What JLPT level is 現場の写真?

現場の写真 is suitable for JLPT N2 level readers (estimated JLPT N2).

How long does 現場の写真 take to read?

現場の写真 takes about 63 minutes (around 4432 words) to read at a learner's pace.

作品さくひんFree Graded Reading

現場の写真Crime Scene Photo

Gemba no Shashin

by 小酒井不木 · Kosakai Fuboku

JLPT N2Short StoryQuiz ready

A gripping crime mystery centered on a photograph.

About this story

Two men discuss an unsolved murder and the potential for copycat crimes as spring arrives.

Read a sample in Japanese

一その年の春はいつまでも寒さが続いたので、塚原俊夫君は、私に向かって、また大地震でも起こらねばよいがなどと、時々私を気味悪がらせておりました。けれども、幸いに、大きな天災地変もなく、五月に入ってからは急に暖かくなって、実験室の前の躑躅が一時に咲き揃いました。「兄さん、気候が寒いと、あまり大きな犯罪も起こらないようだねえ」と、ある日の午後、俊夫君は、紫外線装置の部屋から、退屈そうな顔をして出てきながら言いました。「犯罪など起こらない方がいいねえ。俊夫君には物足らぬかもしれないけれど、世間はたしかに迷惑するよ。しかし、ここ一週間ばかり急に暖かくなったから、また、犯罪がふえるかもしれないねえ。ことに浅草Ｙ町の株屋殺しのように、事件が迷宮に入ると、それを模倣して人殺しが続出しないともかぎらない」「ああ、そうそう」と、俊夫君は、急に熱心な顔をして言いました。

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What you'll learn

The narrator and Toshio discuss how warm weather increases crime, and police detective Oda arrives with a case: the murder of a stockbroker in Asakusa two weeks earlier. Toshio agrees to help find evidence.

Inspector Oda details the murder case: on April 20, stockbroker Suzuki Taisuke was found stabbed to death at home. His clerk Jinkichi is the prime suspect, but lacks concrete evidence. The police are stuck.

Toshio examines crime scene photos and deduces the killer is left-handed and that Jinkichi is innocent. He announces he knows the real killer but won't reveal it yet, then leaves to investigate.

Language difficultyIntermediate · 65/100

Key vocabulary

手代 (てだい)	clerk, apprentice
出鱈目 (でたらめ)	nonsense, random
とんと	completely, not at all
按摩 (あんま)	masseur, masseuse
前科持ち (ぜんかもち)	person with a criminal record

Grammar points you'll meet

～のではないか N2Used to express a tentative guess or rhetorical question, often meaning 'might it be that...?' or 'I wonder if...'
もう来るはずだが、それとも他の道を通ったのかな
～ということにしている N2Means 'to make it a rule to do something' or 'to pretend to do something'.
自分に依頼されない事件には、立ち入った研究をしないことにしているよ
～ものだ N3Used to express a general truth, something that naturally happens, or a characteristic.
人間は神様でないから、殺された人間がありゃ、殺した人間のあることは当たり前じゃないか
～とはいえ N1Means 'although', 'even though', used to acknowledge a fact but present a contrary point.
盲目でありながら、よくも、巧妙に凶行をとげたものですねえ。

Cultural notes

Blind Masseurs in Japan (Anma)In Japan, blind masseurs (anma) were historically common and often walked the streets playing a whistle to advertise their services. They wore high clogs (ashida) and used a stick. This story uses the cultural trope of the blind masseur as an unexpected criminal.
Japanese Police and Detective Work in the 1920sThe story reflects early Showa-era police procedures, including the reliance on physical evidence like fingerprints, bloodstains, and witness testimony. The amateur detective Toshio Tsukahara represents the popular 'armchair detective' archetype of the time.

Try a comprehension question

Toshio believes that cold weather leads to more crime.

True
False

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Sensei's reading tip

Pay close attention to dialogue markers that indicate shifts between polite and casual speech, as character relationships are revealed through language.