![]() ![]() In 1921, Akutagawa traveled to Shanghai as a reporter (or “overseas observer”) for the Osaka Mainichi Shimbun newspaper. Of the 140 or so works he wrote over the course of his short life, 12 drew on Chinese sources. Akutagawa had a life-long interest in Chinese literature, and was particularly influenced by Tang-dynasty legends and tales of the uncanny and miraculous ( Zhiguai xiaoshuo) from the Qing period. ![]() “Hell Screen”), full of enchantment and madness. Readers in China, like readers around the world, know Akutagawa best for fantastic stories like “Rashōmon” and “Jigokuhen” (trans. Since October 1, the museum has been running an exhibition titled “The Life and Death of Akutagawa Ryūnosuke.” One of the highlights of the exhibition is the author’s original handwritten manuscript of the first six pages of Shanghai yūki, Akutagawa’s account of his journey to China in 1921. Only the Tabata Memorial Museum of Writers and Artists stands today as a reminder of the area’s past as a center of the Japanese intellectual and artistic world. Today, these famous names live on in the history books, but the places they knew have vanished over the course of a century of dramatic change. Prominent figures who lived in the district included the writers Akutagawa Ryūnosuke, Murō Saisei, and Kikuchi Kan and the scholar Okakura Kakuzō, whose Book of Tea made him internationally famous, as well as painters like Takehisa Yumeji and Oana Ryūichi. In the years that followed, their names took the Japanese literary and artistic world by storm. His suicide came as a shock to the literary world.During the early decades of the twentieth century, from the end of the Meiji era (1868–1912) into the early years of Shōwa (1926–89), the district of Tabata in northern Tokyo became a kind of stronghold for original thinkers and artistic misfits, and was home to numerous young people with dreams. His last important work, “Kappa” (1927), although a satiric fable about elflike creatures ( kappa), is written in the mirthless vein of his last period and reflects his depressed state at the time. In 1922 he turned toward autobiographical fiction, but Akutagawa’s stories of modern life lack the exotic and sometimes lurid glow of the older tales, perhaps accounting for their comparative unpopularity. Many of his stories have a feverish intensity that is well-suited to their often macabre themes. ![]() He ranged wide in his choice of material, drawing inspiration from such disparate sources as China, Japan’s 16th-century Christian community in Nagasaki, and European contacts with 19th-century Japan. With Sōseki’s encouragement he began to write a series of stories derived largely from 12th- and 13th-century collections of Japanese tales but retold in the light of modern psychology and in a highly individual style. The publication in 1915 of his short story “ Rashōmon” led to his introduction to Natsume Sōseki, the outstanding Japanese novelist of the day. SpaceNext50 Britannica presents SpaceNext50, From the race to the Moon to space stewardship, we explore a wide range of subjects that feed our curiosity about space!.Learn about the major environmental problems facing our planet and what can be done about them! Saving Earth Britannica Presents Earth’s To-Do List for the 21st Century.Britannica Beyond We’ve created a new place where questions are at the center of learning.100 Women Britannica celebrates the centennial of the Nineteenth Amendment, highlighting suffragists and history-making politicians.COVID-19 Portal While this global health crisis continues to evolve, it can be useful to look to past pandemics to better understand how to respond today.Student Portal Britannica is the ultimate student resource for key school subjects like history, government, literature, and more.Britannica Explains In these videos, Britannica explains a variety of topics and answers frequently asked questions.Demystified Videos In Demystified, Britannica has all the answers to your burning questions.This Time in History In these videos, find out what happened this month (or any month!) in history. ![]()
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