The Imagery of “Rashomon” before the Crash - “Rashomon”
Akutagawa elucidates, “The "Rashomon" was the largest gate in Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan. It was 106 feet wide and 26 feet deep, and was topped with a ridge−pole; its stone−wall rose 75 feet high.” Thus, the Rashomon is a colossal gate that epitomizes the grandeur. The gate’s length, width, and height establish that adequate resources were devoted to erecting the gate.
The Imagery of the Corpses - “Rashomon”
Akutagawa states, “he found several corpses strewn carelessly about the floor. Since the glow of the light was feeble, he could not count the number. He could only see that some were naked and others clothed. Some of them were women, and all were lolling on the floor with their mouths open or their arms outstretched showing no more signs of life than so many clay dolls. Their shoulders, breasts, and torsos stood out in the dim light; other parts vanished in shadow. The offensive smell of these decomposed corpses brought his hand to his nose.” The form and the odor of the corpses bring about a gothic setting; Akutagawa’s appeal to gothicism underlines the terror at Rashomon. Even the most apathetic person would be startled by the spectacle of the corpses.
The Imagery of Goi - “Yam Gruel”
According to Akutagawa, “Goi was a very plain−looking man. His hollow cheeks made his chin seem unusually long. His lips... if we mentioned his every striking feature, there would be no end. He was extremely homely and sloppy in appearance.” Goi was an unpleasant and muddled man; thus, he would not command reverence by way of his look.
The Imagery of Goi and Toshihito’s Ride - “Yam Gruel”
Akutagawa explicates, “Toshihito, with his black mustache and handsome side−locks, dressed in a dark azure hunting outfit and armed with a long sword, made a fine picture of a warrior. Goi, in a shabby, pale silk robe and two thinly wadded undergarments, his sash tied slovenly around his waist, and the mucus from his nose covering his upper lip, seemed a poor counterpart to the dashing Toshihito.” The riding image offers the divergent images of handsomeness versus raggedness. The contrast demarcates the social classes of the two riders. The low class converges with the higher class during the ride through the horses that they ride since “both rode such gallant young steeds Ñ Toshihito on a sorrel and Goi on a roan Ñ that all peddlers and samurai turned to stare at them.” Accordingly, the contrast and comparison during the ride gives emphasis to Goi’s heroism which qualifies him to intermingle with a prosperous, refined man.
