Rashōmon and Seventeen Other Stories
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- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
- ISBN：0140449701
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Summary
These purple sparks。。。he would trade his life for the chance to hold them in his hands
Akutagawa （1892-1927） was one of Japan's foremost stylists - a modernist master whose stories are marked by original imagery， cynicism， beauty and wild humour。 Rashōmon and In a Bamboo Grove inspired Kurosawa's magnificent film and depict a past in which morality is inverted， while tales such as the Nose and Loyalty paint a richly imaginative picture of medieval Japan peopled by Shoguns and priests， vagrants and peasants。 Later works such as Death Register， The Life of a Stupid Man and Spinning Gears draw on Akutagawa's own life to devastating effect， revealing his intense melancholy and terror of madness in exquisitely moving impressionistic stories。
Including both famous and little-known works， some translated into English for the first time， this volume reveals Akutagawa in a new light。 In his illuminating introduction， Haruki Murakami explores Akutagawa's place in Japanese culture and influence on his own writing， while Jay Rubin's translation catches the spirit of the originals。
Spine-tingling brilliance。。。intuitive， natural - and beautiful - Haruki Murakami
Akutagawa （1892-1927） was one of Japan's foremost stylists - a modernist master whose stories are marked by original imagery， cynicism， beauty and wild humour。 Rashōmon and In a Bamboo Grove inspired Kurosawa's magnificent film and depict a past in which morality is inverted， while tales such as the Nose and Loyalty paint a richly imaginative picture of medieval Japan peopled by Shoguns and priests， vagrants and peasants。 Later works such as Death Register， The Life of a Stupid Man and Spinning Gears draw on Akutagawa's own life to devastating effect， revealing his intense melancholy and terror of madness in exquisitely moving impressionistic stories。
Including both famous and little-known works， some translated into English for the first time， this volume reveals Akutagawa in a new light。 In his illuminating introduction， Haruki Murakami explores Akutagawa's place in Japanese culture and influence on his own writing， while Jay Rubin's translation catches the spirit of the originals。
Spine-tingling brilliance。。。intuitive， natural - and beautiful - Haruki Murakami
Reviews
Frank
，
At the age of 17 or for even younger age， when I read it， I was very impressed。 The story called "How Bisei （？） believed" was a hymn， a light motive of my love affair（s） of that time :））） At the age of 17 or for even younger age， when I read it， I was very impressed。 The story called "How Bisei （？） believed" was a hymn， a light motive of my love affair（s） of that time :））） 。。。more
Marie Drago
，
weird ending。 thanks。
Rohith Saravanan
，
❤️
Glimmer
，
#2 entry to japanese lit and definitely ought've been the first。 The introduction provided by Haruki Murakami is pricless for what it provides to extent one's scope， and I got eager enough to see what new this genre has to offer。 And historical fiction and autobiographies are what here predominantly offered。 Each short story takes root in different japanese epoch， giving japanese history and traditions major tribute， especially in the non-fictions。 It was the key factor which had the effect of #2 entry to japanese lit and definitely ought've been the first。 The introduction provided by Haruki Murakami is pricless for what it provides to extent one's scope， and I got eager enough to see what new this genre has to offer。 And historical fiction and autobiographies are what here predominantly offered。 Each short story takes root in different japanese epoch， giving japanese history and traditions major tribute， especially in the non-fictions。 It was the key factor which had the effect of making my read worthwhile and making most of it go over my head。 As I was reading the tragic-comedy section I couldn't help feeling lost in comprehending the signficance of the dragon， nose， wigs and other symbols that despite the immense help the footnotes provided， the estrange sense of japanese humor was enough to make me scratch my head more often than I would like and made me realize how obsessive the nose is to Japanese humor。The autobiography of the Life of Stupid man was an outstander to me。 While Rashomon and in the bamboo groove were to their merits incredible works of ingenuity and perserving history， the fictional tone added to his real life events not once made did it boring or too stagnant 。 Major block that usually fend me off reading autobiographies got lift off。 It was an interesting style to see manifested to say the least。 。。。more
Rebecca Faith Brown
，
I'm sure I show my lack of culture， but it had everything I hate about short stories， the depression， suicide， evil men， etc， coupled with the roots in a culture so different from mine that I could catch not even a dust mote of redemption or hope。 Forged through， but not a re-read for me。 I'm sure I show my lack of culture， but it had everything I hate about short stories， the depression， suicide， evil men， etc， coupled with the roots in a culture so different from mine that I could catch not even a dust mote of redemption or hope。 Forged through， but not a re-read for me。 。。。more
Sadam Faisal
，
Cuma suka cerpen Di Dalam Belukar & Si Putih。 5 cerpen lainnya ga ngerti maksudnya apa。
Margot Medellin
，
Una lectura interesante， es la primera vez que leo algo sobre la cultura japonesa。 Definitivamente el cuento que hizo que valiera la pena todo el libro fue El biombo del infierno。
Suzanne Kramb
，
*I read Ryunosuke Akutagawa's Dragon: The Old Potter's Tale。 I couldn't find an edition with just this one story。*But I just couldn't stop shaking my head。 Making up such an extravagant lie just to get back at people only to be taken by surprise in the end。 Sheesh。 Talk about a whirlwind。 *I read Ryunosuke Akutagawa's Dragon: The Old Potter's Tale。 I couldn't find an edition with just this one story。*But I just couldn't stop shaking my head。 Making up such an extravagant lie just to get back at people only to be taken by surprise in the end。 Sheesh。 Talk about a whirlwind。 。。。more
Woferl
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看到结尾他在描述他的恐惧，然后一切戛然而止。在正文最后一行与最低下那个小小括号——遗稿——之间令人窒息的漫长空白，那瞬间我也感受到了他曾感受的恐惧。
José Antonio Gutiérrez Guevara
，
Es emocionante encontrar el desconcierto， el suspenso y la reflexión en historias que obedecen a otro entorno， lugar y época。 Este libro es evidencia de ello， y Ryūnosuke Akutagawa es un excelente narrador de historias。
Jorge Silupú
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Reseña: [Rashômon y otros cuentos - Ryūnosuke Akutagawa]Yoshihide podría plantarse al diablo， robarle unos cigarros hechos en bambú y mirarle a los ojos sin pestañar。 La seguridad era un atributo que había sembrado desde siempre。 Su temeridad ante las tinieblas， o cualquier maléfica manifestación del inframundo， era un acontecer diario para el autodenominado más grande artista nacido en Japón。 Autor de valiosos cuadros， se valía de sus discípulos para fomentar la creatividad del dibujante。 De fa Reseña: [Rashômon y otros cuentos - Ryūnosuke Akutagawa]Yoshihide podría plantarse al diablo， robarle unos cigarros hechos en bambú y mirarle a los ojos sin pestañar。 La seguridad era un atributo que había sembrado desde siempre。 Su temeridad ante las tinieblas， o cualquier maléfica manifestación del inframundo， era un acontecer diario para el autodenominado más grande artista nacido en Japón。 Autor de valiosos cuadros， se valía de sus discípulos para fomentar la creatividad del dibujante。 De facciones tiesas y ojos furibundos， le asaltaba un acceso de mal humor en las mañanas， soñaba con demonios de seis cabezas e innumerables brazos。Sus colegas eran fervientes enemigos， la clase artistocrática lo trataban con pinzas por su capacidad creadora; los días del artista pasaban sin sobresaltos hasta que el noble señor de Horikawa le solicitó un cuadro imposible que aglutinara todos los infiernos。 El Biombo del Infierno， así se llamaba， la bravata jamás creada。 El señor de Horikawa le confió el averno en manos de un cancerbero。 Siete meses recluidos， con discípulos traumados por sus peticiones， pudo elaborar la mayor parte del cuadro。 Solo faltaba un detalle: el infierno en llamas。 Quería ver freír una carroza con una mujer dentro。 Horikawa， entusiasmado con su lujurioso pedido， accedió al deseo del artista。Ryūnosuke Akutagawa escribió uno de los más emblemáticos cuentos de la humanidad。 El resto de relatos， de notable estética， conforma uno de los libros de cabecera del japonés promedio。 Rashômon y otros cuentos （1921） presenta lo nuevo de las letras japonesa， post Meiji， que logró marcar la pauta de la inventiva de terror y suspenso japonés。 Akutagawa vivió hasta los treinta y cinco años。 Episodios de alucinaciones y problemas mentales cortó su magnífica existencia。 En 1935， Kan Kikuchi estableció， en honor a su entrañable amigo， el Premio Akutagawa， el de mayor abolengo en Japón。 Con esto quiero decir que cualquier escritor japonés que roce el cielo， un Akutagawa tendrá consigo。 #literaturajaponesa#literaturanipona#akutagawaryunosuke 。。。more
faust
，
if there's one book whose list of trigger warnings could eclipse that of no longer human's， it's this book。 （well， it's an anthology of akutagawa's works i'm talking about， so--）i suppose i'll be eternally grateful for the double introduction included in this book--one from jay rubin as translator to english and another， highly detailed one from murakami。 especially the other， highly detailed one from murakami。 the purpose of this book may be to initiate the foreign non-japanese speaking reader if there's one book whose list of trigger warnings could eclipse that of no longer human's， it's this book。 （well， it's an anthology of akutagawa's works i'm talking about， so--）i suppose i'll be eternally grateful for the double introduction included in this book--one from jay rubin as translator to english and another， highly detailed one from murakami。 especially the other， highly detailed one from murakami。 the purpose of this book may be to initiate the foreign non-japanese speaking reader into the wonders （wonders？？？） of akutagawa's works and creative process but murakami's introduction is the cornerstone of this book。 think of akutagawa as the unseelie king of japanese literature and his works as the strange rings you see popping out of nowhere in a forest; murakami's introduction is the hogstone that allows the reader to properly perceive the realm of akutagawa and how that influenced the kind of faerie rings he grew--some renew your life force， others drain it。classification of works under theme and writing style similarities is also a brilliant feature of this book。 such classification makes it easier for amateur literature enthusiasts to do comparative analyses of individual works as well as understand the progress of akutagawa's creative process parallel to the progress of global history in his time of life。 exhaustive footnotes for each work （yes， each。 work。） adds to its strength--although the way the notes are included in this book is rather unusual and costs the reader more time to go back and forth between the work they're reading and the notes section。 keeping up with which line you were reading and what a note is telling you takes a special kind of focus， you see。overall， if someone came to me asking for recommendations of books for people newly interested in japanese classic literature， i'd name this book。 i'll also look the other person in the eye and make them swear an oath to not skip the introductions and notes but that's a whole other story。 。。。more
Zoe
，
Short and simple stories that contain complex human truths。 A must read for fans of the great director Akira Kurosawa。
Caahpinotti エレン・イェーガー✬ ✧ ✪
，
In the old days a dragon seems to have lived in that pond of Sarusawa。 What！ You cannot tell whether it did even in the old days？ Yes， in the old days it must have lived there。 In those times all people believed that dragons lived at the bottom of water。 So， naturally， dragons ought to have flown between heaven and earth and at times ought to have appeared in mysterious forms like gods。Akutagawa always surprises me when creating stories that apresents a series of conflicting statements which und In the old days a dragon seems to have lived in that pond of Sarusawa。 What！ You cannot tell whether it did even in the old days？ Yes， in the old days it must have lived there。 In those times all people believed that dragons lived at the bottom of water。 So， naturally， dragons ought to have flown between heaven and earth and at times ought to have appeared in mysterious forms like gods。Akutagawa always surprises me when creating stories that apresents a series of conflicting statements which undermine our prosaic confidence in distinguishing between subjective and objective， truth and fiction。， magically containing complex ideas while questioning the values of his society， and dramatizing the complexities of human psychology。 With his ironic tone， critiques and fantastic world he will leave you staring blankly into a mirror。 ✨🦂 。。。more
heather graham
，
I wonderful collection of storiesI had been meaning to read some of Japans "national" authors pre 1940s and Akutagawa was one of those on my list。 I found thos translation of Rashomon and 17 stories。 I found resonance with his wit and saw the decline leading him to suicide at the age of 35 this collection had me from page 1 and read in one go。 It was worth it。 I wonderful collection of storiesI had been meaning to read some of Japans "national" authors pre 1940s and Akutagawa was one of those on my list。 I found thos translation of Rashomon and 17 stories。 I found resonance with his wit and saw the decline leading him to suicide at the age of 35 this collection had me from page 1 and read in one go。 It was worth it。 。。。more
anđela
，
čitala na srpskom
Angelica Mariano
，
3。5 estrellas， los cuentos no son lo mío últimamente， pero fue interesante conocer estos a la vez que algunos rasgos de su culta al mismo tiempo。 mi favorito: el biombo del infierno。 El peor: un cuerpo de mujer， doy gracias que fue muy corto…
yellowbrickfly
，
‘Rashomon’ is a short story that disturbs the reader in the same stroke as it evokes deep empathy。 Akutagawa paradoxically humanizes his protagonist by showing us his unfiltered thoughts during his most unforgivable moment。This story is set at the end of the Heian period of Japanese history。 It shows with stark clarity the shabby， desperate end of an era of great prosperity。 Economical with his readers' attention， Akutagawa often sets his stories within a premise that in itself contains layers o ‘Rashomon’ is a short story that disturbs the reader in the same stroke as it evokes deep empathy。 Akutagawa paradoxically humanizes his protagonist by showing us his unfiltered thoughts during his most unforgivable moment。This story is set at the end of the Heian period of Japanese history。 It shows with stark clarity the shabby， desperate end of an era of great prosperity。 Economical with his readers' attention， Akutagawa often sets his stories within a premise that in itself contains layers of sociological relevance and insight。 In this case， the protagonist is a servant who has been laid off from a wealthy house。 He contemplates his options for the future， aware that all the big houses in Kyoto are in the same situation as his former employer。The story shows us the inner workings of his mind as he considers his options as he sees them - hunger or theft。 We experience his coming to terms with his new circumstances as he calibrates what his new identity might be。 He veers rapidly between extreme ends of his internal sense of morality - in one moment he is the epitome of righteousness， judging an old hungry woman for theft; and in the next he is desperate， considering unnecessary violence for small gains and power。In this and in other stories， Akutagawa takes the surreal for granted。 By setting his stories in situations that are extremely unfamiliar and even impossible， the reader adjusts expectations of what “normal” is。 Akutagawa then shows us the inner world of his protagonist - almost always filled with unfamiliarly frantic and heightened emotion。 The escalated circumstances and unrelatable emotional states somehow allow Akutagawa to communicate the emotional experience of regular people in the real world。 By making the reader feel familiar within the impossible， Akutagawa makes us feel empathic towards those who might otherwise have been scorned， ignored or laughed at。 。。。more
Thesilverqueen
，
A series of short stories。 If not for author's own life story in the end which I found both boring and redundant for my taste this would have been a five star。 Stories are very engaging and well written。 A series of short stories。 If not for author's own life story in the end which I found both boring and redundant for my taste this would have been a five star。 Stories are very engaging and well written。 。。。more
GGIFTV
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 ดี ไม่อยากจะเชื่อว่าทำไมพึ่งได้อ่าน ชอบฉากนรกมาก บรรยายจนรู้สึกดิ่งลงไปในเปลวเพลิง แล้วก็จบด้วยน้ำตาไหลไป1ที
Ben Rogers
，
I read this book because the short story， Spinning Gears， was mentioned in the latest Murakami book， First Person Singular: Stories。 I enjoyed Murakami's massive introduction in this book。 I can really tell Murakami looks up to Akutagawa and has been inspired by his books and stories in his own material。 I found the stories especially strange reads。 Very peculiar。The stories somewhat did remind me of Murakami， but honestly， not nearly as good as the master （Murakami）。 A few stores stood out to m I read this book because the short story， Spinning Gears， was mentioned in the latest Murakami book， First Person Singular: Stories。 I enjoyed Murakami's massive introduction in this book。 I can really tell Murakami looks up to Akutagawa and has been inspired by his books and stories in his own material。 I found the stories especially strange reads。 Very peculiar。The stories somewhat did remind me of Murakami， but honestly， not nearly as good as the master （Murakami）。 A few stores stood out to me， but all-in-all I was fairly disappointed。 3。1/5 。。。more
Jumo
，
Increíble。 El cuento Engranajes te puede llevar a la locura。
Lucas Miller
，
Wanted to take a star off for the thinness of the collection， but I think the works in this slim volume make up for the barebones nature of it。 Akutagawa seems like a writer who is hard to get to know due to the public domain nature of his work and the outsized fame of two of the hundreds of stories he wrote。 The world of these stories is dark。 People either mean， hapless， or stupid。 It is a world that even in only a few short stories feels ancient。 The headnotes of a couple of these stories men Wanted to take a star off for the thinness of the collection， but I think the works in this slim volume make up for the barebones nature of it。 Akutagawa seems like a writer who is hard to get to know due to the public domain nature of his work and the outsized fame of two of the hundreds of stories he wrote。 The world of these stories is dark。 People either mean， hapless， or stupid。 It is a world that even in only a few short stories feels ancient。 The headnotes of a couple of these stories mention that the author is rewriting old stories from chronicles of the time Heian Period。 I can't tell if this is true or part of the fiction of the stories。 I think that is part of Akutagawa's achievement as a writer。 Tricky stuff。 。。。more
Syalwa
，
unfortunately i didn’t finish this book because i couldn’t enjoy the stories， i couldn’t fun with it。 but i still gave 2 stars ; 1 star for the cover （the new one） and 1 star because this book maybe good but it wasn’t my taste :）
Adam
，
As tight a trap， as delicate， labyrinthine， and unsettling as a handful of spiderwebs。
Bella Azam
，
Delving into Japanese classics had always been a goal of mine since I started reading more frequently。 Akutagawa Ryunosuke was the first Japanese author I've read of with his work Life of a Stupid Man which is an incredible piece of literature in my opinion。 So here I am delving into his works more。 Instead of talking about this book as a whole， I will make a weekly discussion to dissect each short stories in depth on my Instagram @agathachristiebells。 I will try not to be spoilery but if you ha Delving into Japanese classics had always been a goal of mine since I started reading more frequently。 Akutagawa Ryunosuke was the first Japanese author I've read of with his work Life of a Stupid Man which is an incredible piece of literature in my opinion。 So here I am delving into his works more。 Instead of talking about this book as a whole， I will make a weekly discussion to dissect each short stories in depth on my Instagram @agathachristiebells。 I will try not to be spoilery but if you have read it or maybe wanted to know more， there are amazing reviews and analysis online that gave the story so much more details。CW: suicideAkutagwa Ryunosuke was known as Japanese Father of Short Stories。 His sharp literary style and usage of language were never stagnant: "it moves along like a living thing"。 He published Rashomon in 1916 at the age of 23-years-old and was praised by the legendary writer Natsume Soseki。 Akutagawa brilliantly crafted a story from classical works into a contemporary modernist literature that transcends generation。 Unfortunately， he commited suicide at the age of 35， in which he writes actively for only twelve years in his career。 1。Rashomon （1915）Rashōmon in Kyoto was the grander of the two city gates built during the Heian period （794–1185）。 In this story， calamity had struck the city of Kyoto leaving to the decline of the capital。 Set in Heian Period， it is a tale of an ex-servant who in a precarious situation of being left homeless after he was fired from a job。 In order to survive the night with a stormy weather， he decided to take cover in the abandoned gates filled with corpses。 He then encounter an old woman suspiciously prodding around the corpses。This was fairly short with 7 pages long of we looking at the unnamed character and his actions and decisions in the moment。 There is an internal struggle of choices between surviving but with a price to pay or died alongside the corpses。 There is symbolism in here that subtly present though not obvious and I found it on a reread， they are much clearer。 This one was a good introduction in this book and sets the pace of the book well。 2。 Hell ScreenYoshihide was known to be the best painter but with an ugly face and not an ounce of compassion to others with an exception of his daughter。 When he is tasked to create a painting of Hell Screen by Lord Horikawa， a powerful authority whom coveted his talent but despised Yoshihide's unseemingly arrogant behaviour who thinks he is above others and disrespect to culture and religions， Yoshihide falls into the dark abyss of hell on earth。 This story depicted artistic obsession and dilemma similarly Akutagawa was towards his writing。 Yoshihide is obssesed with his art and the only emotion of love he had was for his adolescent daughter， a compassionate and mild mannered girl。 Yoshihide's passion towards art borders into madness as he painted from observation and gained the picture by real life depiction rather than imagination such as rotting corpses and dreams of his encounter with the Hell Wardens。His tendencies to paint real life depictions gave the authentic feeling to his painting but he sacrificed many things in order to reach the state。 His sacrilegious behaviour torturing his apprentices indicates his manic tendencies to achieve perfection even go as far as the act of a devil。 This story blews my mind。 Its so briliantly written with introduction to characters， the peak of insanity， unexpected and twisted climax which ends on a depressing conclusion。 A well crafted story that showed human's greed and jealousy can burns the world as if hell exists even in the real life。 TW: sexual assault， physical assault， animal cruelty， arson， suicideThe second section of the book titled Under the Sword comprised of 3 stories: Dr Ogata Ryosai's Memorandum， O-gin and Loyalty。 In this section， the stories mostly based during the period of rules by Tokugawa shogun。 Tokugawa rules the country with power and force in fear of any rebellion and being overthrown。 This time， the fear or threat from Christianity religion which is starting to make an impact on the people， Tokugawa was afraid of this thus there are punishment and execution for those who practiced the faith。 1。 Dr Ogata Ryosai's memorandum （ 1916）Following the memorandum of Doctor Ogata， this reports on a widow named Shino who has a young daugther that fallen ill。 She was a practising Kirishitan or Christian thus causing her to be abhored ans pushed away from the neighbours。 In desperate need for help， she seeks Dr Ogata to see her daughter's sickly state but due to her religion， the doctor refused unless she abandoned the faith。 Interestingly， this story pits religion and family together。 Its a story that shows the choice between keeping your religion or choose your flesh and blood。 Certainly， its a notion that is cruel but soon we will see what fate arrived to Shino as she decides on her own as she was pushed to commit an unwilling act for her daughter。 In the end， there is a twist of fate and it may seems unbelievable but a miracle do occur。2。 O-ginOpposite to the miracle in the earlier story， this one questioned the choice make by the character。 O-gin is an orphan girl who lost both of her parents at young age and she was adopted by a couple who are Christian though not many people know about it。 They however were caught by the Satan and brought to the magistrate for cruel punishment and forced to denounce their faith。 At the time of execution， O-gin decision to back away from Christian crumbles down as she realized she can never go to Heaven and abandon her birthparents whom she believed to lies in the depths of Hell。This story made me think a lot on the choice of religion and family again。 Being loyal to the religion in here meaning you are abandoning your family but O-gin decided to not be selfish and instead choose her parents。 Its a debate of choice and weighing the importance of these two things in life。 This will make an interesting discussion。 。。。more
William
，
Some of these were the best short stories I've ever read。 Others were fine， but not stupendous。 Overall， Akutagawa is very good。 Some of these were the best short stories I've ever read。 Others were fine， but not stupendous。 Overall， Akutagawa is very good。 。。。more
Sung-Gi Kim
，
本文からしかし、これを聞いている中に、下人の心には、ある勇気が生まれて来た。それは、さっき門の下で、この男には欠けていた勇気である。そうして、またさっきこの門の上へ上って、この老婆を捕えた時の勇気とは、全然、反対な方向に動こうとする勇気である。下人は、饑死をするか盗人になるかに、迷わなかったばかりではない。その時のこの男の心もちから云えば、饑死などと云う事は、ほとんど、考える事さえ出来ないほど、意識の外に追い出されていた。
Julien
，
J'ai trouvé les deux premiers contes "Rashōmon" et "Le paravent des figures infernales" terrifiants。 Le troisième conte "Dans le fourré" est sans doute le conte le plus remarquable par son histoire bien ficelée。 Le dernier conte， m'a fait traverser la campagne japonaise et m'a fait réfléchir sur nos désirs inavoué et la poursuite de ceux-ci。 J'ai trouvé les deux premiers contes "Rashōmon" et "Le paravent des figures infernales" terrifiants。 Le troisième conte "Dans le fourré" est sans doute le conte le plus remarquable par son histoire bien ficelée。 Le dernier conte， m'a fait traverser la campagne japonaise et m'a fait réfléchir sur nos désirs inavoué et la poursuite de ceux-ci。 。。。more
Justel Anne Tejamo
，