『馬の脚』 論

Abstract

This is a short piece published in the 1925 magazine 『Sinchou』, through which a rather bizarre hobby of the writer, Akutagawa Ryunosuke, was well󰠏documented. Through an unusual story of a man with horse’s legs, Akutagawa addressed the topic of modern identities. In the story, a dead person called Osino Hannzaburo was brought back to life – however, he found a pair of Mongolian horse's legs attached to his body, instead of his own human legs. Osino gradually began to lose his own human identity. His emotions, moods and even behavior soon resembled that of a horse's. He was shocked that he had started adopting the characteristics of a horse. Though he tried to resist it, he confessed that it couldn't be helped, and that it was beyond his control. Eventually, as the horse’s legs galloped through the Mongolian dust, his human will also disappeared along with the wind. Osino's lack of individuality eventually allowed to be transformed his innate emotions, moods and behavior. He desperately resisted from being led by the horse's legs, but it was the very legs that led him towards his new identity – albeit against his will. The author Akutagawa raised the question of human individuality and identity through Osino in this work.