茶碗の中Inside the Teacup

Read a sample in Japanese

What you'll learn

The narrator reflects on the emotional power of incomplete stories, then presents a fragment of an old tale: In 1684, retainer Sekinai sees a mysterious face in his tea, drinks it, and later encounters the face's owner, Shikibu Heinai, who accuses him of harm and disappears. The next night, three men claiming to be Heinai's retainers swear revenge. The story cuts off abruptly.

Key vocabulary

Grammar points you'll meet

• ～でござる N1Archaic polite copula, equivalent to です or である in modern Japanese. Used by samurai in historical speech.
  式部平内でござる
• ～ぬ (negative) N1Archaic negative suffix, equivalent to ～ない. Often used in classical or formal speech.
  見覚えがなくてはならぬ
• ～かえって N3Adverb meaning 'on the contrary' or 'rather'. Used to express an unexpected result.
  作者は無精だったのであろう、あるいは出版書肆と喧嘩したのであろう、いや事によれば作者はその小さな机から不意に呼ばれて、かえって来なかったのであろう
• ～げ N3Suffix attached to adjective stems to indicate appearance or seeming. Means 'seems like ~' or 'with an air of ~'.
  自分のものでない顔の映っているのを認めた

Cultural notes

• Feudal Daimyo ResidencesIn feudal Japan, a daimyo's residence was heavily guarded day and night. Unauthorized entry was nearly impossible, highlighting the supernatural nature of the intruder.
• Tea as a Spiritual MediumIn Japanese folklore, tea (or water) can sometimes reflect spiritual visions, such as faces from beyond. This motif appears in various ghost stories.

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Topics & grammar

Articleessaymysteryreflectionphilosophicaleerieaozora bunko〜ぬnu · classical negative (= ない)