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“Hear what our Lord Jesus Christ saith. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all they soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment, and the second is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (237)

This secondary source illuminates the main religion mentioned in the story which is Christianity. Although Christianity was not a popular religion in Japan, Christianity being the main dominant religion in Canada seems to have influenced its popularity in Japanese-Canadian families living in Canada. This source shows how despite all the hardships people are going through, their trust and faith in God remains and its through their faith that they are able to overcome the hardships, which is how it relates to the quote I chose. In the story each time the family is faced with another difficult situation such as having to move to another new location due to the threat of the concentration camps and growing racial hate towards them they come together to pray and forgive. I chose to include this in my padlet because it shows how important religion is and can be to people. Sometimes in desperate situations, their faith and religion are all they have to encourage and motivate them to keep fighting.

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Whether we are seeking forgiveness for our own sins or asking God to help us forgive others, prayer is the first place to start when seeking restoration and healing. The below prayers can help guide your thoughts and words as you seek being forgiven or help in forgiving others. It is a big step to seek out forgiveness and you have taken a bold step in faith!

Before we jump into specific prayers for forgiveness, you may want to take some time to consider what God commands of us concerning forgiveness and why it's so critical to be able to forgive. Visit our article: What Does the Bible Say About Forgiveness?

Photo credit: ©Thinkstock/DedMityay

Bible Verses About Forgiveness

Matthew 6:14-15 - For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

1 John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Isaiah 1:18 - "Come now, let us settle the matter," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.

Micah 7:18-19 - Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.

Mark 11:25 - And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."

Colossians 3:13 - Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Ephesians 4:31-32 - Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Luke 17:3-4 - So watch yourselves. "If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying 'I repent,' you must forgive them."

Read more Bible Verses on Forgiveness at BibleStudyTools.com

If you've been set free from sin and the hurt from others, comment below so that others can live in freedom through forgiveness too! Be a light to our online community and receive encouragement for your own walk of faith.

This article is part of our Prayers resource meant to inspire and encourage your prayer life when you face uncertain times. Visit our most popular prayers if you are wondering how to pray or what to pray. Remember, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us and God knows your heart even if you can't find the words to pray.

Serenity Prayer
The Lord's Prayer
Irish Blessings & Prayers
Morning Prayers
Good Night Prayers
Prayer for Healing
Prayer for Protection

Now available is our new Daily Prayer devotional! An easy way to start your day with prayer; read today's prayer and sign up to receive it by email.

Photo credit: ©Thinkstock/artisteer

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4 Prayers for Forgiveness for Self and Others

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Whether we are seeking forgiveness for our own sins or asking God to help us forgive others, prayer is the first place to start when seeking restoration and healing. The below prayers can help guide your thoughts and words as you seek being forgi...

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“Father was telling us to be like Ninomiya Kinjiro, to help Obasan and to study hard.” (160)

I chose this secondary source to give a visual representation of the statue that was mentioned twice by Naomi’s father, Mark. This is important because throughout the book Mark does not ask the children of anything and the only thing, he ever asked of them was to strive to be like “Ninomiya Kinjiro” the boy who studied and worked every day to feed his baby brother and his mother. Although only mentioned twice it speaks volume of what Marks principles and values are. The Ninomiya Kinjiro statue is a well-known and respected statue in Japan and represents the two most important things that the Japanese culture values which are respecting and helping your elders and education.

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Stone sculptures like this were not uncommon in or in front of Japanese schools, especially elementary schools during 1930s and 1940s . Typically these statues portray Ninomiya Kinjiro (Ninomiya Sontoku) (1787-1856), showing him as a boy reading a book while walking and carrying firewood on his back. Ninomiya was self-taught and didn't attend school, as in his lifetime there were no schools for children of farmers, but he unusually rose into the Samurai class later in life from his peasant origins (see biography below). With the introduction of a national education system in 1872 in Japan, he became a symbol and a model for school children of virtues such as diligence, obedience, dignity, and honesty.Ninomiya is represented reading and studying in every spare moment at work.

A song celebrating the life of 'Ninomiya Kinjiro' was introduced by the Ministry of Education as a compulsory feature of the elementary school curriculum in 1911 (Meijiera, year 44), for children of Year 2 (age 7). This was to instil moral sense and moral attitude of children and was later reinforced by the introduction of Ninomiya's statutes into elementary schools.These qualities also fed into the cultivation of military discipline during the Second World War.

After the Second World War most of Ninomiya's statues were removed as an obstacle to democratic education, but in the 1960s in some primary schoolsNinomiya's statue reappeared in bronze, together with other classic sculptures such as Rodin's Le Penseur in bronze, sometimes with school mottos represented by statues.Often they were donated by successful graduates and their function could be described as a kind of hidden curriculum.

In my childhood in the late 1950s, Ninomiya's song was used by girls informally as a 'rubber ball-play with song' ( Temari uta). But now most Japanese, except for the generation over sixty, know neither the song nor the game, although Ninomiya's name and reputation might be familiar to adults.

One such statue was taken to the USA as war loot by a naval officer after the Battle of Okinawa in 1946 and presented to Rollins College, a small private liberal arts college in Winter Park, Florida, where the President promised to keep the statue in the main lobby of the college's administration building forever.So this potent image from one culture was adopted by an educational institution in a distant country; such was its effect that 50 years later a request by Okinawa Prefecture for its return was initially refused, but finally conceded on the offer of a replica so that the original now stands in front of Shogaku Junior and Senior High School in Okinawa.

In response to concern about moral attitudes of young Japanese in the present day, sculptures of Ninomiya in bronze or gold are sometimes donated by local community leaders of an older generation to stand in public places such as stations and crossroads

Questions we might ask:
What impact did this image have on students, teachers and the community? How should we understand its pedagogic and decorative functions? What equivalent images and symbols are found in other countries and cultures?
More images of Ninomiya Sontoku shrines and sculptures can be found at:
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BA%8C%E5%AE%AE%E5%B0%8A%E5%BE%B3 http://homepage3.nifty.com/koyaji/me/nink/nink.htm
A modern example stands in a public space in the Little Tokyo district of Los Angeles:
http://www.themarkeworld.com/2010/11/ninomiya-kinjiro/
Ninomiya Kinjiro (Ninomiya Sontoku, 1787-1856) (the 'peasant sage') was a prominent 19th century Japanese agricultural leader born to a peasant family who became a great landowner and public administrator.Poor, and orphaned at age 16, he was self-educated whilst working in agriculture. He underwent severe hardship in his youth, suffering the loss of the family farmlands to flood. But by the age of 24 he had revived his family's fortunes, and at 36 was commissioned by his domain lord to aid in the restoration of a family fiefdom (now Ninomiya Village, Tochigi Prefecture). He prevailed at this task for ten years, thereafter widely sought for advice on regional administration, development and economic management.At age 57 he was raised to the position of attendant to the Tokugawa shogun family, a great honour for someone of his lowly origin. He was awarded posthumous honours by the emperor.

The name Sontoku was given to him for his accomplishment. His success as an administrator led to his being entrusted with one of Shogunate's estate, which was He developed a philosophy from his own experience and from strands of Buddhism, Shintoism and Confucianism, in which he saw agriculture as the highest form of human activity (this was put into written form by others).Ninomiya was a moral leader who believed in the value of hard work and the dignity of manual labour and was able to instil in peasants pride in their own occupations and the urge to follow his example of working to improve general welfare. In the long run his ideas may have helped spur a desire for a more egalitarian social order.

Sontoku died in 1856 at the age of seventy. In the Meiji era, shrines were established across Japan to worship his spirit. Shinto shrines called Hōtoku Ninomiya Jinja were built in 1894 in Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture, and in 1897 in Imaichi City, Tochigi Prefecture as the first prefectural shrines dedicated to Sontoku's memory. Later, more than ten others were established from Hokkaido to Okinawa.In Japan, he is still a symbol of hard work and perseverance.

A head and shoulders portrait of Ninomiya Sontoku as an adult appeared on the obverse of a 1 Yen bank note issued March, 1946 (Showa era, year 21) by Bank of Japan (NIPPON GINKO)
http://www2m.biglobe.ne.jp/%257eZenTech/money/banknote/en_p11_japan.htm
Further information on the life of Ninomiya can be found at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninomiya_Sontoku http://eos.kokugakuin.ac.jp/modules/xwords/entry.php?entryID=523 Yoko Yamasaki Mukogawa Women's University

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Stone sculptures like this were not uncommon in or in front of Japanese schools, especially elementary schools during 1930s and 1940s . Typically these statues portray Ninomiya Kinjiro (Ninomiya Sontoku) (1787-1856), showing him as a boy reading a book while walking and carrying firewood on his back.

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The memories were drowned in a whirlpool of protective silence. Everywhere I could hear the adults whispering, "Kodomo no tame. For the sake of the children..." Calmness was maintained." (31)

This secondary source illuminates the Japanese culture because it conveys the same principle that many Japanese people follow which is to repress and not show too much emotion in order to keep the tranquillity and calmness. This relates back into my chosen quote by how the adults choose to deal with the situation where a family member was taken away. Instead of telling the kids the reality of what was happening they chose to keep silent and act calm. Throughout the book the characters repeatedly chose to remain calm and silent by suppressing their emotions. This was a way they coped with all the hardships they were forced to live through.

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"Okaerinasai", Nomura-obasan calls from the other room. It is the most familiar greeting I know. “Welcome home”. Everyday, Mother would say this to Stephen as he came home from school. Or to Father whenever he came in. Stephen and father would reply immediately, “Tadashima-I have now returned” (191)

I have chosen this article as my secondary source because it helps illuminate the Japanese culture by thoroughly explaining the importance and significance of these two seemingly simple greetings in Japan which are “ okaerinasai” and “tadashima” in a way where someone who is not part of the Japanese culture could understand. These two phrases highlight how important greetings are in the Japanese culture. Since Japanese people are known to not be openly affectionate through their actions which is very prevalent in this book, it is through their greetings and expressions that hold such strong meanings (explained in article) that convey their feelings and concerns. This connects to my chosen passage because the concept of someone going away from home with intentions of coming back and saying “tadashima” but never being able to come home is a repeating concept in this story and also because these two greetings were repeated several times in the story. Lastly, knowing its significance will allow the readers to understand the story and Japanese culture better.

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The Cheerful Greetings of Japan, Tadaima, and Okaeri | YABAI - The Modern, Vibrant Face of Japan

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Features on discovering modern Japan and Japanese culture, including travel tips, things to do, and personality quizzes.

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“Sick Bay, I learned eventually, was not a beach at all. And the place they called the Pool was not a pool of water, but a prison at the exhibition grounds called Hastings Park in Vancouver. Men, women, and children outside Vancouver, from the “protected area”- a hundred-mile strip along the coast- were herded into the grounds and kept there like animals until they were shipped off to road-work camps and concentration camps in the interior of the province." (109)

I chose this documentary YouTube video as my secondary source because it gives an accurate timeline of increasingly heart breaking and horrific events that majorly impacted the lives of many Japanese Canadians after the Pearl Harbor Bombing and World War II, which follows the same pinnacle events and periods mentioned in “Obasan”. This video is able to deliver a more personal experience because not only does it include actual video footage and pictures, it also includes real actual stories from the Japanese Canadians who lived through these events. Often when we read a story, we are not able to fully visualise what we are reading but when we see pictures and videos for example of the faces of the men, women and children and the blatant hate and injustice they faced during this time, it enables us to experience their story and emotions in a deeper more meaningful level. It helps illuminates the struggles that Japanese Canadians had to face due to simply being of a Japanese descent during this time period. This video connects to my chosen quote because it is essentially portraying the same things described in the quote just in a different form of media. I chose to include this in my padlet because the laws made in World War II against the Japanese Canadians were the main driving force for all the oppression and struggles that they faced and the struggles are what the whole plot in the story revolves around.

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Japanese Canadian Internment | Narrated by David Suzuki

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“...and my lunch is in a rectangular metal lunch box with a diagonal slot in the lid for a small pair of ivory chopsticks. My lunch that Obasan made is two moist and sticky rice balls with a salty red plum in the centre of each, a boiled egg to the side with a tight square of lightly boiled greens. Stephen has peanut-butter sandwiches an apple, and a thermos of soup.” (218)

I chose this video recipe of a traditional Japanese red plum “Umeboshi Onigiri” which translates to rice balls with red plums in English because not only is it a very popular and well-known dish in the Japanese cuisine which is the main culture embodied in this book but also because the preparation and eating of these rice balls were mentioned several times in the story; highlighting its importance and relevance to the food and culture in Japan. This video helps deepen my understanding of the Japanese culture because it brings to life and gives me a visual representation of what I was reading which makes it easier as a reader to put myself into the visual perspective of the characters in the story. This connects to the quote I chose because Naomi is talking about what kind of lunch she brings to school in the daily, which includes umeboshi onigiris. This quote also shows and contrast the difference between a typical Japanese and a Canadian school lunch. I chose to include this in my padlet because not only does it showcase traditional Japanese food, but it also highlights the culture identity struggles that Naomi’s brother, Stephen had, who in the story repeatedly rejects his own Japanese culture; which was very common with many Japanese Canadians during this time period during World War II.

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How to make Onigiri (Japanese Rice Balls) RECIPE - おにぎりの作り方