This study examines the significance of Nanjing in Atagawa's Literature. Akutagawa has written two works on Nanjing which typically showed his deep relationships with China. The previous studies scarcely focused on description of Nanjing. This paper suggested that Nanjing is unignorable aspect of Akutagawa's outlook on China.

This paper is a text analysis on The Christ of Nanjing (1920) and Kōnanyūki (1922). The Christ of Nanjing is a fiction which has been influenced by Junichiro Tanizaki's Shinwai No Yoru (1919). This novel is distinctive because it can be classified either as Christ story or Chinese story that differs from Akutagawa's other works. This study illustrates the reasons why he combined Christ and Nanjing and his imagination about Nanjing. Not long after he published The Christ of Nanjing, he had an opportunity to experence a real Nanjing. He came to China as a journlist from March to July in 1921, and this visit became his exclusive oversea trip during his all life. He recorded his feelings about Nanjing and published as one part of Kōnanyūki. His perspectives of the real society of Nanjing and his attitude towards Nanjing worth considering.

Firstly, in spite of the influence of Tanizaki, Akutagawa's trip to Nagasaki in 1920 with his friend Kan Kikuchi can be considered as an important factor that connected Christ and Nanjing. Kikuchi mentioned that the trip to Nagasaki enhanced Akuatagwa's interest in Christianity. In addition, Akutagawa himself also revealed the same feelings in his letter. Specifically, the extoic atmosphere in Nagasaki has been deeply affected by China and Europe. Even though he returned to Tokyo, the mixed culture in Nagasaki has been rooted in his memory. The two factors interacted which lead to the publication of The Christ of Nanjing.

Secondly, the preview studies of The Christ of Nanjing viewed Nanjing as anextoic city which was one-sided. However, Akuatagwa did not describe Nanjing directly. Instead, he caught a glimpse of Nanjing through heroine Kinka's memory. Although The Christ of Nanjing is a fiction, Akutagawa deliberately sketched the real society of Nanjing which has been oppressed by Western power.

Thirdly, this paper focused on his feelings of Qin Huai River and Ming Tomb where he stayed in Nanjing. Akutagawa associated Qin Huai River with his hometown Sumidagawa district which indicated his closeness to Nanjing. Therefore, he felt disappointed when he saw the real Nanjing at the first sight, but his attitude was modest compared with other Japanese intellectuals. His last stop was Ming Tomb, a historic site in Nanjing. Despite the deserted landscape of Ming Tomb, Akutagawa wrote it in an objective, to be more specific, positive way. Ming Tomb was a epitome of the culture of Ming and Qing Dynasty which was a crucial part of Akutagawa's literature.

In conclusion, Akutagawa had a favorable impression towards Nanjing. Compared with his impression of Shanghai which focus on the people there, he showed a big interested in Nanjing's city feature. His imagination about Nanjing through Chinese classical culture had been partially verified. Thus, it is of vital importance to consider Nanjing when investigate the significance of China in Akutagawa's Literature.

This paper aims to determine the role of the nameless witness who appears at the end of Aru Seisho (September 1973), translated as A Bible henceforward. A Bible, as the title implies, is a literary novel based on the Bible. Since the beginning of his career, Kunio Ogawa (1927-2008) was interested in imbibing biblical stories into his writings. Many contemporary literary critics have analyzed A Bible as his primary work with an emphasis on the character, 'Yunia' (ユニア, Yunia), who receives a calling from God. However, the nameless witness who renews the faith of 'Yunia' can also be seen to have a significant role. Therefore, this paper examines the influence of the Bible and Ogawa's personal faith on his writings to reveal the significance of the witness, the reasons that the character has no name, and insight into Ogawa's understanding of Christianity.

The first chapter of this paper summarizes major concepts concerning Christian Literature relevant to recent studies on modern Japanese Literature. Christian Literature has been assumed to utilize definitions of Christian terminology and problematic issues of faith that vary dependent on the researchers. This paper uses Yamagata's categorization of terms, which enables a parallel examination of A Bible and Ogawa's struggle in his faith. Therefore, the central focus is twofold: to capture Ogawa's conflict with his life as a Christian and to analyze the text of A Bible as a reflection of this struggle.

The second chapter of this paper compares characteristics of Ogawa's writings with other Japanese Christian Literature and illustrates his biography focusing on his Christian faith. In comparison to Shûsaku Endô (1923-1996), the theme of suffering faith does not appear in the works of Ogawa. Instead, the evangelistic nature of his publication draws similarities with writings by Ayako Miura (1922-1999). Although his family was not Christian, Ogawa himself identified as a Christian and served at the church where he gained an understanding of the Bible. OgawaIs literary works are subsumed under his Christian life. Particularly, A Bible mirrors his deep interest in his faith and his biblical hermeneutic.

The third chapter of this paper clarifies the thematic elements of A Bible. While literary works preceding A Bible have directly characterized Jesus Christ as Anohito (あの人, 'A man'), Ogawa depicts Anohito itself through the voice of the nameless witness in A Bible. The use of the witness is a part of the dual structures that gives insight into the silent Anohito through a negative image. The other part of the dual structures is Anohito and the aphoristic use of the words Jesus found in the Bible. These dual structures blur the depiction of Anohito in the story, depending on the role of the witness to clarify the relationship of Anohito as Emmanuel, God with us. Therefore, the witness occupies an important thematic position in relation to Ogawa's understanding of the Bible.

The fourth chapter of this paper gives a detailed analysis of the dual structures of A Bible and the significance of the witness. The first structure considers the relationship between the biblical words of Jesus and the words of Anohito. In A Bible, the character of Anohito rarely speaks in contrast to Ogawa's preceding works. Instead, the words of Jesus are in the lines of the other characters as aphorisms, which diminish the relationship between Anohito and Jesus in the story. The second structure is the indirect portrayal of Anohito through the contradictory standpoint of other characters such as the betrayer, named 'Ashiniriromuzo' (アシニリロムゾ, Ashiniriromuzo) whose motif is Judas Iscariot. The silence of Anohito within the aphoristic appearance of the biblical words of Jesus and his negative depiction through the lens of supporting characters point to dual structures that diminish the direct connection of Anohito as Jesus in the story, requiring a closer examination of the nameless witness to draw out the nature of Anohito. The witness evokes Anohito as Emmanuel, God with us and is the only character to have no name. The namelessness of the witness places emphasis on the testimony as opposed to the one bearing witness, strengthening the connection of Anohito to Jesus. Comparison with the witnesses on the road to Emmaus in the Gospel of Luke further reinforces the significance of the nameless witness in explicating the character of Anohito in A Bible.

Parallel examination of A Bible with a focus on the witness and Ogawa's struggle with his faith in this paper shows the significance of theological interpretation in considering Ogawa's understanding of the Bible and Christianity as influences on his writings. The paper also suggests further analysis of Ogawa through a critical and detailed view of his Christian life and textual reading as future tasks of study. In regarding these tasks, this paper proposes some directions of the future mission of Christian Literature.