In Rashomon

The story of “In A Grove” isn’t told in a narrative sense. Instead, it’s a series of interviews with past witnesses about a crime: the murder of a samurai in a groove. The first witness is a woodcutter who found the scene; the second is a Buddhist monk who had last seen him. The next two witnesses were the policeman who had caught the alleged murderer, and the victim’s mother-in-law.

The most important witnesses, however, are the three people involved in the crime: the bandit Tajōmaru, the samurai Kanazawa, and the samurai’s wife Masago. Each person gives very conflicting testimony of the events of the murder. What is the truth, and what are lies? Could someone create a coherent sequence of events by combing through their testimonies?

Each of their testimonies tells more than just their perspective, but their view of the others involved. Is Kanazawa so honor-bound as to spit on his wife’s honor after she’s been assaulted? Was Masago so weakwilled that she immediately falls for Tajōmaru after he impresses her? Was Tajōmaru just an evil bandit, or did he have some ethics left inside of him?

In A Grove is a question of truth, and how hard it is to find in a sea of lies. Rashomon however, is more than that. It’s a drama that asks about the human soul, desperation, and how awful we can be when we face no consequences.

Rashomon turns the story into a narrative and makes the woodcutter and Buddhist monk into characters. They still serve as witnesses to the trial; however, they also bear witness to the testimonies of the three main characters. Tajōmaru noticeably acts unhinged, and his portrayal in his story matches that. The wife, unnamed here, acts very demure and bawls a lot. The samurai’s story, told by a medium, is very to the point.

The woodcutter and priest are shocked by how none of these people would tell the truth in a murder case. None of what they say adds up with the other. It is here that the movie actually starts, with a newcomer coming to the Rashomon gate where the woodcutter and priest are staying to hide under the rain. This newcomer goads the woodcutter into telling him why the both of them look very crestfallen. The woodcutter recalls his reaction to finding the crime and then recounts the testimonies of the priest, and then the three witnesses.

The newcomer senses that the woodcutter isn’t saying everything. And a change in the story is revealed: the woodcutter didn’t discover the body. He saw the whole incident! In his telling of the story, all 3 members are at their worst. Tajōmaru grovels to the woman in hopes she goes with him. The samurai refuses to touch a “ruined woman’. The woman causes the duel by calling both men cowards and laughs at their efforts.

But even this isn’t enough to convince the newcomer. What interrupts them is a new addition to the story; a baby abandoned by his parents. While the woodcutter and priest try to soothe the baby, the newcomer steels the kimono the baby is wrapped in. The other two are shocked and furious. When the woodcutter tries to convince him it’s wrong, the newcomer retorts that there’s nothing wrong with being selfish. He also newcomer concludes that the woodcutter still isn’t telling the truth. After all, he has no mention of the pearl hilt knife that all other witnesses have mentioned, so he must have been selfish and stolen it! He refused to tell the truth to the court, not because he didn’t want to get involved, but to avoid having to tell them what happened to the knife! 

The silent woodcutter seems to confirm this suspension, and the newcomer runs away laughing at his fortune.

This adds a new layer to the title of the movie. Rashomon is the name of another of Ryunosuke Akutagawa's short stories. It has nothing to do with a murder trial and is instead about the ethics of stealing to survive.

The sudden ethical issue causes the priest to lose his faith in people even more, but the woodcutter decides to raise the baby as his causes restoration for both of their faiths. Even after such a cruel incident, humans can still improve.