Chapter 17 Summary

Religious institutions throughout Japan are feeling the effects of the war. All churches are amalgamated into one organization. The cross on one church is chopped off because of its height. The cross is higher than the Gokoku Shrine, which houses the spirit of the war dead. Crosses resembling those in America are taken out because they are considered symbols of the enemy.

Morio talks to his family about how they will prepare themselves for whatever is to come. If the reported Japanese victories are true and continue, Morio says, further pressure will be put on religion, and anyone who does not cooperate will be thought of as a traitor. His father cautions the family to be careful not to give the impression that anybody who believes in Christianity is an enemy. Morio tells Toshiko that if she continues to try to get others...