Prohibition of Fences and Hedges

The Prohibition of Fences and Hedges was a decree issued by the Tokugawa Shogunate during the persecution of Christianity in Japan, mandating that no fences or hedges be built between neighboring houses. This rule was designed to enforce mutual surveillance, making it impossible for Christians to hide their faith or activities from the authorities, and it was part of a broader system of control that included rewards for informants and the use of the fumie test.

Origins and Purpose

The decree emerged from the Shogunate's systematic effort to eradicate Christianity after the Shimabara Rebellion, which had convinced the authorities that the foreign religion was a political threat. The rule was part of a larger apparatus of persecution that included the 1614 Edict Expelling Missionaries, the use of torture such as the pit, and the annual fumie ceremony. By removing physical barriers between houses, the authorities ensured that neighbors could see into each other's homes, making it nearly impossible for Christians to gather secretly, display holy objects, or perform rituals without being observed. The decree thus transformed every village into a panopticon, where the threat of being watched by one's own neighbors replaced the need for constant official patrols.

Implementation and Enforcement

The decree was enforced through a combination of local officials, samurai, and a reward system that incentivized betrayal. Anyone who informed on a priest received three hundred pieces of silver, on a brother two hundred, and on a lay Christian one hundred. This created a powerful temptation for destitute peasants, as Rodrigues noted in his letters from Tomogi. The prohibition of fences was part of a broader strategy that also included the requirement that every household participate in the fumie test, where families were forced to trample on an image of Christ or the Virgin Mary. The authorities conducted regular inspections, and any suspicious behavior—such as a family failing to report a neighbor's activities—could lead to severe punishment, including torture and execution.

Impact on Christian Communities

The decree had a devastating effect on the secret Christian communities that had survived the initial waves of persecution. In villages like Tomogi, where the majority of inhabitants were Christians, the removal of fences meant that the faithful could no longer gather in secret without fear of discovery. The Christians developed elaborate precautions, such as meeting only at night, using hidden rooms beneath floors, and communicating through coded signals. The decree also fostered distrust among the villagers themselves, as Rodrigues observed when the people of Tomogi began to suspect one another of being informants. The constant fear of betrayal eroded the solidarity that had sustained the underground church, and many Christians were forced to choose between apostasy and death.

Connection to the Broader Persecution

The Prohibition of Fences and Hedges was one element of a comprehensive system of surveillance and control that the Tokugawa Shogunate perfected over decades. It complemented other measures such as the requirement that every household register with a Buddhist temple, the annual fumie test, and the use of apostates as informants. The decree was particularly effective because it turned the entire community into a network of potential informants, each person aware that their neighbor might report them for a reward. This system of mutual surveillance was a key reason why the underground church was eventually reduced to a skeleton of its former self, as Ferreira described when he told Rodrigues that Christianity in Japan had become like a butterfly caught in a spider's web—only the external form remained, while the substance had decayed.

Narrative and Thematic Significance

In Silence, the decree serves as a concrete example of the institutional mechanisms that made the persecution so effective. It illustrates the theme of the "swamp of Japan"—the idea that the country's social and political structures were fundamentally inhospitable to Christianity. The decree also highlights the moral dilemma faced by the Christians, who were forced to choose between their faith and the safety of their families and communities. For Rodrigues, the decree becomes a symbol of the relentless pressure that eventually led to his own apostasy, as he realized that his presence in Japan was causing the deaths of the very people he had come to save. The prohibition of fences thus represents the Shogunate's success in creating a society where faith could not survive because it could not be practiced in secret, and where the bonds of community were turned into instruments of control.