作品Free Graded Reading
星あかりStarlight
Hoshi Akari
by 泉 鏡花 · Izumi Kyoka
A haunting ghost story under the starlight, filled with eerie beauty.
About this story
About this storyA man locked out of his temple lodging wanders a graveyard at night, struggling to re-enter.
Read a sample in Japanese
Read a sample in JapaneseWhat you'll learn
What you'll learnThe protagonist, staying at a temple in Kamakura, cannot sleep and goes outside. He wanders through a graveyard, tries to open a door, and eventually walks to the beach. Overwhelmed by fear and exhaustion, he rushes back to the temple, where he hallucinates seeing his own sleeping body.
Key vocabulary
Key vocabulary| 墓石 (はかいし) | tombstone |
|---|---|
| 蚊帳 (かや) | mosquito net |
| 卵塔場 (らんとうば) | cemetery with stupa-shaped tombstones |
| 由井ヶ浜 (ゆいがはま) | Yuigahama beach (in Kamakura) |
| 法華宗 (ほっけしゅう) | Nichiren sect of Buddhism |
Grammar points you'll meet
Grammar points you'll meet- ～てならない N1Indicates that a feeling is so strong it cannot be suppressed; 'cannot help but feel'.不安心でならぬから、浪が襲うとすたすたと後へ退き、浪が返るとすたすたと前へ進んで、
- ～たところで N1Even if; no matter. Indicates that an action will not lead to the expected result.何にもならないで、ばたりと力なく墓石から下りて、腕を拱き、差俯向いて、じっとして立って居ると、
- ～のを ～る (nominalization) N3Nominalizes a verb phrase to act as the object of a following verb.戸を開けようとすると閉出されたことに気がついた。
Cultural notes
Cultural notes- Kamakura's Temples and BeachesThe story is set in Kamakura, a historic city south of Tokyo, famous for its temples and beaches like Yuigahama. The 'Myocho-ji' temple mentioned is a real Nichiren sect temple in the area.
- Nichiren Sect (法華宗)A major Buddhist sect founded by Nichiren in 13th-century Japan, focusing on the Lotus Sutra. The temple in the story belongs to this sect.
- Morning Market (朝市)The protagonist speculates about a 'yuki no shita no asaichi' (morning market in Yukinoshita), a traditional practice in Japan where farmers sell fresh produce in the early morning.
Try a comprehension question
Try a comprehension questionWhat does the protagonist use as a platform to try to open the sliding door?
- Fallen tombstones
- A wooden box
- A stone lantern
- His own luggage
Sensei's reading tip
Sensei's reading tipRead slowly, paying attention to descriptive passages that convey the protagonist's psychological state.
Topics & grammar
Topics & grammar
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