In a Grove - Ryunosuke Akutagawa
Ryunosuke Akutagawa (b. Tokyo, 1892) published numerous short stories to great acclaim. His childhood was shadowed by the insanity of his mother, and in later years, he was troubled by his own declining mental health. He committed suicide in 1927, leaving behind "A Note to a Certain Old Friend, " which revealed his acceptance of death and some of his motives for suicide:
"In a Grove" is a compilation of testimonies in relation to the murder of the samurai Takehiko. The witnesses range from bystanders as the samurai and his wife travelled along the Yamashina stage road, to the spirit of the dead Takehiko himself. The story of the murder is based on a tale in the Japanese Konjaku Monogatarishū (The Past and Present Collection), an anthology compiled in the late Heian Period (794-1185). Because the accounts given by the witnesses in Akutagawa's story strongly contradict each other, the only facts clearly true are taken from the original tale: a samurai, travelling with his wife, is accosted in a bamboo grove, forced to watch as his wife is raped.
The contradictions hint that none of the witnesses are telling the truth, whether purposely or inadvertently. Akutagawa's story reveals that human perception is impressionable and flawed, that it is nearly impossible to entirely know and speak the truth. The characters prevaricate, proudly claiming actions they feel they should have performed. Takehiko's spirit tells that, according to samurai tradition, he committed suicide; Masago, his wife, claims to have attempted a noble suicide. Even the Buddhist monk, after describing Masago in great detail, states that, as a monk, he took little notice of her. The only conclusion that can be drawn from the testimonies is that preservation (of the self, of conventions, etc.) leads to the lies and mistakings.
A prevailing theme is the degradation of the traditional samurai. Not only is Takehiko tied up in a bamboo grove as his wife his violated and property stolen, but according to varied accounts, he is easily conned and bested in swordfighting by the theif Tajomaru, he is killed by his wife, and a gad fly sticks to his fallen body. This may be a reflection of the decline that traditional Japanese convention has experienced in the face of Western influence.
"Such voluntary death must give us peace, if not happiness. Now that I am ready, I find nature more beautiful than ever, paradoxical as this may sound. I have seen, loved, and understood more than others. In this at least I have a measure of satisfaction, despite all the pain I have thus far had to endure."
"In a Grove" is a compilation of testimonies in relation to the murder of the samurai Takehiko. The witnesses range from bystanders as the samurai and his wife travelled along the Yamashina stage road, to the spirit of the dead Takehiko himself. The story of the murder is based on a tale in the Japanese Konjaku Monogatarishū (The Past and Present Collection), an anthology compiled in the late Heian Period (794-1185). Because the accounts given by the witnesses in Akutagawa's story strongly contradict each other, the only facts clearly true are taken from the original tale: a samurai, travelling with his wife, is accosted in a bamboo grove, forced to watch as his wife is raped.
The contradictions hint that none of the witnesses are telling the truth, whether purposely or inadvertently. Akutagawa's story reveals that human perception is impressionable and flawed, that it is nearly impossible to entirely know and speak the truth. The characters prevaricate, proudly claiming actions they feel they should have performed. Takehiko's spirit tells that, according to samurai tradition, he committed suicide; Masago, his wife, claims to have attempted a noble suicide. Even the Buddhist monk, after describing Masago in great detail, states that, as a monk, he took little notice of her. The only conclusion that can be drawn from the testimonies is that preservation (of the self, of conventions, etc.) leads to the lies and mistakings.
A prevailing theme is the degradation of the traditional samurai. Not only is Takehiko tied up in a bamboo grove as his wife his violated and property stolen, but according to varied accounts, he is easily conned and bested in swordfighting by the theif Tajomaru, he is killed by his wife, and a gad fly sticks to his fallen body. This may be a reflection of the decline that traditional Japanese convention has experienced in the face of Western influence.
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