A group of samurai on a naval expedition face harsh conditions: cramped quarters, bitter cold, and an overwhelming infestation of lice that multiply on their boats. While most of the crew struggles to rid themselves of the pests through a meticulous and almost farcical hunt—using teacups to collect the tiny insects—a peculiar officer, Mori Gonnoshin, advocates an unorthodox view. Unlike his comrades, he accepts the lice, arguing that their bites induce an itch that, when scratched, produces a warming, fever-like effect. This warmth, he claims, prevents the onset of cold and illness, making the lice inadvertently beneficial. Mori’s theory, presented as a rational remedy against the winter chill, sparks a divided response among the men. A faction, intrigued by the possibility of turning an adverse condition into a protective measure, begins to keep the lice close on their bodies. In contrast, another group, led by a captain who even consumes the lice as a symbolic act of rejecting what they see as a betrayal of one’s filial duty to care properly for the body, opposes Mori’s unconventional practice. Their dispute, initially a matter of theory and philosophy, rapidly escalates into heated debates and near-physical confrontations. The absurdity of their quarrel over lice serves as a broader commentary on human behavior. In the midst of an arduous military campaign where discipline and unity would be expected, the samurai become embroiled in trivial conflicts rooted in superstition and personal idiosyncrasies. Their debate highlights the irrationality inherent in clinging to peculiar ideas under duress, showing how even a matter as insignificant as lice can become a source of strife when layered with pride and personal conviction. Even as the crew becomes entangled in this petty ideological conflict, their vessel presses onward toward its objective, symbolizing the indifferent march of duty and fate despite the internal absurdities and human follies at play.
By Akutagawa Ryūnosuke · First published 1918 · Genre: Historical Satire, Historical Fiction, Absurdist Fiction