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The Interpreter
Mokichi is a young man, one of the few named Christians in Tomogi, the first village Rodrigues and Garrpe visit. When Japanese officials descend on Tomogi and demand volunteers to be cross-examined, Mokichi volunteers. During the examination, though he tries to apostatize as Rodrigues told him to, Mokichi cannot bear it, and is revealed to be a Christian. He is thus tortured in executed in front of his village alongside Ichizo.
Mokichi Quotes in Silence
The Silence quotes below are all either spoken by Mokichi or refer to Mokichi. 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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Get the entire Silence LitChart as a printable PDF.
Mokichi Character Timeline in Silence
The timeline below shows where the character Mokichi appears in Silence. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2
...which the Japanese press to their foreheads in reverent adoration. One of the young men, Mokichi, tells the priests that they have been without priest or religious guidance for six years,...
(full context)
Chapter 3
...distinguish between 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...
(full context)
...gone so far. However, when he lands on the shore in the dark of night, Mokichi meets him and tells him he must flee. Guards are in the village; they don’t...
(full context)
Chapter 4
...should go—to his horror—since he is a stranger with no family for which to care. Mokichi and Ichizo volunteer as well.
(full context)
...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, so he...
(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...
(full context)
Days pass, and amidst the waves the villagers can hear Mokichi singing a Christian hymn: “We’re on our way to the temple of Paradise.” As time...
(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...
(full context)
Chapter 8
...he 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...
(full context)
