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SUMMARY
Self-Immolation and Its Meaning in
Tezuka Osamu’
s Budda (Buddha) :
The Significance of the Opening Episode
HASHIMOTO Akihiko
Tezuka Osamu’
s Budda (Buddha) is an epic retelling of the life of the founder of Buddhism, Siddhārtha
Gautama, in manga form. It ran as a serial in the magazine Kibō no Tomo (Friend of Hope) for over ten
years, first appearing in September 1972. This study aims to develop a new understanding of the
narrative by applying the methods of Buddhist literary interpretation to Budda .
The striking opening sequence, drawn without dialogue, tells how three animals, a rabbit, a fox,
and a bear, try to bring food to an old man who has fallen by the roadside. The rabbit, having no other
way to help, offers its own body by leaping into a fire. Taken from the Jataka , the literature concerning
the Buddha’
s previous births, this tale was well known in Japan as an account of the origin of the
markings of the moon, which Japanese folklore likens to a rabbit. The rabbit’
s act, known in Japanese
as shashin (self-sacrifice or self-immolation), is one of the most noble acts in Buddhist belief and a theme
of great importance since the earliest Buddhist narratives.
In fact, Tezuka’
s Budda contains two other instances of self-sacrifice. Interestingly, on all three
occasions the act marks a spiritual turning point for the ascetics who witness it. One of these witnesses
is Siddhārtha, and the experience is pivotal to his becoming the Enlightened One.
Together with the encounter that Siddhārtha himself experienced, the story of the rabbit is
presented once again in the Buddha’
s teachings at Vulture Peak, which form the climax of the tale.
Thus, the opening episode plays a significant role in the work Budda viewed as a coming-of-age
narrative about Gautama Buddha.