Kyoto has been ravaged by fire, earthquakes and famine. The Rashomon gate is
in terrible disrepair, and used as a dumping ground for the dead. A servant who
has recently been discharged by his master and with no place to go resolves to
spend the night there, despite its unsavory reputation. He is wondering how to
make his way in an insecure world. Dare he turn to crime?
Clambering up the gate, the servant discovers he is not alone. An old woman
is plucking the hair of the dead to make wigs. She explains to the outraged servant
that she is only doing what she has to in order to survive: after all, the woman
whose hair she is plucking was no angel herself when she was alive. This self-serving
sophistry inspires the servant to make his choice. Roused to do whatever it takes
to survive in a harsh world, the servant pitilessly plucks off the old woman's
clothes and rushes out into the night.
The audio version of the story (read by Seishi Yamane, Pica and Zenji Hashimoto)
has been divided into seven MP3 soundfiles to reduce download times. Just click
on the links on the right to start downloading.
