Who Was Ryunosuke Akutagawa?
Three short stories to introduce a writer who makes human nature feel uncomfortably familiar
Written with AI assistance.
A hungry man shelters beneath a ruined gate. A priest worries about his enormous nose. A body is discovered in a grove, and the people who speak about it cannot agree.
These are promising beginnings for stories. They are also invitations to look more closely at ourselves.
Ryunosuke Akutagawa has a talent for catching people at the moment when the explanations they give themselves begin to slip. His characters want to survive, escape embarrassment, or preserve a version of events they can bear. We may recognize their reasoning before we feel comfortable admitting it.
For readers discovering Japanese literature, his short fiction offers an absorbing place to begin.
The writer behind the name
Akutagawa was born in Tokyo on March 1, 1892. While studying at Tokyo Imperial University, he published “The Nose” in 1916. The story attracted the admiration of Natsume Soseki, an important early endorsement for the young writer.
After graduation, Akutagawa taught English at the Naval Engineering College while continuing to write. In 1919, he left teaching and became a staff writer for the Osaka Mainichi newspaper, devoting himself to literary work. He died on July 24, 1927, aged thirty-five. These milestones trace a remarkably brief career.
His name continued to shape Japanese literary life. In 1935, writer and publisher Kan Kikuchi established the Akutagawa Prize in memory of his friend.
Readers overseas may also encounter Akutagawa through cinema. Akira Kurosawa’s 1950 film Rashomon draws on two of his stories: “Rashomon” and “In a Grove.” Remembering those two titles helps avoid a common confusion when approaching the fiction after seeing the film.
Three stories to open first
“Rashomon”: What would you permit yourself to do?
A dismissed servant waits out the rain beneath a decaying gate in Kyoto. The city has suffered disasters, and he has little reason to expect help. Hunger gives his thoughts an increasingly desperate direction.
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The setting is vivid enough to feel almost physical: wet darkness, neglected wood, a place people avoid. Yet the tension comes from something quieter. As the servant considers his circumstances, the boundary between what he condemns and what he might excuse becomes precarious.
Read this one for its atmosphere, then notice how your judgment of the servant changes. Akutagawa gives you very little distance from his dilemma.
“The Nose”: How much do other people’s opinions matter?
A Buddhist priest has a nose so conspicuous that it interferes with ordinary life. He would very much like to change it. He would also prefer nobody to know how much it bothers him.
The premise is comic, but the embarrassment is painfully recognizable. Anyone who has tried to appear unconcerned about a private insecurity will understand the priest’s predicament.
Watch the people around him as closely as you watch the priest. The story’s interest extends beyond vanity to the peculiar pleasure people can take in someone else’s discomfort. It is an excellent introduction to Akutagawa’s sharp, unsettling humor.
“In a Grove”: Whose account do you believe?
A woodcutter discovers a dead man. Statements follow, offering details about the people involved and what may have happened.
You begin listening for evidence. Soon, you may find yourself listening just as carefully for pride, shame, and the wish to be understood in a particular way.
This story makes the act of reading feel like questioning witnesses. Resist the urge to look up an explanation before you finish. Give each voice a hearing, and notice when your confidence shifts.
Read slowly enough to change your mind
You do not need a survey course in Japanese history before opening these stories. Begin with the predicament on the page. Who wants something? What are they afraid of? What explanation makes their behavior seem reasonable?
Then ask whether you believe that explanation.
Akutagawa offers stories compact enough to revisit and uncomfortable enough to reward a second look.
Choose one. Read it without knowing the ending. See which character you are still thinking about afterward.
Explore Enkeisha’s illustrated English edition of “Rashomon”: https://payhip.com/b/Vs0lo
