📚Website: https://sites.google.com/view/bsd-bibliophileonlinelibrary/online-library 📚 Side Blog: @anne-bsd-bibliophile 📚 Welcome to my collection of Japanese literature quotes and facts! The authors and literary works I collect are all from the authors who inspired the manga and anime series Bungou Stray Dogs. All of the BSD art is done by the manga artist Harukawa35. - Anne (BSD-Bibliophile)
Curious Fact about Akutagawa
its-mitchan
First. Have you ever noticed that Akutagawa always refers himself like “Yatsugare”?
In Japanese there are many forms of saying “Me” or “I” and it depends of the level of respect by yourself or by the other person. In anime we always listen like “Ore” or “Boku” for boys. Why Akutagawa doesn’t use those ones even if those are more “rude”?
Yatsugare is a way to humble yourself. But it can be interpreted like a way to humiliate yourself too. But that might be not the main reason. Real Akutagawa stories where inspired by stories of ancient times like in XII or XIII century.
“Yatsugare” was used throughout the men and women in ancient times, but since the early modern period, has been limited to use in the place where man was somewhat formal.
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I don’t have the strength to keep writing this. To go on living with these feelings is painful beyond description. Isn’t there someone kind enough to strangle me in my sleep?
Akutagawa Ryūnosuke,“Spinning Gears”
#1 Akutagawa Quote - Happy BirthdayAkutagawa Ryūnosuke-sensei!
(via bsd-bibliophile)
Akutagawa Ryūnosuke - BSD Dead Apple PV - Quotes
すると、老婆は、見開いていた眼を、一層大きくして、じっとその下人の顔を見守った。まぶたの赤くなった、肉食鳥のような、鋭い眼で見たのである。それから、皺で、ほとんど、鼻と一つになった唇を、何か物でも噛んでいるように動かした。細い喉で、尖った喉仏のどぼとけの動いているのが見える。その時、その喉から、鴉からすの啼くような声が、喘あえぎ喘ぎ、下人の耳へ伝わって来た。
「この髪を抜いてな、この髪を抜いてな、鬘かずらにしようと思うたのじゃ。」
下人は、老婆の答が存外、平凡なのに失望した。そうして失望すると同時に、また前の憎悪が、冷やかな侮蔑ぶべつと一しょに、心の中へはいって来た。すると、その気色けしきが、先方へも通じたのであろう。老婆は、片手に、まだ死骸の頭から奪った長い抜け毛を持ったなり、蟇ひきのつぶやくような声で、口ごもりながら、こんな事を云った。
「成程な、死人しびとの髪の毛を抜くと云う事は、何ぼう悪い事かも知れぬ。じゃが、ここにいる死人どもは、皆、そのくらいな事を、されてもいい人間ばかりだぞよ。現在、わしが今、髪を抜いた女などはな、蛇を四寸しすんばかりずつに切って干したのを、干魚ほしうおだと云うて、太刀帯たてわきの陣へ売りに往いんだわ。疫病えやみにかかって死ななんだら、今でも売りに往んでいた事であろ。それもよ、この女の売る干魚は、味がよいと云うて、太刀帯どもが、欠かさず菜料さいりように買っていたそうな。わしは、この女のした事が悪いとは思うていぬ。せねば、饑死をするのじゃて、仕方がなくした事であろ。されば、今また、わしのしていた事も悪い事とは思わぬぞよ。これとてもやはりせねば、饑死をするじゃて、仕方がなくする事じゃわいの。じゃて、その仕方がない事を、よく知っていたこの女は、大方わしのする事も大目に見てくれるであろ。」
The old woman stretched her wide yes still wider and stared hard at the servant. Her red-lidded eyes had the sharpness of a predator-bird’s. Then, as if chewing on something, she began to move her lips, which seemed joined with her nose by all her deep wrinkles. He could see the point of her Adam’s apple moving on her scrawny neck, and between her gasps the voice that issued from her throat reached the servant’s ears like the cawing of a crow.
“I-I was pulling-I was pulling out hair to make a wig.”
The servant was startled, and disappointed at how ordinary the woman’s answer turned out to be. But along with his disappointment, the earlier hatred and cold contempt came back to fill his heart. The woman seemed to sense what he was feeling. Still holding in one hand the long hairs she had stolen from the corpse, she mumbled and croaked like a toad as she offered this explanation:
“I know, I know, it may be wrong to pull out dead people’s hair. But these people here deserve what they get. Take this woman, the one I was pulling the hair from: she used to cut snakes into four-inch pieces and dry them and sell them as dried fish at the palace guardhouse. If she hadn’t died in the epidemic, she’d still be out there selling her wares. The guards loved her‘fish’ and they bought it for every meal. I don’t think she was wrong to do it. She did it to keep from starving to death. She couldn’t help it. And I don’t think what I’m doing is wrong, either. It’s the same thing: I can’t help it. If I don’t do it, I’ll starve to death. This woman knew what it was to do what you have to do. I think she’d understand what I’m doing to her.”
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His thoughts wandered the same path again and again, always arriving at the same destination. But no matter how much time passed, the ‘if’ remained an ‘if’. Even as he told himself he was prepared to do anything at all, he could not find the courage for the obvious conclusion of that ‘if’: All I can do is become a thief.
Akutagawa Ryūnosuke,“Rashoumon”
#2 Akutagawa Quote - Happy Birthday Akutagawa Ryūnosuke-sensei!
Is it just me who thinks it is incredibly ironic that Akutagawa’s story showcases a protagonist who has to choose between being honest and starving to death and Nakajima Atsushi in Bungo Stray Dogs begins the story in EXACTLY the same position? Were Asagiri Kafka and Harukawa35 foreshadowing them working together from the very beginning!?!?!?
(via bsd-bibliophile)
Celebrate by reading quotes by and aboutAkutagwa Ryūnosuke!!!
During the day I will be posting the top 4 Akutagawa quotes on my blog to celebrate!
Bungo Stray Authors - Handwriting Part 7
bsd-bibliophile
This is a sample of Akutagawa Ryūnosuke’s handwritten manuscript for「歯車」 (Gear):
This is the first page of the manuscript for「奉教人の死」 and an electronic copy of the manuscript can be found here:
And last but not least, here is an image of the original manuscript for“Rashōmon” (sorry for the image quality):
Dazai’s School Notebook Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 8 Part 9
Pose!!!
From what I understand, the popular pose from Bungo Stray Dogs started with Akutagawa-sensei in this famous picture:
And Dazai-sensei, being the Akutagawa-sensei fanboy he was, used the same pose in a school club photo (I think it was a literary club, but I could be wrong):
Here is one comparing both authors (Dazai on the left and Akutagawa on the right):
The pose was even used as inspiration for an official art:
Anime Based on the Works of AkutagawaRyūnosuke
Once again, Seishun Anime Zenshu (Animated Classics of Japanese Literature) came up when I was looking for anime based on Akutagawa’s works. This is episode 31 based on Akutagawa’s“The Martyr”:
Show Information: Anime News Network
Episode Link: Kiss Anime
Story Analysis: Grade Saver
Aoi Bungaku animated both of Akutagawa’s short stories“The Spider’s Thread” and“Hell Screen”. If you have read either of these works you will notice that the anime does not stick closely to the original plot line. However, having Tite Kubo (the author of Bleach) do the character designs and Atsuko Ishizuka (the director of No Game No Life and Piano no Mori) as the director it is still a fabulous story to watch:
Show Information: Anime News Network
Episode Links: Kiss Anime Episode 11, Kiss Anime Episode 12
The keynotes of Akutagawa’s works are lucid intellect and refined humor. The author always stands outside life, calmly observing the maelstrom.
Eguchi Kiyoshi
(Quoted in Yoshida Sei-ichi and Akutagawa Hiroshi, AkutagawaRyūnosuke, Meiji Shoin, Tokyo, 1967, p.55)
The first ‘real novel’ [Akutagawa Ryūnosuke] read when he graduated from storybooks was probably, he later recalled, Izumi Kyōka’s ‘Bake Ichou.’
G.H. Healey, the Introduction to Akutagawa Ryūnosuke ‘s Kappa
“Bake Ichou” is translated as“Maiden Hair” and was published in 1896 (source)
My husband’s patriotism somehow goes to extremes. The other day, he said that no matter how tough those foreigners acted, they probably wouldn’t even dare taste this salted fish-guts conserve, whereas we can eat any Western food at all; and he seemed to take some weird pride in that.
Dazai Osamu, “December 8th”
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