Toyo-o’s situation is a perfect example of not judging a book by its cover. Beauty should never be the only requirement for a qualification of someone’s love. What happened to Toyo-o happens to many people. Many people that are very narrow minded. If you only date someone because of their looks there would never be any happiness in that relationship. Once the person realizes your other traits they will no longer want to be with you. However it’s not every other trait that would push someone away from wanting to be in a relationship. Although being evil will, Manago is the serpent who has attached herself to Toyo-o, because of his good looks. The antagonist Manago symbolizes what happens in many relationships, even though we never see the actual sorcery being committed today, we realize that the person we fell for all along was the devil.

I believe this picture symbolizes the story well because, you never really know anyone. Although there is a beautiful face and beautiful garments, there might be another side to the person. I also believe that this picture defines Toyo-o, I say this because Toyo-o’s behavior in the beginning and end are very different. Toyo-o’s parents and brother Taro doubt him, “allow him to be a burden on his older brother for the rest of his life.” (Akinari) Towards the end of the story he begins to depict otherwise he fights in order to save his life from the serpent. According to the context of the story, I don’t think Toyo-o ever thought he would be able to fight in such a way without the help of his father or brother.

In Akinari’s “Bewitched”, the antagonist, Manago, is a serpent that can take the form of a beautiful woman. She seduced the innocent Toyo-o with her looks and tricked him into marrying her with the intention of taking his life. Her first attempt was unsuccessful because she presented Toyo-o an engagement present, but the present was obviously a stolen gift from the shrine. This caused Toyo-o to believe that she is the devil, but Manago charmed her way into his life once again after she found his new home.The image below is of an ancient Japanese folklore character named Kiyohime. I feel that the image of Kiyohime perfectly depicts the looks of Manago because like Manago, Kiyohime was also a serpent. However, her true form was only revealed after she fell in love with Anchin, a priest. Due to Anchin’s circumstances, he refrained from ever meeting her again, and so Kiyohime was enraged and took on her serpent form, and eventually killed her lover. Unlike Kiyohime, Manago was successful in deceiving Toyo-o and his family, but her form was revealed when a priest spotted her on a picnic with Toyo-o. The encounter with this priest led Toyo-o to be more on guard and not be tricked by Manago’s deception again because the priest said to Toyo-o, “’That devil is a really huge old serpent—a lecherous monster. […] Its evil attachments to its victims is so tenacious that you must be constantly on your guard. Otherwise you will lose your life’” (Akinari, 644).

The picture below corresponds to Akinari’s, “Bewitched” by depicting the constant leverage the devil had over Toyo-o. Taking on the form of a beautiful woman, the devil was able to deceive Toyo-o on numerous occasions. In one instance, she invited Toyo
-o into her marvelous, oversized home. However, upon returning, the house was broken down and no one had occupied it for many years. Looking at the house the second time was notably different. “The yard was overgrown with weeds. There were no signs of anyone living in the house. Toyo-o was amazed.” (639). This example in the text corresponds to the picture because of how the snake is in control of the little boy. In the picture, although the little boy is well aware he may be in danger, there is little to nothing he can do about it. Another example of this can be seen in the text when Toyo-o takes sole responsibility for the hardship the devil has caused to himself and others. He says, “I will not rely on the help of others anymore. I am prepared to die. So please be at ease.” (646). In this moment of the text, Toyo-o proceeds to try and defeat the devil knowing it is unlikely he will be successful. A similar style of thinking is depicted in the photograph below. The little boy admits to himself there is nowhere he can go. Resultantly, he sits in front of the snake at ease, prepared to die if that is what the snake wishes.

https://vimeo.com/113730173

“Bewitched”, written by Ueda Akinara is a supernatural tale that was written and published in 1776.  Akinari’s tale of fatal attraction shares many semblances to that of the fable that was written by the Chinese author Feng Menglong (1574-1646) titled “The legend of white snake (aka “White Lady).” Lastly, the tale of Medusa, a popular lore among Ancient Greek mythology, shares a similar theme of a love affair that would fate the once beautiful female to be cursed in the form of a defiled creature after having been cursed by Athena for breaking an oath of celibacy after consummation with Poseidon (Lempiere et. Al, 1994). Eventually, Medusa would be slayed by the hands of Perseus. Similarly, the female antagonists from all three aforementioned lore end up victim to fatal attraction.

Manago, the female anamorphic antagonist in Akinari’s “Bewitched”, was fated to a similar inevitable demise. Although as readers and to the characters of “Bewitched”, she was known as a disguised serpent being. The assumption by the characters and perhaps even the audience may have erroneously come to the assumption that Manago’s Serpent form makes her to be an evil and cunning spirit, by default. If we humor the idea that Manago was simply an inherently evil serpent ultimately aiming to kill Toyo-o, would it not have presented a conundrum, to have doted on Toyo-O with a known stolen sword from the local Temple and foolishly request that Toyo-o to “…..wear it constantly” (Akinari, 636), only to have him arrested and tried for robbery? How would she then marry and kill a convicted criminal (which the Priest had claimed the serpents motives to be)? “He was thrown into jail and chained to the wall” (Akinari, 640). It is a lot more plausible to accept the theory that Manago may have genuinely been in love with Toyo-o for simply presenting himself as a kind hearted gentleman, who offered Manago an umbrella to use to stay dry while she parts from their first stormy encounter (Akinari, 634). In a twisted romantic way, Manago may have simply doted on Toyo-o out of genuine affection, albeit foolishly. Ultimately, this very moment catalyzed the subsequent chain of events that lead to the exposure of Managos true form as an anamorphic serpent and in the end, she was brought to her death.

This theme of a tragic fatal attraction also occurs in a popular Taiwanese music video “Medusa” by the female artist, Jolin Tsai. In the music video, Jolin takes on the persona of Medusa and the male dancers seen in their interaction towards Medusa has fallen into a lustful attraction to the unimaginable beauty which she possesses. The lyrics (spoken in Mandarin) addresses how she wants to find love as badly as a snake can swallow an elephant “-(a popular saying in oriental Asia which posits the notion of an insatiable yet difficult dream of falling in love). Restricted by the curse laid upon Medusa, her desire to obtain true love has consequently fated her death by petrification. Towards the final minute of “Medusa” the music video, her hair grotesquely deforms into a scalp-bed of numerous vile snakes and the video ends with Medusa burying her head and vanish into a plume of ashen smoke, sublimating into the air.

1. Lempriére’s Classical Dictionary of Proper names mentioned in Ancient Authors Writ Large. Ed. J. Lempriére and F.A. Wright. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. 1994.

“Bewitched”

Throughout Akinari’s short story “Bewitched” the protagonist of the story, Toyo-o, is susceptible to the charm, and trickery of the antagonist, Manago. The image I chose is of a Japanese man barely clothed with one woman right beside him, and another woman hidden in the background. I found that this image corresponds to Akinari’s “Bewitched”, because throughout the story Manago’s maid is an accomplice to Manago. As Toyo-o comes to Manago’s house for his umbrella the maid introduces him and says, “The man who loaned you the umbrella yesterday was coming this way, so I invited him in.”. From this quote it can be seen that Manago’s maid is part of Manago’s plan all along when she welcomes him in. Another quote which makes it clear that Manago is not the only antagonist of the story is seen when Toyo-o’s family goes to “Mount Yoshino, where the chief priest was a friend of long standing.” And when the priest notices Manago and Maroya, who both deliberately turn their backs on the priest when they see him, the priest grumbles, “You devils!”. “Again you are bewitching and deceiving human beings. How can you dare assume that shape and form before my very eyes!”. From the last quote it is evident that the priest is particularly familiar with not only Manago, but her partner Maroya as well.

Generally speaking, we often at times look for an easy alternative. Or find ourselves mystified by an individual’s persona or attitude. In the short story “Bewitched,” the protagonist, Toyo-o, is left in a naive state trying to build a sense of autonomy.  However, as he becomes attracted to this alleged female character, Manago, he is blinded by her outer appeal that he fails to realize what she really embodies. This leads him to take her in wedlock within his second encounter with her. “Confucius said ‘Even a mountain of love crumbles.’ And as for myself, how can I help but overlook my obligations to filial piety and sacrifice myself for your sake?” Literally,  this plot line has no plausibility in a sense where he extends one act of kindness and all of a sudden their both in deep love with each other. It correlates in the photo because even after she got arrested for all her thievery, he still saw the innocence that she originally displayed and “Toyo-o……….. became less and less intransigent and more attached to her than ever, and finally he pledged her eternal love.” Despite all that he went through, the facade  that she gave off proved to overcompensate, her ulterior motives in pursuing him.

Akinari’s “Bewitched” focuses on the values reinforced by late 18^th century Japan, which is also referred to as a part of the Edo period. A striking feature in this traditional work is the emphasis on cultural values such as shrines, prayers, and the belief of an otherworldly manifestation. The picture I chose is an artwork that corresponds with the artistic style of 18^th century Japan. The woman in the picture bears a resemblance to the character Manago – with an extravagant style of dress as well as with ornaments that highlight her beauty. It is also highlighted in the tale: “Her features, the way she wore her hair, her colorful robe, the perfume she exuded, made her bewitchingly voluptuous.” I perceive Manago as a deceptive character who gives off an exterior of vulnerability in order to coax her victims. In the artwork, the woman’s expression is one of uncertainty even though she is dressed flamboyantly.

The primary reason why I chose to relate Akinari’s “Bewitched” with this particular artwork is because it fits in with traditional Japanese culture. “Bewitched” gives us hints to its time period with the mention of palanquins, priests, samurai and exorcism – all of which was very common in the Edo period. The tea set that is visible in the picture is also very prominent in traditional homes.

Alec Schonfeld

Bewitched

In Akinari’s short story “Bewitched” we are introduced to a young man who meets this beautiful “girl” and is immediately infatuated with her. I chose an image that is the symbol of anti-feminism. The theme of anti feminism isn’t introduced into the story until later on, when you first begin reading Akinari even seems to be generous to women and Manago in particular. “At the same time, it occurred to him that he had never heard of such a beautiful, refined looking woman living in this neighborhood (Akinari 633)”. To start this short story we see how Akinari compliments the looks of Manago by describing how beautiful she was. However, as the story progresses we see how the narrative changes and Manago goes from being a beautiful girl to a “devil”. “That devil has come after me here Keep me away from her! (641)”. In such a short story we see how the author goes from one end of the spectrum to the other. This is why I chose the image of an anti-feminism sign, although Akinari starts with describing how beautiful a women Manago is, the story ultimately ends with her being depicted as a devil and all just how evil she was. Anti-feminism was certainly prevalent in 18th century Japan when this story was written and we see how Akinari’s writing is influenced by the time period he lived in.

The picture illustrates an intense battle between a muscular man and a supernatural creature.  The man giving out the airs of authority and bravery instantly resembled Yoto-o, at the end of Betwitched, where he finally strove to “subdue” the devil serpent Manago “with all his might”. The picture perhaps reflects the ideal perception of a good man, from the standpoint of the 18^th century contemporaries – fearless of life and being able to control the fate of his own and that of his family. Unfortunately, neither was Yoto-o powerful nor was he independent, which led to his many miseries later. His father called him a “burden”. His brother reported and sent him to jail for a crime he didn’t commit. The devil Manago managed to follow him three times no matter where he hid. Were his cowardice and unconformity to social norms the premise of this misfortune episode? It seemed so in a way that not until did he decide to face the lethal serpent and killed it, was he able to live “a long and healthy life.” By all means, his transition from a coward to a fearless man had prompted Toyo-o’s escape from the unending lusty scheme of Manago. Generally speaking, the pictures depicted the common conviction of 18th-century society for the success and fortunes of brave and powerful men.

The story “Bewitched” by Udea Akinari, reminds me of Kakia (Cacia), goddess of vice and moral evilness in Greek mythology in the photo below “The Choice of Heracles” (Cacia and Arete). Having the status as deity, Kakia has the right to live on Mount Olympus, but the Olympian gods hates her. She is the personification of evil incarnated in human beings, and exists and is immortal because of wickedness of people. Kakia appears before Heracles, alongside Arete, who represents moral virtue, at a crossroads. She attempts to tempt him but he chooses Arete over her.
Temptation is a frequent theme in all of literature. It is a weakness of many people and characters. While men are known for their power, women are related with trickery. They are known as sneaky, manipulative temptresses who makes difficulties in the men’s live. In the story “Bewetched” Manago generates trouble in the lives of Toyo-o and his family.
It is so easy for people to submit to temptation when they feel strong emotions such as love and joy. Toyo-o is attracted by Manago’s words: “I cannot forget your kindness, and I love you. Please come in” (page 634). Manago is only using him to achieve her goals but she never loved him.
I think the reason why Toyo-o was bewitched is because he has never had control of his own life “He had no desire …… to devote his time and efforts to the family occupation (page 632). All his life Toyo-o has been under his father and his older brother control. Having no experience, he falls in love too fast with Manago and trusts her again and again, which is disastrous for him and his family.