Ryunosuke Akutagawa

羅生門

"羅生門" by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa is a short story first published in 1915. Set in the ruins of Kyoto's southern gate, it follows a dismissed servant who must choose between starvation and thievery. When he encounters an old woman stealing hair from corpses, their exchange forces him to confront questions of survival and morality. The story explores how desperation can transform one's sense of right and wrong in a world stripped bare of certainty.