Picture Scroll of Rebirth
“Picture Scroll of Rebirth” is a short dramatic piece by Ryunosuke Akutagawa, written in the style of a medieval religious anecdote unfolding as a sequence of vivid scenes and passing voices. A former warrior of violent reputation, now suddenly turned monk, wanders westward crying out for Amida Buddha, while townspeople, travelers, nuns, beggars, and priests react with ridicule, fear, gossip, and uneasy reverence. Akutagawa uses this chorus-like structure to stage a collision between worldly judgment and radical faith: what appears to be madness may in fact be spiritual desperation pushed to its furthest extreme. The work moves from earthy satire and public chatter toward stark religious intensity, ending in a miracle that recasts everything seen before.
Child Hey, a strange priest has come over there. Look, everyone. Look, everyone.
Woman Selling Sushi Isn’t he a strange priest indeed? He’s banging that gong and shouting at the top of his lungs about something...
Old Firewood Seller Maybe because my hearing is poor, I can’t make out a word he’s yelling. Say now, what is he saying?
Foil-Beater He’s saying, “Amida Buddha! Hey! Hey!”
Old Firewood Seller Aha... then he’s mad.
Foil-Beater Well, something like that, I suppose.
Old Vegetable-Selling Woman No, no, perhaps he is a holy man worthy of reverence. I’ll say my prayers while I have the chance.
Woman Selling Sushi But look at that hateful face of his. What country ever had a holy man with a face like that?
Old Vegetable-Selling Woman Don’t say such irreverent things. What if you’re punished for it?
Child He’s crazy! He’s crazy!
The Former Fifth-Rank Courtier, Now a Lay Monk Amida Buddha! Hey! Hey!
Dog Woof, woof. Woof, woof.
Pilgrim Woman Just look. A ridiculous priest has come along.
Her Companion A fool like that, when he sees women, may well start some mischief. Let’s turn onto this road before he gets any closer.
Caster Why, isn’t that Lord Goi of Tado?
Traveling Mercury Merchant Lord Goi or whoever he is, when he suddenly threw away his bow and arrows and took the tonsure, there was a great uproar in Tado.
Young Samurai It certainly is Lord Goi. His lady and his children must have been overcome with grief.
Traveling Mercury Merchant They say his wife and children have done nothing but weep.
Caster Still, to enter the Buddhist path even at the cost of abandoning wife and children—that is a splendid resolve in these degenerate times.
Woman Selling Dried Fish What is splendid about it? If you were the wife and children left behind, whether it was Amida Buddha or some woman who stole your man, you’d resent whoever took him away.
Young Samurai Well now, there’s sense in that too. Ha ha ha ha.
Dog Woof, woof. Woof, woof.
The Lay Monk Goi Amida Buddha! Hey! Hey!
Mounted Warrior Hey, you’re frightening the horse. Steady, steady.
Attendant Carrying a Chest You can do nothing with a madman.
Old Nun As you know, that priest was once a wicked man who delighted in killing living things, but remarkable that he should at last awaken his faith.
Young Nun He truly was a terrifying man. Not only did he hunt in the mountains and rivers, he even used beggars for target practice.
Beggar Wearing Wooden Clogs on His Hands Good thing I met him now. If it had been two or three days earlier, I might have ended up with an arrow hole through my belly.
Trader in Chestnuts and Walnuts How could such a savage man come to think of shaving his head?
Old Nun Well, that is a mystery, but surely it must be the working of the Buddha.
Oil Merchant I’m certain he’s possessed by a tengu or something of the sort.
Trader in Chestnuts and Walnuts No, I think it’s a fox.
Oil Merchant But don’t they say a tengu will sometimes disguise itself as a Buddha?
Trader in Chestnuts and Walnuts What of it? Tengu aren’t the only ones that can take the shape of a Buddha. Foxes do it too, they say.
Beggar Wearing Wooden Clogs on His Hands Well then, while there’s a chance, maybe I’ll steal a good load of chestnuts into the bag around my neck.
Young Nun Oh, look—startled by the sound of that gong, all the chickens have flown up onto the roof.
The Lay Monk Goi Amida Buddha! Hey! Hey!
Low Fellow Fishing Here comes a noisy priest.
His Companion What’s that? Look there—the lame beggar is running.
Traveling Woman Wearing a Straw Hat My feet have started hurting a little. I’d like to borrow that beggar’s legs.
Servant Carrying Leather Goods Once we cross this bridge, we’ll be in town at once.
Low Fellow Fishing I’d like to catch one glimpse beneath that hat.
His Companion Ah, while I was sneaking a glance, my bait got stolen.
The Lay Monk Goi Amida Buddha! Hey! Hey!
Crow Caw, caw.
Woman Planting Rice “Little cuckoo, it is I, I am the one, I who stand weeping in the rice field.”
Her Companion Look there. Isn’t that a comical priest?
Crow Caw, caw. Caw, caw.
The Lay Monk Goi Amida Buddha! Hey! Hey!
For a while, no human voices. The sound of wind in the pines: rushing, rushing.
The Lay Monk Goi Amida Buddha! Hey! Hey!
Again the sound of wind in the pines: rushing, rushing.
The Lay Monk Goi Amida Buddha! Hey! Hey!
Old Priest Reverend. Reverend.
The Lay Monk Goi Was it I you called to stop?
Old Priest Indeed. Where are you bound, Reverend?
The Lay Monk Goi I am going west.
Old Priest West is the sea.
The Lay Monk Goi Even if it is the sea, it makes no difference. Until I behold Amida Buddha with my own eyes, I mean to keep going west, no matter how far.
Old Priest What a strange thing to hear. Then do you think you will very soon be granted a clear vision of Amida Buddha before your very eyes?
The Lay Monk Goi If I did not think so, I would not be crying out the Buddha’s name in so loud a voice. That is why I became a monk.
Old Priest Is there some particular reason for it?
The Lay Monk Goi No, no special reason at all. Only think that on my way back from the hunt the day before yesterday, I happened to hear a certain preacher give a sermon. According to what that preacher said, no matter how sinful or broken in the precepts a man may be, if only he encounters Amida Buddha, he can still go to the Pure Land. At that moment it felt as though all the blood in my body burst into flame at once; suddenly I longed for Amida Buddha with all my heart...
Old Priest And what did you do after that?
The Lay Monk Goi I threw the preacher down and pinned him.
Old Priest What—you threw him down?
The Lay Monk Goi Then I drew my sword, held it to the preacher’s chest, and demanded to know where Amida Buddha was.
Old Priest That is a fearsome way of asking. The preacher must have been greatly alarmed.
The Lay Monk Goi He lifted his eyes in agony and said, “West, west.” Ah, but while we’ve been talking, night has already fallen. It would be irreverent to waste time on the road when I am on my way to Amida Buddha himself. Then, if you’ll excuse me... Amida Buddha! Hey! Hey!
Old Priest Well! I’ve encountered a madman beyond all measure. I think I shall head home myself.
For the third time, the wind in the pines: rushing, rushing. Then, too, the sound of waves: splash, surge.
The Lay Monk Goi Amida Buddha! Hey! Hey!
Sound of waves, and now and then the cry of plovers: chiririri, chirichiri.
The Lay Monk Goi Amida Buddha! Hey! Hey! There is not even a boat to be seen along this shore. All I can see is wave after wave. The land where Amida Buddha was born may lie beyond those waves. If only I were a cormorant, I could cross there at once... Yet that preacher also said that Amida Buddha’s compassion is boundless and immense. If so, then if I go on crying out the Buddha’s name with all my strength, surely he will answer me. And if he does not, then I shall call until I die—call myself to death. Luckily, here is a dead pine with a forked branch. I will climb to its top first. Amida Buddha! Hey! Hey!
Again the sound of waves: splash, boom.
Old Priest Today makes seven days since I met that madman. He said he was going to set eyes on Amida Buddha in the flesh, or something of the sort. Where in the world did he go after that? Ah—up there, alone atop that dead pine branch—there is no mistaking it, it is that priest. Reverend! Reverend!... It is no wonder he does not answer. His breath must have left him long ago. And since he carries no food pouch, poor man, it seems he starved to death.
Three times the sound of waves: boom, boom.
Old Priest If I leave him on that branch as he is, he may become food for the crows. Everything is bound by karma from former lives. I had better bury him myself. Ah—but what is this? In the mouth of this dead priest, a pure white lotus has blossomed. Come to think of it, ever since I arrived here, there has been a strange fragrance in the air. Then the one I took for a madman must have been a holy saint after all. And without knowing it, I spoke to him with disrespect—again and again, that was entirely my fault. Namu Amida Butsu. Namu Amida Butsu. Namu Amida Butsu. Namu Amida Butsu.
(March, 1921)