作品Free Graded Reading
平山婆The Old Woman of Hirayama
Hirayama Baba
by 田中 貢太郎 · Kōtarō Tanaka
JLPT N3Short StoryQuiz ready
Dead relatives keep appearing in the cupboard—no matter where the family moves.
What you'll learn
What you'll learnA 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.
Language difficultyIntermediate · 55/100
Key vocabulary
Key vocabulary| 坑夫 (こうふ) | miner |
|---|---|
| 壁厨 (かべずし) | closet (built into a wall) |
| 物脅え (ものおびえ) | frightened look, timidity |
| みっともない | shameful, disgraceful |
| ぱっと | suddenly, in a flash |
Grammar points you'll meet
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
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.
Try a comprehension question
Try a comprehension questionWhat does the wife see when she first opens the closet?
- A pile of futons
- The ghosts of her in-laws
- A strange animal
- Nothing
Sensei's reading tip
Sensei's reading tipPay attention to the archaic verb forms like 云う (いう) and 往って (いって) – they are equivalent to modern いう and いって.
Read a sample in Japanese
Read a sample in Japanese福岡県嘉穂郡漆生村に平山と言う処があって、そこに坑夫の一家が住んでいた。家族は坑夫の息子夫婦とその両親の四人であった。明治末季頃、その両親夫婦、即ちお爺さんとお婆さんが、ちょっとした病気で僅かの間に死んでしまった。ところで、その爺さんと婆さんが死んでから間もない時のこと、そこの息子の細君が何かの用事で壁厨を開けたが、開けるなり、「わ」と言って外へ飛び出した。庭では息子が薪を割っていた。息子はその声に驚いて、「何だ、どうしたのだ」と言って聞いたが、細君は真っ青な顔をして震えているばかりで何も言わなかった。そこで息子が又聞いた。「おい、どうしたのだ、何かあったのか」「お爺さんとお婆さんがおった」と言って、細君は家の中を恐ろしそうに見た。息子はばかばかしかった。「ばかだなあ、死んでしまった者が、どうしておる、神経だよ」「神経じゃないよ、ほんとだよ、嘘と思えば行って見るがいい」
Read the full text with furigana + instant lookups in Yomimaru →
Topics
More N3 reads
