Akutagawa Ryûnosuke’s process of borrowing from japanese classical stories: an examination of the tale Rashômon

Abstract

This article explores the use of stories from the classical Japanese anthology Konjaku Monogatarishû by Akutagawa Ryûnosuke, for the creation of the tale Rashômon, published in 1915. Akutagawa was able to maintain the central motifs, characters and the overall atmosphere of the original story, while using techniques to make allusions to the oral tradition of these short anecdotes known as setsuwa, which were usually passed down through generations by storytellers. This paper examines how Akutagawa, in this tale borrowed from the classical anthology, was able to supply the reader with a greater array of details and to analyze the reasons behind the characters’ behavior in the story. In addition, it discusses their existential and ethical dilemma, as well as the question of subjective truth, which is a theme also explored by the author in other tales.