The Depth of Repentance : An Essay on Atsushi Nakajima's Sangetsu-ki

Abstract

In the past studies of Sangetsu-ki, the question of Richo's transformation into a tiger has been almost ritualistically addressed, and the answer is, as almost ritualistically, that he was changed into a tiger because he is as inhuman and cruel as the beast. Thus Richo has been unfavorably treated, but in this essay I would like to shed light on a different aspect of the problematic character. It is worth noticing that Richo is not reliable as a narrator. Naturally we cannot take for granted his own narration about what he had done. Therefore we should turn more attention to his present repentance than to the past wrong-doings he tells us he committed.