ビール会社征伐The Beer Company Subjugation

About this story

A newspaper staff plots to challenge a beer company to a tennis match to get free beer.

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Source

This text comes from Aozora Bunko (青空文庫), the volunteer-run library of Japanese writing that is out of copyright. See this work on Aozora Bunko

Base edition (底本): 「夢野久作全集7」三一書房
1970（昭和45）年1月31日第1版第1刷発行
1992（平成4）年2月29日第1版第12刷発行

Typed in by 川山隆. Proofread by 土屋隆.

Yomimaru has not changed the spelling or the wording.

The furigana are Yomimaru's.

What you'll learn

The narrator, a journalist, recalls a hilarious scheme where his newspaper's staff, desperate for beer, challenges a beer company to a tennis match. Despite having almost no tennis skills, they manage to get drunk on free beer after losing every game.

Key vocabulary

左党さとう	drinker; sake lover
呑助のんすけ	heavy drinker; drunkard
庭球ていきゅう	tennis
遅疑ちぎ	hesitation; doubt
一蹴いっしゅう	rejection; refutation

Grammar points you'll meet

• ～て来る N4Indicates an action that comes from the past towards the present, often used for emotions or situations that arise.

  今いま思おもい出だしても腹はらの皮かわがピクピクして来くる

• ～と言うものか N1An expression meaning 'one might say' or 'it's as if', used to add emphasis or rhetorical question.

  そのうちに窮きゅうすれば通つうずるとでも言いうものか、一等いっとう呑助のんすけの警察けいさつ廻まわり君くんが名案めいあんを出だした。

• ～と一般 N1An expression meaning 'just like' or 'in the same way as', often used to compare two similar things.

  モトモトテニスらしいものが出来できるのは、正直しょうじきのところ一いち滴てきも酒さけの飲のめない筆者ひっしゃの一いち組くみだけで、ほかは皆みな、支那の兵隊へいたいと一般いっぱん、テニスなんてロクに見みた事こともない連中れんちゅうが吾われも吾われもと咽喉いんこうを鳴ならして参加さんかするのだから、

• ～て遣ろう N1A colloquial expression suggesting 'let's do (something) for someone', often with a boastful tone.

  「あの××麦酒びーるに一ひとつ庭球ていきゅう試合しあいを申込もうしこんで遣やろうじゃないか」

Cultural notes

• Beer Company Sponsorship in Early 20th Century JapanThe story mentions a beer company sponsoring a tennis team, reflecting the practice of companies using sports for advertising. The newspaper staff's ploy to get free beer from the company mirrors the mutual benefit of publicity.
• Genyōsha (玄洋社)The story references 玄洋社張り (in the manner of the Genyōsha), a famous ultranationalist society from Fukuoka known for its heavy drinking and strong character. This gives context to the newspaper staff's drinking culture.
• Political Parties and Newspapers in Taishō/Shōwa EraThe story mentions the political parties Rikken Seiyūkai and Minseitō, which were dominant in the 1920-30s. Newspapers often had party affiliations, and the Kyushu Nichinichi Shimbun (九州日報) was a real paper aligned with the Minseitō.

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