is a short story

Short story

A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...

 by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa

Ryunosuke Akutagawa

was a Japanese writer active in the Taishō period in Japan. He is regarded as the "Father of the Japanese short story". He committed suicide at age of 35 through an overdose of barbital.-Early life:...

. It was first published in a collection of Akutagawa short stories, Akutagawa Ryūnosuke zenshū. The story is based on a thirteenth-century Japanese tale, with Akutagawa’s Taishō

Taisho period

The , or Taishō era, is a period in the history of Japan dating from July 30, 1912 to December 25, 1926, coinciding with the reign of the Taishō Emperor. The health of the new emperor was weak, which prompted the shift in political power from the old oligarchic group of elder statesmen to the Diet...

 literary interpretations of modern psychology and the nature of religion.

Translation

Dragon: the Old Potter’s Tale was originally translated into English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 in 1952 by Takashi Kojima. The only other translation of the work was done by Jay Rubin

Jay Rubin

Jay Rubin is an American academic and translator. He is most notable for being one of the main translators into English of the works of the Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami. He has also written a guide to Japanese, Making Sense of Japanese , and a biographical literary analysis of Murakami.He has...

 and published in a collection by Penguin Group

Penguin Group

The Penguin Group is a trade book publisher, the largest in the world , having overtaken Random House in 2009. The Penguin Group is the name of the incorporated division of parent Pearson PLC that oversees these publishing operations...

.

Historical background

The short story was written at the outset of the Taishō Period, a period from about 1912 to 1926 and showcases much of the influence the period had on modern Taishō writers. Like much of Akutagawa's works, it contains a fusion of ancient settings and modern thinkings the mindset of the individual.

Plot summary

The story revolves around a practical joke played by the monk E’in. E’in erects a sign next to the Sarusawa Pond reading "On the third day of the third month, the dragon of this pond will ascend to heaven". However, though E’in intended the joke to affect only those in his immediate area, his sign ends up attracting many from miles around, including many influential lords and his superstitious aunt. A numberless crowd watches the lake faithfully as E’in both scoffs their ignorance and marvels at the turnout. Eventually, the sky darkens and everyone gathered, including E’in, believe they see a dark powerful dragon ascending towards the sky. Afterwards, no one will believe E’in’s claim that the sign was a practical joke; even E’in, the instigator, believes a dragon from the pond actually flew towards his home.

Characters in Dragon: the Old Potter’s Tale

• E’in – a Buddhist
  Buddhism
  Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
  
   monk with the official title "Former Keeper of His Majesty’s Storehouse and Master of the Profound Dialogue". People joke about his long protruding nose, leading him to focus more on practical joking than on his religion. At first, he is the only one to know the dragon sign is a joke, but even he is convinced his joke is accurate when he sees a shadowy "dragon" ascend to heaven.
• Emon – a fellow priest who is at first skeptical of the expected ascension of the dragon. However, even his harsh demeanor is perturbed by the signboard proclaiming the fact.
• E’in’s Aunt – A nun from Sakurai
  Sakurai, Nara
  is a city in Nara, Japan.As of 2007, the city had an estimated population of 63,321 with a density of 630.01 persons per km². The total area is 98.92 km².The city was founded on September 1, 1956....
  
   in Settsu Province
  Settsu Province
  was a province of Japan, which today comprises the eastern part of Hyōgo Prefecture and the northern part of Osaka Prefecture. It was also referred to as or .Osaka and Osaka Castle were the main center of the province.-History:...
  
   who comes to see the dragon's ascension. She refuses to be convinced of even the possibility the event will not occur.

Major themes

The major theme of Dragon: the Old Potter’s Tale is the nature of religion. Akutagawa leaves everyone, even the man who absolutely knows the information must be false, convinced a vague shadowy image was the figure of a dragon ascending to heaven. As Rubin puts it: "Dragon toys with the likelihood that religion is nothing more than mass hysteria, a force so powerful that even the fabricator of an object of veneration can be taken in by it".

Allusions

The story offers numerous allusions to Buddhism, including legends of dragon ascensions and the calling on the name of the Amida, also known as Amitābha

Amitabha

Amitābha is a celestial buddha described in the scriptures of the Mahāyāna school of Buddhism...

.