The Exigence: How Edo Japan Christian Revolt Challenges Modern Views of Evil
Unidentified painter, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
In today’s political climate, those we disagree with are often labeled “evil”. Specifically, they are compared to Hitler, who serves as the modern standard for the ultimate “bad. However, as this label is applied to every president, leader, or neighbor with an opposing view, the word begins to lose its meaning. Michael Hoffman, writing for The Japan Times, challenges this casual use of the word “Hitler” by investigating the true nature of evil. Through a strategic blend of horrific historical imagery and expert eyewitness accounts, Hoffman reframes the 17th-century Tokugawa Shogunate’s suppression of Christianity as a moral tragedy that urges the reader to expand their modern definition of evil.
Establishing Ethos and Targeting an Audience Interested in Japanese History
By publishing in The Japan Times, Hoffman targets an audience of avid readers and residents who are already deeply interested in Japanese culture. While this audience might lean toward a “pro-Japan” bias, Hoffman works to complicate their perspective. He builds ethos by leaning on the expertise of historians like Ivan Morris, G.B. Sansom, and C.R. Boxer. By using these scholars to provide “textbook” accounts of the Shimabara Rebellion, Hoffman ensures his “darker” version of the story feels factually grounded and undeniably credible.
The Power of Pathos: Ghastly Imagery from the Shimabara Rebellion
Hoffman relies on pathos through “ghastly” imagery and primary sources to prove his claim. He describes the volatile temperament of Hideyoshi, whose sudden rages led to the 1597 crucifixion of 26 Christians. To make the tragedy feel visceral, Hoffman includes Ivan Morris’s description of the aftermath: “The nearby rivers and inlets were clogged with decapitated bodies… heads were strewn thickly over the fields.” This haunting imagery creates a feeling of dread, moving the reader from a place of academic interest to one of emotional distress.
Visual Evidence in Japanese Scrolls and Ukiyo-e Art
Yoshitoshi, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons’
Hoffman uses visual texts such as Japanese scrolls, to prove that this story is a recognized part of the culture. One scroll depicts the teenage leader Amakusa Shiro, while another shows the Dutch-Japanese collaboration used to crush the rebellion. These images serve as evidence that the story was important enough to be preserved via elegant calligraphy and ukiyo-e print, reinforcing the weight of the events he describes.
Logos and Structural Logic in Hoffman’s Narrative
The article is organized chronologically, which makes the complex history easy to follow. However, Hoffman makes a strategic choice with his logos: he begins with the end. By starting with the massacre and asking, “What is evil?”, he creates a logical “hook” that makes the reader want to find out how things became so horrific. He pairs each chronological step with artwork and factual dates, leading the reader toward his final logical conclusion.
Conclusion: A Fitting Response to the Nature of Evil in Historical Atrocities
Hoffman ends the article with a final, chilling question: “How can human beings do this to fellow human beings?” This serves as a fitting response to his initial inquiry about the nature of evil. He concludes that evil is not just “Hitler,” but the capacity to hurt one’s own people regardless of religion or status. By highlighting a non-Western atrocity often ignored in the West, Hoffman successfully persuades his audience that “evil” is a far more complex and pervasive human tragedy than a simple political insult suggests.
Works Cited
Boxer, C. R. The Christian Century in Japan, 1549–1650. University of California Press, 1951.
Hoffman, Michael. “Edo Japan’s Bloody Legacy of Christian Revolt.” The Japan Times, 20 Dec. 2025, www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/20/japan/history/edo-period-christianity-revolt/.
Morris, Ivan. The Nobility of Failure: Tragic Heroes in the History of Japan. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1975. Sansom, George. Japan: A Short Cultural History. Stanford University Press, 1931.