Kappa [Paperback]

Ryunosuke Akutagawa (Author), Geoffrey Bownas (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 2000

From the author of Rashomon comes a Swiftian satire of Japanese society thinly disguised as the fictitious Kappaland. Peopled with creatures from Japanese folklore, Kappaland serves as a vehicle for the humorous examination of the moral foibles of Japanese society in the early 20th century.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Japanese

About the Author

Ryunosuke Akutagawa was born in the Irifunecho district of Tokyo in 1892. Although his father was a tradesman, he was descended on his mothers side from an ancient samurai family and it was from his mothers more prestigious family that he took his name. At the time of his birth Irifunecho was still set aside primarily for foreign residents. Blessed with an abundance of talent and ample raw material, Akutagawa began his writing career shortly after his graduation from Tokyo Imperial University. He quickly came to the fore as a leader of the new literati, and published several novels to great acclaim and some commercial success within the space of a few years. Shortly after Kappa was first published in 1927, Akutagawa committed suicide.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing (November 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 080483251X
• ISBN-13: 978-0804832519
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #351,875 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The distorted mirror of Kappaland, October 29, 2003

By 

Zack Davisson "japanreviewed" (Seattle, WA, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Kappa (Paperback)

"Kappa" is told from the point of view of Patient 23, an asylum inmate who tells of his incredible journey into the heart of Kappaland, peopled by the Kappa, the magical creatures of Japanese folklore.

In the tradition of "Gulliver's Travels," inside Kappaland, Akutagawa, author of "Rashomon" and "In the Grove," has created a twisted reflection of both his contemporary Japanese society and his own self-loathing. It has been a difficult tale to interpret in Japan, being hailed as either a children's story, a social satire or simply weird. Akutagawa himself feared insanity due to his mother's mental deterioration during his youth, and his own justified fear of the taint of madness in his blood.

Akutagawa's mental state when writing "Kappa" is important background, and the paperback edition comes with an extensive mini-biography of the famous author that is almost the size of the story itself. Akutagawa never wrote novels, and it is strange to see a single story packaged in one book. The introduction/biography is well written as well, and helps to reveal the story.

The writing in "Kappa" is sharp and quick-witted. The satire is equal parts clever and odd. Religion, marriage, arts and entertainment, all are in part skewered and skewed. The book is an incredibly fast read, and one that you will want to pass to your friends to read as well, so that you can see what someone else makes of it.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exponentially irreverent, December 19, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kappa: A Satire (Tut L books) (Paperback)

One of Akutagawa's most famous novellas. Although not really comparable to his more serious work ("In the Grove", "Rashomon", "Hell Screen" &c.) it springs out of necessity for a brilliant man to view its world through the prism of satire. Even though it's basically a satire of Japanese society from the first half of 20th century, most of its themes, admonitions and ridicules are still quite valid today.

What still amazes me about this book (and other Akutagawa's works as well) is how the writer manages to develop characters (and in this case an entire imaginary culture) to such fullness, given the rather (spatially) limited medium of a novella.

Highly recommended reading.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a book with a difference, August 20, 2002

By 

Libri Mundi "Libri Mundi" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kappa (Paperback)

"Kappa" is one of the best books of Akutagawa - one of the least appreciated authors of pre-war Japan. Kappa can be compared to only one book that I remember of and that is Karel Capek's award winning "War with the Newts". Kappa was ages ahead of its time especially considering the society in which Akutagawa was living in.
This is a story about interactions of a human being, whose sanity is in question, and the Kappas, some mythical creatures. This is a satire in the essence that Akutagawa draws critical picture of Japanese intellectual society and their egos and vanity. The Kappa society is an equitable representation of the human society with the same set of problems but different set of solutions. This is one of those books which is a must for a good collection.