y as a balm for his suffering and complete demoralization, it is likely that he would have seen the ceremony, at best, as a bandage for an open wound. The traditional, sedate, conventional approach of Buddhism to life simply does not suffice in Tamura's case. Perhaps Christianity w ill not give him what he needs, but at least it is a new way which stands in contrast to the old way which is crashing down all around him as Japan loses the war and sees its country and culture in ruins. Perhaps Tamura's consideration of Christianity came as it did in part because he shows no inclination from the beginning of the novel to defend Japan or Japanese culture in he war. After all, the first major event in the book is his desertion of his unit, not the act of a man who is driven to honor or practice the rituals of the religion of his nation and culture.
Of course, in the vision of Kawabata, that culture is not in ruins at all, but survives the war and al
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