Ryūnosuke Akutagawa facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
Native name	芥川 龍之介
Born	Ryūnosuke Niihara (新原 龍之介) (1892-03-01)1 March 1892 Kyōbashi, Tokyo, Empire of Japan
Died	24 July 1927(1927-07-24) (aged 35) Tokyo, Empire of Japan
Occupation	Writer
Language	Japanese
Alma mater	Tokyo Imperial University
Genre	Short stories
Literary movement	Modernism
Notable works	In a Grove Rashōmon Hana
Spouse	Fumi Akutagawa
Children	3 (including Yasushi Akutagawa)
Japanese name
Kanji	芥川 龍之介
Hiragana	あくたがわ りゅうのすけ
Transcriptions Romanization Akutagawa Ryūnosuke

Ryūnosuke Akutagawa (born March 1, 1892 – died July 24, 1927) was a famous Japanese writer. He was active during the Taishō period in Japan. Many people call him the "father of the Japanese short story". Japan's most important literary award, the Akutagawa Prize, is named after him.

Ryūnosuke Akutagawa's Early Life

Ryūnosuke Akutagawa was born in Tokyo on March 1, 1892. He was the oldest son of Toshizō Niihara, a businessman, and his wife Fuku. His family owned a milk business. Soon after he was born, his mother became unwell. Because of this, his maternal uncle, Dōshō Akutagawa, adopted and raised him. This is how he got the Akutagawa family name.

From a young age, Ryūnosuke loved Chinese literature. He also enjoyed reading works by famous Japanese writers like Mori Ōgai and Natsume Sōseki.

In 1910, he started high school. There, he became friends with classmates who would also become writers later on. In 1913, he went to Tokyo Imperial University (now the University of Tokyo) to study English literature. He began writing stories while he was still a student.

In 1916, he got engaged to Fumi Tsukamoto, and they married in 1918. They had three sons: Hiroshi, Takashi, and Yasushi Akutagawa.

After finishing university, Akutagawa taught English language for a short time at a naval school. But he soon decided to focus all his time on writing.

Akutagawa's Writing Career

A photo from 1919. Akutagawa is second from the left. Kan Kikuchi is on the far left.

In 1914, Akutagawa and his high school friends started a literary journal called Shinshichō ("New Currents of Thought"). They published their own stories and translations of works by Western writers.

In 1915, while still a student, Akutagawa published his short story "Rashōmon". This story was based on an old Japanese tale from the 12th century. His friends did not like it much. However, Akutagawa was brave and visited his favorite writer, Natsume Sōseki. In early 1916, he published "Hana" ("The Nose"). Sōseki praised this story, and it brought Akutagawa his first taste of fame.

Around this time, Akutagawa also started writing haiku poems. He wrote many short stories that were set in old Japan, like the Heian period or Edo period. These stories often retold old tales or historical events in a new way. Some examples are Jigoku hen ("Hell Screen", 1918) and Hōkyōnin no shi ("The Death of a Christian", 1918). He also wrote stories set in more modern times, like Mikan ("Mandarin Oranges", 1919).

In 1921, Akutagawa took a break from writing. He spent four months in China as a reporter for a newspaper. The trip was difficult, and his health was affected. After he returned, he published Yabu no naka ("In a Grove", 1922).

How Akutagawa Was Influenced

Akutagawa believed that literature should be for everyone. He thought it could bring together Western and Japanese cultures. You can see this idea in his stories. He often took old stories from different cultures and times and rewrote them with new ideas.

Akutagawa's Later Life

A page from Akutagawa's manuscript for "Horse Legs", 1925

Towards the end of his life, Akutagawa's health became very poor. Many of his later works were about his own life and feelings. He sometimes used parts of his own diaries in his stories. Some of these works include Daidōji Shinsuke no hansei ("The Early Life of Daidōji Shinsuke", 1925).

His last works include Kappa (1927), which is a funny story about a creature from Japanese folklore. He also wrote Haguruma ("Spinning Gears", 1927) and Aru ahō no isshō ("A Fool's Life").

Ryūnosuke Akutagawa passed away at the age of 35.

Akutagawa's Legacy and Adaptations

During his short life, Akutagawa wrote about 150 short stories. Many of these stories have been made into other forms of media.

• The famous 1950 film Rashōmon by Akira Kurosawa is based on Akutagawa's story In a Bamboo Grove. The film also uses the title and setting from Akutagawa's story Rashōmon.
• A Ukrainian composer named Victoria Poleva created a ballet called Gagaku (1994), based on Akutagawa's Hell Screen.
• Japanese composer Mayako Kubo wrote an opera called Rashomon, also based on his story.

The idea from his story In a Grove, where different characters tell conflicting versions of the same event, has become a common way to tell stories.

In 1935, Akutagawa's friend Kan Kikuchi created a special literary award for new writers. It is called the Akutagawa Prize and is named in his honor.

In 2020, a film called A Stranger in Shanghai was made. It shows Akutagawa's time as a reporter in China.

Selected Works

See also

In Spanish: Ryūnosuke Akutagawa para niños