Here's an interesting photo-article about some historical artifacts from Christianity's oppressed past in Japan. The most amazing among them is a series of mosaics made from tens of thousands of butterfly wings, and constructed by a priest, no less!
It's hard to add commentary to something like this. The astonishing labor that went into this, the sheer love of God, love of craftsmanship, love of the art beggars words. Someday, somebody is going to do justice to the story of Japan's Catholics: people who waited for centuries for the return of the Mass after a small number of converts were made and the western priests murdered or exiled. They quietly practiced baptism, year in and year out for centuries, awaiting the day when a priest who believed in the Real Presence and the Petrine office would return to Japan and give them the body and blood of Christ again.
They have always been a minority and--as this art attests--they have always brought to their faith the beautiful and delicate aesthetic that mark Japanese art. Look at it and be grateful that these too are our brothers and sisters in Christ and that their patrimony is ours as well. Say a prayer for the beleaguered saints who made this incredible work of worship to our Lord.
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The link doesn’t seem to be working…
Mark—your link takes me Olaf College. Can you help me Please
The correct link is:
http://www.stolaf.edu/depts/asian-studies/projects/kakurekirishitan/
Have a blessed day!
OOPS! Here’s the actual link
http://www.stolaf.edu/depts/asian-studies/projects/kakurekirishitan/index.html
Okay… Something’s going on…
after projects/ delete the garbaje and enter: kakurekirishitan/index.html
Try this link:
http://www.stolaf.edu/depts/asian-studies/projects/kakurekirishitan/ikitsukipics.html
Scroll down the page and you will see the mosaic.
Okay, how to find the link because Comments here won’t post it right. Go to the St Olaf College site and search the site typing “Japan Catholic Art,” and it is the first link. Scroll down and you will see photos of the butterfly mosaic. It is truly beautiful.
http://www.stolaf.edu/
Hope this helps.
OK Now I finally found it! THANKS!!
http://www.stolaf.edu/depts/asian-studies/projects/kakurekirishitan/ikitsukipics.html
Here it is: http://www.stolaf.edu/depts/asian-studies/projects/kakurekirishitan/ikitsukipics.html
Viewers of this site will find of interest the book Silence by Shusaku Endo. This well written novel is based on the premise that the 17th century Japanese mind innately cannot grasp the concept of the Christian God. In fact, Christianity could not take root, not because of cultural differences, but because of relentless persecution of the Jesuit missionaries. A good read
I can’t resist a challenge (if this shows up with the garbage before /ikitsukipics.html - replace the garbage with kakurekirishitan)
http://www.stolaf.edu/depts/asian-studies/projects/kakurekirishitan/ikitsukipics.html
It appears that an overzealous profanity filter is the culprit. Remove the -REMOVETHIS- string from the link below…
http://www.stolaf.edu/depts/asian-studies/projects/kakurekirish-REMOVETHIS-itan/ikitsukipics.html
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