The Samurai

In 17th-century Japan, a ship bound for Nueva Espana sets sail over choppy waters. On board are a zealous Spanish missionary, who dreams of becoming bishop of Japan, and a disenchanted Samurai devoted to recovering his lost family lands. Sent as part of a political envoy to expand trade with the West, their travels take them all the way through the stifling heat of the Mexican desert to the grand residence of the Pope in Rome. In a journey full of peril, both men's lives and ambitions hang in the balance as political machination looms large, and back at home a terrifying persecution of Christians is ordered by the Japanese authorities. Winner of the 1980 Noma Literary Prize, The Samurai is an intensely moving portrait of human courage and endurance, taken from a real event in history, and told with Endo's signature stark simplicity.