Ryūnosuke Akutagawa was a prolific Japanese writer known for stories based on Japanese history and stylistic virtuosity. He was born in 1892 in Tokyo and exhibited a voracious reading habit from a young age. Though sickly, he excelled in school. Akutagawa began writing while studying English literature in university from 1913 to 1916. His short story "Spider's Thread" tells the Buddhist tale of a notoriously sinful man named Kandata who is given a chance at salvation by Buddha due to one good deed in his life of saving a spider. Kandata climbs up a silvery thread from hell but cannot maintain his grip and falls back down as other sinners follow behind him
2. Akutagawa Ryūnosuke’s Spider’s Thread,
pseudonym ChōkōdōShujin or Gaki, (born
March 1, 1892, Tokyo, Japan—died July 24,
1927, Tokyo), prolific Japanese writer
known especially for his stories based on
events in the Japanese past and for his
stylistic virtuosity.
As a boy, Akutagawa was sickly and
hypersensitive, but he excelled at school
and was a voracious reader. He began his
literary career while attending Tokyo
Imperial University (now the University of
Tokyo), where he studied English literature
from 1913 to 1916.
Akutagawa Ryunosuke
3. Buddha was strolling along the brink of the lotus pond of paradise. His eyes fell
in a man that had done many evil things and he only did good thing once like saving the
spider's life. His name is Kandata. Kandata is in the pool of blood along with the
sinners.
When Buddha remembered the good deed that Kandata did, Buddha decided to
help Kandata out to the hell by grabbing him a spider's thread that he saw in the
paradise. Kandata lifted his head by a chance and saw the spider's thread. When he saw
the ooportunity, he hold it tightly and he began to climb.
When he was finally exhausted and could ascend an inch higher, he started to rest
but when he looked below with fear, the countless sinners were climbing eagerly after
him. Kandata was surprised because when he blinked his eyes, the sinners were slowly
climbing in the thread, so Kandata started to cry. He can't hold the thread any longer, so
the thread broke and Kandata fell down in the darkness.
4. Kandata climbing up to heaven, followed by other sinners.
Kandata hanging in a beautiful silvery
thread
5. The story entitled "The Spider's Thread" taught us a valuable lesson
about the attitude of a person. This story tells about a man: notorious,
murderer, arsonist and performed other act of evil whose named
Kandata.
Despite of being a very sinful man in the story,the Buddha still gave him
a chance to get out of Hell and gave him a chance of salvation.Through
his one good deed the Buddha got his attention and offer his
compassion to hound Kandata from floating and sinking in the Lake of
Blood at the bottom of Hell.
