Ryunosuke Akutagawa and his story Kappa

1. Captain Kappa and his Kappanese Ways Marcus Jones CMLIT 400U October 29, 2009

3. Third child of the family, and the only son to be born

4. His mother Fuku had a mental breakdown after his birth and he was adopted by his uncle

5. Studied English literature with a focus on poetry at the Imperial University of Tokyo

6. became a disciple of NatsumeSōseki, a noted literary figure of the times

8. Kappa in Mythology Kappa live all over Japan in the various bodies of water, and are considered Water Dieties Their appearance is an amalgam of many different creatures Known especially for the saucer-like indent on the head, which is full of water They are seen as devilish imps and tricksters sometimes They are supposed to be very pride filled and honor-bound creatures as well A fairly creepy life-like representation of a Kappa

9. Kappa and Gulliver’s Travels Kappa Patient 23, magically finds himself in Kappaland Spends much time there, learning about their world An incredibly similar yet (to humans) strange and seemingly dysfunctional society is presented to the Narrator, who takes the time to compare the two Humans and Kappas are often drawn into comparisons, and humans are constantly called “not highly as evolved as the Kappa” Story stands as a critique on Japanese society and its ways Gulliver’s Travels Part IV – Gulliver’s Voyage to Houyhnhnms, a land where Yahoos (a form of de-evolved humans) and a version of intelligent horses exist Houyhnhnm is to stand for “the perfection of nature,” showing their belief that they are higher in the evolutionary chain than humans Gulliver witnesses another society unlike our own and continually compares it to the yahoos on the island and his own native England The entirety of the book stands as a critique on Western society

10. Kappa’s Relation to Japanese Society Akutagawa uses Kappa to critique many parts of Japanese society in different regards, leaving almost no stone untouched in his efforts Religion Kappaland’sViverism stands as a religion of living (including sex and drinking). The origin story differs from most major religions – Woman was created first. The Great Tabernacle of Viverism also stands as the grandest creation in Kappaland, similar to the importance of religion in the real world Love Often initiated by the woman, she can either chase the man down (nearly killing him) or try to create a great lust in the man Law and Punishment Law stands as flexible, but hardly anyone is seen to ever been punished. They speak of an electric chair but Pep the Judge makes a point how “we reserve it for very rare and exceptional circumstances.”

11. Kappa’s Relation to Japanese Society Continued War War in itself was its own spectacle, and this makes reference to the Chinese occupation. As with Japan, the Kappa lose about 369,00 (Japan had estimated about 300,000 troops lost when in fact it was much higher) and the Kappa crush the entire Otter society Spirituality Tok comes back and holds an impromptu conference with a host of news reporters and others. He notes how peaceful the other world is and how everyone, including those that died by suicide, all “live” peaceful ghost existences. Thought and philosophy continue in the next plane as well.

12. Bibliography Heenan, Patrick. "AkutagawaRyūnosuke." Reference Guide to World Literature. Ed. Sara Pendergast and Tom Pendergast. Vol. 1: Authors. 3rd ed. Detroit: St. James Press, 2003. 16-18. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale. CIC Penn State University. 29 Oct. 2009 <http://go.galegroup.com.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/ps/start.do?p=GVRL&u=psucic>. AkutagawaRyunosuke photo. Commons.wikimedia.org. 1 Aug. 2009. 28 Oct. 2009. <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Akutagawa_Ryunosuke_photo.jpg> Books and Authors. Petri Liukkonen. 2008. 28 Oct. 2009. <http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/akuta.htm> Bookrags.com. 28 Oct. 2009. <http://www.bookrags.com/biography/ryunosuke-akutagawa/> “Japanese Myths and Mythical Creatures Series: Kappa.” Turning Iwatean. 21 April 2009. 27 Oct. 2009. <http://turning-iwatean.blogspot.com/2009/04/japanese-myths-and-mythical-creatures.html>