is a

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

written by Japanese writer

Ryūnosuke Akutagawa , art name , was a Japanese writer active in the Taishō period in Japan. He is regarded as the "father of the Japanese short story", and Japan's premier literary award, the Akutagawa Prize, is named after him. He committed suicide at the age of ...

. It was a reworking of ''

Uji Shūi Monogatari is a collection of Japanese tales written around the beginning of the 13th century. The author is unknown, and it may have been revised several times. The title means "gleanings from '' Uji Dainagon Monogatari''", a book which no longer exists. T ...

'' and originally published in

1918 This year is noted for the end of the First World War, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as well as for the Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50–100 million people worldwide. Events Below, the events ...

as a

serialization In computing, serialization (or serialisation) is the process of translating a data structure or object state into a format that can be stored (e.g. files in secondary storage devices, data buffers in primary storage devices) or transmitted (e ...

in two newspapers. It was later published in a collection of Akutagawa short stories, ''Akutagawa Ryūnosuke zenshū''.

Translation

"Hell Screen" was first translated into

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

by W.H.H. Norman in 1948, in his collection of Akutagawa short stories ''Hell Screen and Other Stories''. Numerous variant translations have followed, including the most recent one translated by

Jay Rubin Jay Rubin (born 1941) is an American academic and translator. He is one of the main translators of the works of the Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami into English. He has also written a guide to Japanese, ''Making Sense of Japanese'' (originally t ...

and published by

Penguin Group Penguin Group is a British trade book publisher and part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by the German media conglomerate Bertelsmann. The new company was created by a merger that was finalised on 1 July 2013, with Bertelsmann initial ...

Plot overview

"Hell Screen" is

narrated A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether nonfictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travelogue, etc.) or fictional ( fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller, novel, etc.). N ...

by a mostly uninvolved servant who witnesses or hears of the events. The plot of "Hell Screen" centers on the artist Yoshihide. Yoshihide is considered “the greatest painter in the land”,Akutagawa Ryūnosuke. "Hell Screen." 1918. ''Rashōmon and 17 Other Stories''. Trans. Jay Rubin. New York City: Penguin Group, 2006. 3–9. and is often commissioned to create works for the Lord of Horikawa, who also employs Yoshihide’s daughter in his mansion, and is rumoured to be taking her as his mistress. When Yoshihide is instructed to create a

folding screen A folding screen, also known as pingfeng (), is a type of free-standing furniture consisting of several frames or panels, which are often connected by hinges or by other means. They have practical and decorative uses, and can be made in a variet ...

depicting the

Buddhist hell Naraka ( sa, नरक; pi, 𑀦𑀺𑀭𑀬 Niraya) is a term in Buddhist cosmology usually referred to in English as "hell" (or "hell realm") or "purgatory". The Narakas of Buddhism are closely related to ''Diyu'', the hell in Chinese myth ...

, he proceeds to inflict tortures upon his apprentices, so he can see what he is trying to paint. Supernatural forces seem to be present; one time, Yoshihide speaks in a devilish voice. Throughout the story Yoshihide seeks to get his daughter back from his employer, but is refused. One night the servant is dragged by the monkey into a room where he finds the daughter recovering from what appears to be an attempted rape. The monkey thanks him for saving her with a servile gesture. She refuses to name her abuser. The story climaxes when Yoshihide asks the lord to burn a beautiful lady in a carriage so he can finish the screen, as he claims he can only paint what he has seen. The lord concedes, but, in a macabre twist, Yoshihide must watch as his daughter Yūzuki and her monkey who rushes to be with her are the ones who burn. The story ends with the magnificently horrible screen completed, and Yoshihide’s suicide by hanging.

Themes

The work follows one of Akutagawa’s major styles: the updating of ancient tales to reflect

modern psychology Psychology is defined as "the scientific study of behavior and mental processes". Philosophical interest in the human mind and behavior dates back to the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Persia, Greece, China, and India. Psychology as a field of ...

. One major psychological theme is artistic obsession, as Makoto Ueda puts it: “For Akutagawa the dilemma was insoluble: if the artist chooses to place his art ahead of his life, in the end he must suffer the destruction of his life”.Ueda, Makoto. ''Matsuo Bashō''. Twayne's World Authors Series. New York: Twayne, 1970. The story is also an examination of Akutagawa's own devotion to his work. Another theme is the objectivity of truth, as the narrator, a servant of the Lord of Horikawa, repeatedly ignores the physical attraction the Lord has for Yūzuki, despite overwhelming evidence. The servant even refuses to believe his own eyes when he witnesses the Lord forcing himself on Yūzuki. At the stories end, the servant proclaims:

Adaptations

Multiple film productions and

kabuki is a classical form of Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is thought to ...

based on "Hell Screen" have been produced, including: * ''Jigoku-hen'', a 1953

Kabuki is a classical form of Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for its heavily-stylised performances, the often-glamorous costumes worn by performers, and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. Kabuki is thought to ...

dramatized by

Yukio Mishima , born , was a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor, model, Shintoist, Nationalism, nationalist, and founder of the , an unarmed civilian militia. Mishima is considered one of the most important Japanese authors of the 20th century. He was ...

. * ''

Portrait of Hell , also titled ''A Story of Hell'' and ''The Hell Screen'', is a 1969 Japanese ''jidaigeki'' film directed by Shirō Toyoda starring Tatsuya Nakadai and Kinnosuke Nakamura. The film is based on the short story ''Hell Screen'' by Ryūnosuke Akutaga ...

'', a 1969 movie produced by

Toho is a Japanese film, theatre production and distribution company. It has its headquarters in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. Outside of Japan, it is best known as the producer an ...

* A 1962

NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestr ...

broadcast television adaptation * Ukrainian composer

Victoria Poleva Victoria Vita Polevá (also spelled: Poleváya; uk, Вікторія Польова; russian: Виктория Полевая; born September 11, 1962) is a Ukrainian composer. Biography Born on September 11, 1962 in Kiev, Ukrainian Soviet Soci ...

wrote the 1994 ballet ''Gagaku'', based on Akutagawa's "Hell Screen" * Episode 12 of '' Aoi Bungaku'', a 2009 animated series directed by Atsuko Ishizuka * Episode 7 of '' Bungou to Alchemist: Shinpan no Haguruma'', a 2020 animated series directed by Odahiro Watanabe * "Haunted Places: Ghost Stories" podcast episodes published on Spotify on Feb 10, 2022 (pt 1) and Feb 17, 2022 (pt 2)

References

{{Ryūnosuke Akutagawa 1918 short stories Short stories adapted into films Short stories by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa Works originally published in Japanese newspapers