How It All Goes Down
- The weather is splendid for a week, but the fathers hit their "first storm" in the middle of the eighth night (2.4). Somehow, they manage to make it to morning in one piece.
- After the storm, Kichijiro is left a seasick, puking mess. Gross. Even stranger, the guy seems to be mumbling phrases in Latin under his breath...
- Later that day, the crew spots land. The ship moves into shallow water, where Kichijiro and the two priests hop out and wade their way to the land.
- The trio makes landfall. The priests hide in bushes, while Kichijiro leaves "to explore the situation" (2.17). Impatient and anxious, the priests wonder if they're about to be betrayed.
- Suddenly, a group of peasants appears. The two priests assume the worst, but they quickly realize that these people are Christians. Kichijiro is tagging along too.
- The group leads the priests to a small house, where they give them fresh clothes and a place to stay for the night. The priests are going to be living in a small "charcoal hut" at the top of a nearby mountain for most of their stay, however (2.27).
- It turns out that these guys are in Tomogi, a small fishing village near Nagasaki. There are a surprising amount of Christians here. One young man named Mokichi is especially devout.
- The people haven't seen a priest for six years, but in the meantime, they've created their own makeshift church structure. Each community is led by a Jiisama, who oversees baptisms, and a group of Tossama, who lead prayers.
- Unfortunately, the people of Tomogi don't know if there are any other Christians nearby: the political climate makes isolation a necessity. They've had to adapt their religion to this secrecy.
- In light of this, the priests spend their days receiving visitors in their hut and their nights sneaking into the village to lead Mass.