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Inoue, the novel’s main antagonist, is known for being responsible for some of the most brutal forms of Christian persecution ever conceived. A complex character, he represents an array of contradictions. On the one hand, Inoue is soft and accepting and treats Rodrigues with kindness and respect, telling him he doesn’t kill anyone without fair reason. He tells Rodrigues that he doesn’t hate Christianity or its followers, but rather the influence they have in Japan and their interference with their existing political structures. He compares Christianity to an “ugly barren” woman who offers no value to Japan. On the other hand, his form of punishment is ruthless. He uses other Japanese Christian peasants, his own people, as collateral to force the European Christian priests to apostatize. Having been taught Christianity himself, Inoue has a deep understanding of the faith and knows how to attack it. Like the Interpreter, he attended Christian schools not to become a brother but to use his attendance toward political and social ends, demonstrating his elite pragmatism.

Inoue is also a Buddhist, a fact he uses toward his political and social ends, as it is his emotional detachment that allows him to devise such inhumane torture. Above all, Inoue wants to preserve his country. Even though it appears that Inoue is the victor and has won over Ferreira and Rodrigues with their apostasy, the two priests continue to maintain their Christian faith, suggesting that Inoue has only won externally.

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