Horse Legs and Other Writings

An ordinary Mitsubishi employee dies at his desk in Beijing. In an otherworldly office, a clerical mistake has left him without legs. The solution is simple, the officials say: a dead horse has a pair to spare. Returning to everyday life is less simple.

Alongside this darkly comic story, Akutagawa Ryūnosuke recalls a girl’s last night with her treasured festival dolls, imagines invisible lovers confronting Death, and follows a wounded soldier whose moment of repentance may not survive his recovery. A late dialogue tests the artist’s conscience against accusing, consoling, and mysterious voices.

These five complete writings, first published between 1914 and 1927, reveal a major Japanese author’s restless attention to desire, self-deception, mortality, and the demands of ordinary society. Concise notes explain unfamiliar settings and source details while preserving the originals’ irony, ambiguity, and changing voices. AI-assisted translation.