The Samurai and the Tea – A Legacy of Japan’s Early Christians
Cathy Brueggemann Beil
Michael, a Japanese American boy of mixed ancestry, wants to be strong as a Samurai. When a mysterious Tea Ceremony set carries him back in time to the days of the real Samurai, Michael learns there is more to the Samurai than he’d ever imagined. Through the Tea, Michael is transported in time to the Internment Camps of WWII. From there he travels to sixteenth century Japan and befriends Thomas Kozaki, a young Japanese boy who was among the first 26 martyrs of Japan. In 1865 he accompanies the first group of “Hidden Christians” to reveal themselves after nearly 250 years of persecution. He meets Fr. Maximilian Kolbe in his Garden of the Immaculata.
He’s in Nagasaki just before the bomb is dropped. Michael’s travels lead him on a noble path of Japanese history and in the footsteps of his Catholic ancestors. He learns there is more to the samurai than swords. The Samurai and the Tea is the story of Japanese Catholics in history; a story for our times, accenting honorable people.
142 pages, softcover
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