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Mokichi
Ichizo is an older man, the brother of Omatsu, who is one of the few named Christians in Tomogi, the first village Rodrigues and Garrpe see. When Japanese officials descend on Tomogi and demand volunteers to be cross-examined, Ichizo also volunteers. During the examination, though he tries to apostatize as Rodrigues told him to, he cannot bear it and is revealed to be a Christian, and is thus tortured in executed in front of his village alongside Mokichi.
Ichizo Quotes in Silence
The Silence quotes below are all either spoken by Ichizo or refer to Ichizo. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 4 Quotes
This was the splendid martyrdom I had often seen in my dreams. But the martyrdom of the Japanese Christians I now describe to you was no such glorious thing. What a miserable painful business it was! The rain falls unceasingly on the sea. And the sea which willed them surges on uncannily—in silence.
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Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Silence LitChart as a printable PDF.
Ichizo Character Timeline in Silence
The timeline below shows where the character Ichizo appears in Silence. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 3
...the villagers and have not met many of them, significant members along with Mokichi are Ichizo, a man in his 50s, and Omatsu, his elder sister who carries fried potatoes and...
(full context)
...men do not approach them and leave before long. The priests are disturbed, as is Ichizo when they tell him that evening, and the old man and his companion immediately tear...
(full context)
Chapter 4
...his horror—since he is a stranger with no family for which to care. Mokichi and Ichizo volunteer as well.
(full context)
...sacrifice offered up to him, God has remained silent.” Meanwhile at the magistrate’s office, Kichijiro, Ichizo, and Mokichi stamp on the fumie. However, their interrogator notes that their faces seem pained,...
(full context)
Officials ride into the village and announce that Mokichi and Ichizo will be executed by the “water punishment,” meaning that they will be tied to poles...
(full context)
...the sea, reflecting that although they were martyred, there is no glory in Mokichi and Ichizo’s death, only a slow and terrible silence.
(full context)
Chapter 5
The same old samurai who took Mokichi, Kichijiro, and Ichizo from Tomogi arrives, commenting casually on the weather to his prisoners. In the afternoon light,...
(full context)
Chapter 8
...takes solace in the fact that when he dies, he will be united with Mokichi, Ichizo, Garrpe, Christ, and all the other Christian martyrs. The interpreter again asks the priest to...
(full context)
