作品Free Graded Reading
火星の芝居The Theater on Mars
Kasei no Shibai
by 石川 啄木 · Ishikawa Takuboku
JLPT N2Short StoryQuiz ready
A wild imaginary trip to Mars where the theater is unlike anything on Earth.
What you'll learn
What you'll learnThe narrator tells his friend about an absurd dream of a theater on Mars with walls made of compressed sky, a never-ending hanamichi, and actors with gigantic headgear. The friend expresses disbelief and mocks the story as a tall tale.
Language difficultyIntermediate · 55/100
Key vocabulary
Key vocabulary| 法螺 (ほら) | tall tale, boastful story |
|---|---|
| 花道 (はなみち) | hanamichi (the walkway leading to the kabuki stage) |
| 看客 (かんきゃく) | spectator, audience |
| 烏帽子 (えぼし) | traditional Japanese headwear, often formal |
| 素 (す) | eccentric, unusual |
Grammar points you'll meet
Grammar points you'll meet- ～て来た N4Shows movement toward the speaker (and then back) or experience of coming and doing something.俺は昨夜火星に行って来た
- ～んだ（のだ） N4Explanatory or emphasis sentence-ending particle (noda).俺は昨夜火星に行って来たんだ
- ～そうだ ( hearsay ) N3Indicates hearsay: 'I heard that...'十カ月かかるそうだ
- ～てしまう N4Expresses completion of an action, often with a nuance of regret or finality.目が覚めたから夢も覚めて了ったんだ
- ～ても（でも） N4'Even if...' or 'No matter how...'行っても、行っても、青い壁だ。
Cultural notes
Cultural notes- Hanamichi (花道)A raised walkway through the audience to the stage in Kabuki theater. In the story, it's exaggerated to be made of compressed sky and stretching infinitely, highlighting the absurdity of the dream.
- Natsume Soseki's 'Ten Nights of Dreams'This text is likely from Natsume Soseki's collection '夢十夜' (Ten Nights of Dreams), known for surreal and fantastical dream sequences. This excerpt is from the 'First Night' about a Martian theater.
- Nikolai Cathedral (ニコライの会堂)A Russian Orthodox cathedral in Tokyo, used as a comparison for the size of the actor's headgear. It was a notable landmark in Soseki's time.
Try a comprehension question
Try a comprehension questionThe narrator claims he actually went to Mars.
- True
- False
Sensei's reading tip
Sensei's reading tipPay attention to the contrast between the polite and casual speech (e.g., ます/です vs. だ) to catch shifts in tone.
Read a sample in Japanese
Read a sample in Japanese『何か面白い事はないか？』『俺は昨夜火星に行って来た』『そうかえ』『真個に行って来たよ』『面白いものでもあったか？』『芝居を見たんだ』『そうか。日本なら「冥途の飛脚」だが、火星じゃ「天上の飛脚」でも演るんだろう？』『そんなケチなもんじゃない。第一劇場からして違うよ』『一里四方もあるのか？』『莫迦な事を言え。先ず青空を十里四方位の大さに截って、それを圧搾して石にするんだ。石よりも堅くて青くて透徹るよ』『それが何だい？』『それを積み重ねて、高い、高い、無際限に高い壁を築き上げたもんだ、然も二列にだ、壁と壁との間が唯五間位しかないが、無際限に高いので、仰ぐと空が一本の銀の糸の様に見える』『五間の舞台で芝居がやれるのか？』『マア聞き給え。その青い壁が何処まで続いているのか解らない。万里の長城を二重にして、青く塗った様なもんだね』『何処で芝居を演るんだ？』『芝居はまだだよ。その壁がつまり花道なんだ』
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