played the role of census registration. Danka supports local Buddhist temple in many forms.
Butsudan, a home size Buddhist shrine for your ancestors.
Courtship. Read "I kissed the Dating good bye" by Joshua Harris. Good book.
Ancestor's death Anniversary. In Japanese it's called nen kaiki. After your family dies, there is death anniversary you have to do Buddhist ritual for. For the death anniversary of 1, 3, 7, 13, 17, 23, 27 and 33rd year, there is rituals to do. You ask the Buddhist monk to do rituals and chanting so the deceased's soul can rest in peace. It is also a time for relatives ro gather. That is what Maki refused to do.
Branch family, Bunke. The younger son get independent and create Bunke. Bunke is expected to follow the leadership of Honke. In Maki's case, his mother was also from Maki clan, a daughter of Bunke marrying into Honke. So this uncle is not just a relative from Bunke but his own uncle. As the family gets older the branch family will grow.
Leave Danka, the penalty fee. Its called Ridan ryo. Legally, you are not obliged to pay. If you make it into a law suit, I heard you can win. But its a local society so…. The sum of money depends on the temple. In Maki's case, because he was Honke, I was thinking he must have paid around two to three million yen.
Family record kept in local temple. Because Danka system was used as registration during Edo period, your ancestor's record during the Edo period is in your Danna dera (the temple you are Danka to). Unless you are of Samurai class, then your Han (feudal domain) keeps your record also. Maki's family is a landowner class and it's ancestor in Edo period was Shouya (the village headman). Typical upperclass of rural place. But still, they were of the Peasant class. Unlike Yae's ancestor is from the Samurai class. But though Yae has more prestigious ancestor, she is not bound by feudalistic system like Maki. That was one of the theme of this story.
Next episode below.
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