Echoes of the Dharma: The Effect of Buddhism in Akutagawa Ryūnosuke's Literary World

This paper examines the complex interplay between Buddhist philosophy and modern existential crises in the literary works of Akutagawa Ryūnosuke (1892–1927), a pivotal figure in contemporary Japanese literature. Akutagawa's fiction is frequently noted for its psychological realism, historical allusions, and aesthetic control, yet beneath the surface lies a persistent engagement with Buddhist concepts such as karma (業), impermanence (mujō, 無常), suffering (dukkha, 苦), illusion (māyā), and selfhood (anatman, 無我). Drawing from canonical texts such as Rashōmon, The Spider’s Thread, Hell Screen, and Kesa and Morito, this paper examines how Buddhist themes are not merely decorative or historical motifs but are deeply woven into the ethical and philosophical fabric of Akutagawa’s narratives.

Rather than embracing Buddhism as a source of spiritual solace or redemption, Akutagawa often subjects it to irony, reinterpretation, or tragic distortion, thereby reflecting the tensions between traditional moral paradigms and the disenchanted, fractured consciousness of the modern subject. The paper argues that Buddhism functions as a lens through which Akutagawa confronts the collapse of meaning in a rapidly modernizing Japan, where religious certainty is undermined by psychological doubt and societal decay. His stories reveal a world where karmic justice is ambiguous, compassion is fragile, and the promise of liberation is overshadowed by moral relativism and existential despair.

Ultimately, this study situates Akutagawa’s reimagining of Buddhist thought within the broader context of Taishō-period anxieties and the crosscurrents of Eastern and Western intellectual traditions. It proposes that Akutagawa’s ambivalent yet profound engagement with Buddhism contributes not only to the ethical complexity of his fiction but also to a uniquely modern literary expression of spiritual fragmentation. This paper aims to explore how Buddhist ideas shape Akutagawa's literary imagination and how he reconfigures them in his fiction. The central hypothesis is that while Akutagawa draws heavily from Buddhist imagery and themes, his outlook is often skeptical, even tragic, thereby signaling a modern re-reading of traditional values.