Shūsaku Endō
Endō Shūsaku, (born March 27, 1923, Tokyo, Japan—died Sept. 29, 1996, Tokyo), Japanese novelist noted for his examination of the relationship between East and West through a Christian perspective. Endō became a Roman Catholic at age 11 with the encouragement of his mother and an aunt. At Keio University he majored in French literature (B.A., 1949), a subject he studied from 1950 to 1953 at the University of Lyon in France. His first collections of fiction, Shiroi hito and Kiiroi hito (both 1955; “White Man” and “Yellow Man”), indicate the direction of most of his later fiction: they contrast Japanese and Western experience and perspectives. In Umi to dokuyaku (1957; The Sea and Poison), he examines the Japanese sense of morality in a war story about Japanese doctors performing a vivisection on a downed American pilot. One of Endō’s most powerful novels, Chimmoku (1966; Silence), is a fictionalized account of Portuguese priests who traveled to Japan and the subsequent slaughter of their Japanese converts. This novel and Samurai (1980; The Samurai)—a fascinating account of a samurai’s journey on behalf of his shogun to open trade with Mexico, Spain, and Rome—are considered his best writing, showing the complexities of the interactions between cultures as well as presenting a supple and well-told narrative. Endō’s other extended fiction includes Kazan (1959; Volcano), Kuchibue o fuku toki (1974; When I Whistle), Sukyandaru (1986; Scandal), and a number of comic novels. He also wrote short stories, drama, essays, and a biography.
Known for
WritingBirthday
March 27, 1923Deathday
September 29, 1996Gender
MaleKnown Movie Credits
13Place of birth
Toshima City, Tokyo, JapanAlso known as
遠藤周作![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/original/wlvjyvmqhs80z2U4Sk7hkdwSvtn.jpg)
Crew credits
![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/x5T0cQDYws0xRBVG4Q3wpcrcmax.jpg)
Silence
Novel![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/8C08Kex73PXwiOPygyC0RScOYFU.jpg)
Silence
Novel, Screenplay![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/emqCpnmn3tiPzOTDAFdSA1B9epF.jpg)
Yojo no jidai
Original Story![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/i0JojoX6mUM8E2dSGhlwCGGawKJ.jpg)
The Sea and Poison
Novel![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/reqNuuKrovDjXrP6OOSIUWAyGk2.jpg)
Voice from the Dark
Original Story![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/jna7E0Av6UkDU3ENlQz4A76xzsQ.jpg)
The Eyes of Asia
Novel![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/eWmhzglJSHt827QgkLoZe2Cav7p.jpg)
Light and Shade of Youth
Original Story![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/mgP84n8f7DRWyLV514ANgRXXjtu.jpg)
The Girl I Abandoned
Novel![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/eKLS1uk0FpttXncSM3LfJUvxPYZ.jpg)
Deep River
Original Story![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/fd1v6ABQN5drvrHocr4lgKxrN7W.jpg)
Hymn to a Tired Man
Novel![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/zjY44arGMUMparflRWmjSJN5bAO.jpg)
Call from Darkness
Novel![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/4HKWDI2K9dEWxthwwOjMLNJFaQP.jpg)
To Love
Novel![](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/h632/nnYx2h1HP25YTdpIF9PZBeYDY68.jpg)
A Life of Jesus
Book