平山婆The Old Woman of Hirayama

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What you'll learn

A miner and his wife are haunted by the ghosts of his parents, who appear sitting in a closet after their deaths. The husband initially dismisses the wife's fears but then sees the ghosts himself. The haunting becomes village gossip, and they try to escape by moving, but the ghosts follow.

Key vocabulary

Grammar points you'll meet

• ～てしまう N4Indicates completion or regret of an action. Here it's used for 'disappeared completely'.
  と云うと二人の姿はぱっと消えてしまった。
• ～さえすれば N3"If only ...", used to emphasize condition. Here: "every time they opened the closet".
  それから昼でも夜でも、壁厨を開けさえすれば、二人の坐っている姿が見えた。
• ～ばかりで N3"only, just" - indicates that nothing else happens besides that. Here: "just sitting and doing nothing".
  ただ坐っているばかりで何もしなかった。
• ～と云う N2Historical/classical equivalent of という. Used in narrative for 'called' or 'said'.
  福岡県嘉穂郡漆生村に平山と云う処があって、
• ～せられる (使役受身) N1Causative-passive form, here せられては from する. Implies 'being made to do' something unpleasant.
  そんなことをせられては、みっともない

Cultural notes

• 平山婆 (Hirayama-baba)A local name given to the haunting in the story. 'Baba' (婆) means old woman or hag, but here it refers to the pair of ghosts. In Japanese folklore, hauntings often get named after the location (平山) and the apparition type (婆).
• 炭坑文化 (Coal Mining Culture)The story is set in a coal mining village (炭坑地) in Fukuoka, which was a major coal mining region. Mining families often lived in company housing (炭坑住宅). Ghost stories were common among miners as entertainment and folklore.
• 壁厨 (Wall Closet)A traditional built-in closet in Japanese homes, often used for storing futons. In folklore, closets and storage spaces are common places for spirits to appear, as they are liminal spaces between the inside and outside of the home.

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Topics & grammar

Short Storyghost storyfolkloresupernaturalfeareeriesuspensefulaozora bunko〜てしまうte shimau · ended up (regret)〜という〜to iu · called / named