Chapter 3. Suffering

A key insight from this chapter is the transformative role of suffering within the Christian community in Japan during the early 17th century, particularly for evangelized Koreans. The research reveals that state-sanctioned violence against Christians, including the destruction of material culture such as churches and cemeteries, was not merely destructive but also spiritually productive, offering a path to martyrdom and deepening faith identities. The study employs a gendered lens to analyze how these experiences differed for Korean-born women and men, drawing on Christian textual traditions and historical records. It highlights the resilience of the community, even amid intense persecution, by examining the affective significance of destroyed sites and the collective response to their loss.

(Ed.). (2023). Chapter 3. Suffering. Evangelizing Korean Women and Gender in the Early Modern World, 63–84. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781641893671-008