作品Free Graded Reading
怪談女の輪The Women's Ring
Kaidan Onna no Wa
by 泉 鏡花 · Izumi Kyōka
JLPT N1Short StoryClassical / archaicQuiz ready
A creepy ghost story set in a decaying mansion with mysterious sounds.
What you'll learn
What you'll learnThe narrator describes his boarding house room and the eerie twilight setting. He reads a forbidden novel when mysterious sounds begin, escalating to a terrifying encounter with ghostly female legs and a room full of women, after which he falls ill. The story concludes with the teacher moving out due to the baby's crying.
Language difficultyExpert · 92/100
Key vocabulary
Key vocabulary| 逢魔が時 (おうまがとき) | twilight; the time of day when one is likely to meet demons |
|---|---|
| 鵺 (ぬえ) | a mythical Japanese chimera; a mysterious creature |
| 美少年録 (びしょうねんろく) | a book title, likely a record of beautiful boys |
| 塾 (じゅく) | cram school; boarding school |
| がたびし (ガタピシ) | onomatopoeia for a clattering, noisy sound |
Grammar points you'll meet
Grammar points you'll meet- ～がち N3Tends to; prone to (used after verb stems or nouns to indicate a tendency)此以前も三馬の浮世風呂を一册沒收されて四週間置放しにされたため、貸本屋から嚴談に逢つて、大金を取られ、目を白くしたことがある。
- ～てしまう N4To do something completely; to finish; indicates completion or regret内の細君が元結をこゝに棄てると、三七二十一日にして化して足卷と名づける蟷螂の腹の寄生蟲となるといつて塾生は罵つた。
- ～げ N3Suffix attached to adjective stems or nouns to mean 'seeming; appearing'震へ聲で、何でせうね。
Cultural notes
Cultural notes- 逢魔が時 and 雀色時These are traditional Japanese terms for twilight. '逢魔が時' literally means 'time to meet demons', and '雀色時' refers to the sparrow-colored dusk. Both evoke a sense of eerie transition between day and night, often associated with supernatural occurrences.
- 美少年録A fictional book title within the story, suggesting a collection of records or stories about beautiful boys. It reflects the character's interest in illicit reading material, as novels are banned in the boarding house.
- Meiji Period Boarding Houses (塾)During the Meiji period, private boarding schools (塾) were common, where students lived and studied. They were often old, run-down buildings, as described here, with minimal maintenance, leading to a creepy atmosphere.
Try a comprehension question
Try a comprehension questionWhat time of day does the narrator go to bed at the beginning of the story?
- Dawn
- Twilight
- Midnight
- Noon
Sensei's reading tip
Sensei's reading tipThis text uses Meiji-era literary Japanese with many archaic expressions and kana usage. Keep a dictionary handy for old words like '逢魔が時', 'あへぎ〳〵', etc.
Read a sample in Japanese
Read a sample in Japanese枕に就いたのは黄昏の頃、之を逢魔が時、雀色時などといふ一日の内人間の影法師が一番ぼんやりとする時で、五時から六時の間に起つたこと、私が十七の秋のはじめ。部屋は四疊敷けた。薄暗い縱に長い一室、兩方が襖で何室も他の座敷へ出入が出來る。詰り奧の方から一方の襖を開けて、一方の襖から玄關へ通拔けられるのであつた。一方は明窓の障子がはまつて、其外は疊二疊ばかりの、しツくひ叩の池で、金魚も緋鯉も居るのではない。建物で取𢌞はした此の一棟の其池のある上ばかり大屋根が長方形に切開いてあるから雨水が溜つて居る。雨落に敷詰めた礫には苔が生えて、蛞蝓が這ふ、濕けてじと〳〵する、内の細君が元結をこゝに棄てると、三七二十一日にして化して足卷と名づける蟷螂の腹の寄生蟲となるといつて塾生は罵つた。池を圍んだ三方の羽目は板が外れて壁があらはれて居た。
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