“Rashōmon” may have become the namesake for the 1950 Kurosawa film Rashōmon, but little similarities can be found between the two. The defining features that connect the two stories are the setting at the gate of Rashōmon, the theft of the kimono, and the gray area around morality and survival. However, they have divergent plot lines.

The story of “Rashōmon” puts the spotlight on a question that humanity has debated for centuries: Where does morality end and survival begin? Many forms of media explore the topic of what humans will do in order to survive. Often, characters are forced into impossible situations they can only survive by committing “immoral” acts. In the case of “Rashōmon,” the dire circumstances that drive the events of the story are not meant to shock and disgust. Instead, they are the means by which Akutagawa explores the human psyche. “Rashōmon” explores the subjectivity of morality, the events that may cause a person’s perspective to change, and the societal circumstances that drive people to such decisions in the first place.

“Rashōmon” takes place around the deteriorating Rashōmon gate in Kyoto. The gate that stood as a miraculous structure and a symbol of prosperity of the thriving city stands in ruins.