Kappa by Akutagawa Ryūnosuke, Foreword

FOREWORD

At a certain asylum there is a patient, number twenty-three, who will tell his story to anyone. He's at least thirty, but no one appears so youthful as a madman. His experiences the first half of his life -- well, that's not important. These days he just sits, arms around his knees, sometimes glancing out the window. Outside the iron bars is a single oak tree without leaves and the snow-clouded sky.

He told his long story to the director, Dr. S, and myself. He was expressionless for the most part, but if saying "I was surprised," for example, his head would jerk up.

I believe I’ve recorded his story accurately. If you'd like to know more, ask at S--- Institution in ---- neighborhood of Tokyo. Patient twenty-three will greet you politely, direct you to a wooden chair, and with a melancholy smile repeat his tale in a soft voice. When he finishes -- how his face changed is still stuck in my memory -- he leaps to his feet, hands in fists, shouting, "Get out, you villain! You're a stupid, jealous, shameless, stuck-up, cruel, selfish animal, aren't you? Get out of here!"

Kappa by Akutagawa Ryuunosuke, Chapter One

CHAPTER ONE

Three summers ago, rucksack on my back, I decided to hike from Kamikouchi hot springs resort up to Mt. Hotaka. As you know, the only way is along the Azusa River. Since I'd climbed the mountain before, as well as Yariga Peak, I set out without a guide in the morning fog. If it didn’t clear up, I would have been blinded to the scenery around me. It seemed to grow thicker. I’d only walked an hour before I thought about returning to the hot springs resort in Kamikouchi. But I thought if I reached a higher altitude, the fog would lift.

It deepened every minute. "If I just climb a bit more!" I thought, and breaking away from the river, started through a bamboo grove.

All I could see was the dense fog, at times broken by a fluttering moth or drooping fir tree branch. Grazing horses and cows appeared and disappeared in a heartbeat. I started to become tired and hungry, and even worse my clothes were heavy with dampness. Finally I gave up, and following the sound of trickling water, felt my way down into the valley.

I sat on a rock to have some food. It took about ten minutes to open a can of corned beef, and make a fire from twigs. In the meantime the fog was steadily clearing, as though proving it had beaten me. Gnawing a piece of bread, I glanced at my watch. Already twenty minutes past one. What shocked me more, however, was the reflection in its crystal of a strange face. I looked over my shoulder, and saw for the first time ever a kappa. Perched on a rock behind me, it had one arm around the white trunk of a birch, the other hand shielding its eyes. It stared back at me with a curious expression.

I was so taken aback, I couldn't move. The kappa also seemed to be astonished, and froze, hand still upraised. Then I jumped up and towards the kappa, who fled in the same instant. Well, I thought it did -- it certainly disappeared. I looked around and through the tall grass, and spotted it a ways off, poised to flee. I couldn't blame it.

What truly surprised me was its color. Before, when it had stood on the rock, it was gray -- now, from head to toe, it was green.

"Damn it," I said, and again leapt for it, and of course it ran away. For over thirty minutes I chased it headlong through the tall grass and over rocks.

The kappa could run quite fast, even more than a monkey. Often, as though in a dream, I thought I'd lost it, or slipped and fell down. But then we ran into a massive chestnut tree, under which an ox with fearful horns and red eyes was grazing. The kappa let out a strange cry and dove for a patch of tall grass.

"I’ve got it, " I said to myself, and jumped after. There was some kind of unseen hole there. My fingers just brushed the smooth shell of the kappa as I fell headlong into profound darkness.

At such a terrible moment, the brain takes refuge in trivial thoughts. I thought of Kappa-bashi, a bridge near the Kamikouchi resort. I'm not sure what happened then -- I glimpsed a brilliant flash like lightning, and blacked out.

Kappa by Akutagawa Ryuunosuke, Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO

When I regained consciousness, I was lying face up surrounded by kappa. One, kneeling beside me, was pressing a stethoscope to my chest, a pair of pince-nez on his beak. Meeting my eyes, he gestured for there to be quiet, then made a quack quack noise to someone behind him. Two kappa came up carrying a stretcher. Lifting me onto it, they bore me through the middle of a great crowd of kappa and into some kind of village. To either side of me the street could hardly be distinguished from the Ginza. There were rows of beech trees, and in their shade various stores, with vehicles passing between them.

Before long, the stretcher carrying me turned onto a narrow lane, and we entered a house. I later learned this belonged to the pince-nez wearing kappa from before, who turned out to be a doctor named Chak. He put me in a tidy bed and gave me a dose of clear medicine. I let him do whatever he wanted, for my joints hurt so much I was unable to move.

Every day Chak gave me a medical examination two or three times. Then on the third day, the very first kappa I had seen -- a fisher named Bagg -- came to ask how I was. Kappa know more about us humans than we do about them. That's because they are more likely to capture us than we are to catch one of them. Capture isn't quite the right word, but I was far from the first human to enter the land of kappa. Some even spent their whole lives there. I asked why this was. In the country of kappa, a human being is such a marvel that they don't have to work but can simply enjoy life. Actually, according to Bagg, a sailor had once come and taken a female kappa as his wife. Apparently she was not only quite good-looking for her species, but also had bewitched him.

After resting there about a week, it was decided that I would be allowed as a protected resident to live next door to Chak. My house was small in comparison, but quite elegant. There wasn't actually a great difference between this country's civilization and the land of human's civilization -- or at least Japanese civilization. In a parlor facing the main street, there was a small piano in the corner, and framed paintings hung on the wall. As all houses must have, there was a table and chairs but they were made for kappa proportions, so it was like entering a child's room and a bit awkward for me.

When dusk fell, Chak and Bagg would visit me in this room and teach me the kappa language. Not just the two of them -- every kappa who was curious about me came to call. One, named Gael, was the president of a glass making factory, and visited Chak every day to have his blood pressure checked. But the first half month, the  one I came to know most intimately was Bagg.

One warm, humid day, I was sitting at the table chatting with Bagg. Suddenly he fell quiet, and he stared at me, his big eyes growing even larger.

I said to him, "Quack, Bagg, quo quel quan?" In Japanese this would be translated as, "Oi, Bagg, what's wrong?"

He was silent for a moment. Then he stood abruptly, and his tongue flicked out, exactly as a frog's does. Feeling uneasy, I also stood, and thought about fleeing from the room. Fortunately, just at that moment the doctor Chak showed up.

"Well, Bagg, what are you doing?

Chak glared at Bagg over the top of his glasses, and Bagg looked remorseful, touched his head several times while apologizing: "I am extremely sorry. I only meant to play a little prank on the master of the house. Please excuse my behavior."

Then he turned to me, and begged my pardon as well.

Kappa by Akutagawa Ryuunosuke, Chapter Three

CHAPTER THREE

Until this point, I haven't explained much about the kappa. There continues to be the question about whether a creature such as kappa can even exist. But, since I have myself lived among them, there is absolutely no room for doubt. If we are describing them as an animal, the hair on their head is short, their hands and feet are webbed as described in the book “Studies on Kappa”. They are no taller than three feet. According to Chak, they usually weighed from 20 to 30 pounds, although a very large one might be up to 50. Right in the middle of their head was a bowl, which gradually hardened with age. There was a marked difference between the bowl of older Bagg and that of young Chak. 

But the most wondrous thing was the skin color of the kappa. Unlike us humans, kappa skin did not stay a single color. It changed to match their surroundings. That's why when I'd seen one on the grass it had been green, and on the rock gray. Of course it is not only kappa who do this, chameleons are also able. Possibly kappa skin tissue was somehow related to chameleon's. I learned that it was said Western kappa were green and Eastern kappa were red. Except for the time I'd seen Bagg change, I didn't see it happen again.

Moreover, beneath their skin was a thick layer of fat, because this underground world was very cold compared to above (about 50 degrees Fahrenheit). They knew nothing of kimono 

Of course the kappa wore glasses or carried a cigarette case or wallet, but they had a pouch like a kangaroo so it was very convenient for carrying these things. 

What was odd to me was that they didn’t even wear a loincloth. When I asked Bagg why this was, he threw back his head with laughter, then answered, “It is odd to us that you do hide it.”

Kappa by Akutagawa Ryuunosuke, Chapter Nine

CHAPTER NINE 

But Gehru, the glass company's president, was no less friendly than before. Sometimes a message came from his club, inviting me to an enjoyable evening. This was more intimate than the super-kappa club which Tock attended. Gehru’s conversation was not as profound as that of Magg the philosopher, but it opened a new world to me -- a wide world. Gehru spoke cheerfully of various things while stirring his coffee with a solid gold spoon.

One foggy evening, I was arranging winter roses in a vase while listening to Gehru speak. That room was in an Art Nouveau style, chairs and table painted white with a thin gold border. With an even smugger expression than usual, Gehru talked about the Quorax Party, which was in charge of the whole country at that time. This word "Quorax" was a meaningless interjection, like oh my. Anyhow it was the party with the slogan "Benefits for All Kappa." 

"The leader of the Quorax party is Roppe, a renowned politician. Didn’t Bismarck say "Honesty is the best policy”?. But Roppe also exercises honesty in internal affairs..."

"But Roppe's speech..." 

"Well, listen to me. That speech is entirely a lie. But lies that no one recognizes no different from the truth. What is an unconditional lie is your narrow view. We kappa, unlike you humans... But never mind, I want to talk about Roppe. He controls the Quorax party, and the newspaper called “Pou-Fou” (this also is a meaningless exclamation. If forced, I'd translate it as "ah") has a chief editor, Kuikui. But Kuikui himself is not really in charge. Gehru who sits before you controls Kuikui."

"But -- I don't know if this is rude, but Pou-Fou Newspaper claims to be the paper of the people. If you're controlling the chief..."

"Pou-Fou's reporters are allies of the laborers. But reporters are controlled from above Kuikui. If he didn't have my backing, he'd be worthless."

Gehru wore a strange smile, eating dessert with his solid gold spoon. More than looking at him with hate, I felt sympathy for the reporters. At my silence, Gehru guessed this and his great belly swelled.

"Well, not all of Pou Fou's reporters are allies of the laborers. A kappa is their own ally before any other. To make matters even more complicated, just as I pull Kuikui’s strings, there is someone behind me. Can you guess? My wife, of course, the beautiful Mrs. Gehru.”

He laughed out loud.

“That makes you happy?”

“Satisfied, anyway. I can only say this to you. I’d never admit it in front of other kappa.”

“So you’re saying Mrs. Gehru controls the Quorax Party.”

“I suppose you could say that… but the war seven years ago was no different. It started because of a female.”

“War? There was a war in this country?”

“In the past, and probably again in the future. As long as there are neighboring countries…”

This was the first time I’d heard of the land of kappa not being isolated. Gehru explained the kappa treated otters as their enemies. The otters were just as able to wield weapons as the kappa. I was quite interested to hear about this enmity. (Nothing in the literature about kappa mentioned it.)

“Before the war, both sides were naturally wary of each other and making defensive preparations. We were as afraid of them as they were of us. There was one otter living in this country, and he visited a kappa couple. The wife had been planning to kill her husband, who was a rake. She may also have been coveting the insurance money.”

“Did you know them?”

“No, I was acquainted with the male. My wife and her friends say he was a villain, but if you ask me he was only driven mad by paranoia from getting caught by a female… anyway, she put prussic acid into his cocoa, but gave it to the visiting otter by accident. The otter died, of course, then…”

“That was how the war began?”

“Yes, unfortunately that otter was a decorated hero.”

“Which side won?”

“This country, of course. 369,500 kappa bravely perished. But that was nothing to what the other side lost. Every fur we wear comes from otters. During the war, in addition to manufacturing glass, I sent lumps of coal to the front.”

“Coal? What for?”

“Food, of course. When they’re starving, kappa will eat anything.”

“But that -- please don’t take this the wrong way. But to treat soldiers like that, in my country that would cause an uproar.”

“It did in this one as well. But as I tell people of it myself, no one is shocked anymore. As the philosopher Magg said, “Speak your own evil, and it will erase itself.” Besides the profit, I was burning with patriotism.”

A waiter for the club entered. He bowed to Gehru and said formally, “A fire broke out next to your house.”

“F-fire?!”

Gehru stood up, shocked, as did I. However, the waiter soothed us saying, “They have already put it out.” Bowing and exiting, Gehru watched him with a turmoil of emotions on his face. I became aware of a dislike that had been growing in me for the glass company’s president. But at that moment, he was not some major capitalist, but a regular kappa. I took one of the roses from the case and handed it to him.

“The fire may have been doused but your wife is sure to be upset. Bring this home to her.”

“Thank you.”

Gehru took my hand, laughed suddenly, then whispered in my ear, “the neighboring house is also mine, so I will get the insurance money.”

I still vividly recall his smile at that moment -- a smile that made me feel neither contempt nor hate.