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Introduction

MOST OF THE stories contained in this book take their material from Konjaku Monogatari (Tales, Ancient and Modern) written in the Heian period (794-1185), one of the classical literary masterpieces of Japan, as valued as the works of Shakespeare and Goethe. Unfortunately, however, Konjaku Monogatari is less known to foreign readers than the famous Genji Monogatari (The Tale of Genji) and Makura no Soshi (The Pillow Book), though they were written in the same period. Even among Japanese readers, this work has been hitherto less popular than the latter two, because it was not written in their accomplished style, and in addition it did not deal with such enthralling subjects as gorgeous court life or high society of the day. Konjaku Monogatari is composed of thirty-one volumes presenting Japanese, Chinese, and Indian legendary tales, each tale beginning with the familiar phrase "Long, long ago."

The stories range from Buddhist moral tales to humorous anecdotes and fairy tales. A great variety of characters appear in this legendary literature, such as Buddha himself, Shinto deities, noblemen and common people, and even goblins and animals, who act humorously, cruelly, or erotically in the stories. They all live in a world of disorder. The Japanese heroes and heroines live in the chaotic years of the late Heian period, when the nobleman-ruled social structure was being supplanted by the newly budding medieval feudal system. With national police no longer able to exercise authority in the provinces or in the capital, both the nobility and the masses struggled helplessly, their life and property threatened by bands of robbers day and night. In such a state of utter confusion, only the wicked could successfully seize an opportunity to survive, their consciences already paralyzed by evil influences. The honest and weak had no recourse but struggle in the abyss, madly seeking some miserable means of staying alive. Some could protect themselves from danger by using force, by exercising intellect, or by asking the help of merciful Buddha, and some others met a tragic end.

"... for several years, Kyoto had been visited by a series of calamities—earthquake, typhoon, great fire, and famine. And so the capital was deserted. Old records say that shattered wooden images of Buddha or the accessories of household Buddhist shrines, with red lacquer, gold, or silver leaf still sticking to them, were piled up on the roadside and sold for firewood. The whole capital being in such a state, there was, of course, no one who took the least interest in the repair of the decayed Gate of Rashomon. Profiting by the devastation, foxes and other wild animals came to inhabit the gate. Thieves made it their den. Finally it even became customary for people to bring unclaimed corpses to this gate and leave them there. Scared by its ghostliness, the people of Kyoto would not come near the gate after sunset."

Thus a dark picture of the destitute people in the decaying capital was painted by Ryunosuke Akutagawa (1892-1927), a literary genius, in his work Rashomon, which took its material from stories contained in Konjaku Monogatari. The screenplay for the world-famed Japanese film Rashomon was based on a mixture of his two stories, Rashomon and In a Bamboo Grove.

Konjaku Monogatari was written with an excellent realistic touch and therefore is highly valued as the first example of realism in Japanese prose literature. Though of unknown authorship, it is said to have been written by a court noble named Minamoto Takakuni (1004-1077), or rewritten later using his Uji Dainagon Monogatari (The Tales of Uji Dainagon) as the original.

Two of the stories, "The Iron Hat" and "The Lost Dinner," are from a second source, Tsurezure Gusa (Jottings of a Hermit), one of the master-works written in the era of military dictatorhip at Kamakura (1192-1333). It was written by the monk Kenko (1283-1350) around 1330. Popularly called Kenko Hoshi, the monk was of noble birth and versed in Japanese and Chinese classics. He was also a renowned waka composer of his time. Tsurezure Gusa contains 243 tales, each different in length and indicative of his philosophy. They can be divided into three categories—lessons on life, culture, and miscellaneous observations.

These stories, and illustrations by Masahiko Nishino, were selected from a series originally published in the Mainichi Daily Mews.

—HIROSHI NAITO