58 Reading #1: “In a Grove,” by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
58 Reading #1: “In a Grove,” by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
About Akutagawa
Ryūnosuke Akutagawa (Akutagawa Ryūnosuke) (March 1, 1892 – July 24, 1927) was a Japanese writer active in Taishō period Japan. He is regarded as the “Father of the Japanese short story”, and is noted for his superb style and finely detailed stories that explore the darker side of human nature. (source: Wikipedia, English)
In A Grove
The Testimony of a Woodcutter Questioned by a High Police Commissioner
Yes, sir. Certainly, it was I who found the body. This morn- ing, as usual, I went to cut my daily quota of cedars, when I found the body in a grove in a hollow in the mountains. The exact location? About 150 meters off the Yamashina stage road. It’s an out-of-the-way grove of bamboo and cedars.
The body was lying flat on its back dressed in a bluish silk ki- mono and a wrinkled head-dress of the Kyoto style. A single sword-stroke had pierced the breast. No, the blood was no longer running. The wound had dried up, I believe. And also, a gad-fly was stuck fast there, hardly noticing my footsteps.
You ask me if I saw a sword or any such thing?
No, nothing, sir. I found only a rope at the root of a cedar near by. And … well, in addition to a rope, I found a comb. That was all. Apparently he must have made a battle of it before he was murdered, because the grass and fallen bamboo-blades had been trampled down all around.
“A horse was near by?”
No, sir. It’s hard enough for a man to enter, let alone a horse.
The Testimony of a Traveling Buddhist Priest Questioned by a High Police Commissioner
The time? Certainly, it was about noon yesterday, sir. The unfortunate man was on the road from Sekiyama to Yamashina. He was walking toward Sekiyama with a woman accompanying him on horseback, who I have since learned was his wife. All I saw was the color of her clothes, a lilac-colored suit. Her horse was a sorrel with a fine mane. The lady’s height? Oh, about four feet five inchess. Since I am a Buddhist priest, I took little notice about her details. Well, the man was armed with a sword as well as a bow and arrows. And I remember that he carried some twenty odd arrows in his quiver.
Little did I expect that he would meet such a fate. Truly hu- man life is as evanescent as the morning dew or a flash of lightning. My words are inadequate to express my sympathy for him.
The Testimony of a Policeman Questioned by a High Police Commissioner
The man that I arrested? He is a notorious brigand called Tajomaru. When I arrested him, he had fallen off his horse. He was groaning on the bridge at Awataguchi. The time? It was in the early hours of last night. For the record, I might say that the other day I tried to arrest him, but unfortu- nately he escaped. He was wearing a dark blue silk kimono and a large plain sword. And, as you see, he got a bow and arrows somewhere. Then Tajomaru must be the murderer. The bow wound with leather strips, the black lacquered quiver, the seventee