芥川竜之介『忠義』論

Abstract

This is a short story published in the magazine “Kuroshio” in March 1917, and belongs to Ryunosuke Akutagawa's so-called historical stories. The story is set against the background of the Itakura Katsukane incident that took place on August 15, 1747.It is an incident in which Itakura Syuri cut down and killed Hosokawa Echu-no-kami-Munetaka in the palace. While most of Akutagawa's historical novels borrow from historical events and use them as a means to bring his own themes to life, Chugi is an examination of history and culture itself.More specifically, the work can be said to examine the relationship between ‘Family’ and ‘lord’ in the Japanese feudal system.The author Akutagawa carries the story by highlighting those who live by mechanism and those who live by humanism in Rin-emon and Uzaemon. Uzaemon must protect his ‘Family’ and follow the instructions of the head family as a true samurai.Uzaemon, however, acts as a warrior, but realises that he is a human being before he is a warrior. What was the reason for Uzaemon to break Sadomori's instruction that there was no need to go elsewhere, and even to cut his own wrinkled belly, and allow Syuri to come to the castle?Uzaemon, as a warrior, would not listen to the pleas for Syuri. As he himself said, ‘It is because a warrior does not stand’. He was moved by the humanistic, kinship-filled plea, ‘I think of you as my parents, and I think of you as my siblings. The author Akutagawa is pursuing humanism. Uzaemon's love of flesh and blood and his humanism are well expressed in Dosisyun in “Dosisyun,” published in July 1920.Through Dosisyun, the author Akutagawa was promoting humanism, which is more human than hermits.The humanism is also well expressed in Yoshihide's “Jigoku-hen” published in 1918.Uzaemon was a warrior, but he acted on the realization that he was a human being before he was a warrior. As a milkman, he lived a life as full of humanism as Dosisyun and Yoshihide.The author Akutagawa highlights in Rinnemonn and Uzaemon those who live by mechanism and those who live by humanism, and pursues humanism.