A Study of " Hankachi " (Handkerchief) by Akutagawa Ryunosuke

Abstract

Akutagawa writes "Hankachi" for "Chuo Koron" for the first time. With this he makes a name in the world of letters. Unlike "Rashomo" and "Hana" which are written after "Hankachi", "Hankachi" is a modern novel. In spite ofits importance in literature history, few people have written criticism on it. The study has just begun. Studying the former secondary sources carefully, I give anopposing argument against the common idea that this work is a denial of sentimental stories criticizing Bushido(the code of the samurai).