What JLPT level is 空中に消えた兵曹?

空中に消えた兵曹 is suitable for JLPT N1 level readers (estimated JLPT N1).

How long does 空中に消えた兵曹 take to read?

空中に消えた兵曹 takes about 11 minutes (around 869 words) to read at a learner's pace.

作品さくひんFree Graded Reading

空中に消えた兵曹The Petty Officer Who Disappeared in the Sky

Kūchū ni Kieta Heisō

by 田中貢太郎 · Tanaka Kōtarō

JLPT N1Short StoryQuiz ready

A petty officer vanishes from a plane mid-flight, a baffling ghost story from the early days of aviation.

About this story

Two aviators return from a flight only to find the petty officer in the observer seat has vanished mid-air.

Read a sample in Japanese

大正七八年比のことであった。横須賀航空隊のＮ大尉とＳ中尉は、それぞれ陸上偵察機を操縦してＡ飛行場に向けて長距離飛行を行い、目的地に到著して機翼をやすめるひまもなく、直ちに帰還の途についた。両機は一千米の高度を保ちながら雁行していたが、箱根の上空にさしかかったところで、密雲のために視界を遮られたうえに、エアーポケットに入って機体が烈しい勢いで落下した。そして、二百米ばかりも落下して、やっと危険を脱したので、Ｎ大尉はやや安心して僚機の方を見たが、僚機の姿は見えなかった。Ｎ大尉は己でも危険に遭遇しているので、もしや彼の時にどうかしたのではないかと思ってＳ中尉の身の上を心配しいしい帰って来た。それで著陸するなり、機体の手入れも忘れて西の方ばかり見ていた。と、二十分ばかりして僚機の姿が夕暮の空に見えて来た。Ｎ大尉はほっとして僚機の著陸するやいなや駈けて往って、Ｓ大尉の手を執った。

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Source

This text comes from Aozora Bunko (青空文庫), the volunteer-run library of Japanese writing that is out of copyright. See this work on Aozora Bunko

Base edition (底本): 「伝奇ノ匣6　田中貢太郎日本怪談事典」学研Ｍ文庫、学習研究社
2003（平成15）年10月22日初版発行

Typed in by Hiroshi_O. Proofread by noriko saito.

Yomimaru has not changed the spelling or the wording.

The furigana are Yomimaru's.

What you'll learn

Two naval aviators, N大尉 and S中尉, experience a terrifying incident when their fellow crew member M兵曹 vanishes mid-flight. Haunted by the disappearance, S中尉 eventually sees M兵曹's ghost on his plane, leading to a crash on the anniversary of the disappearance.

Language difficultyAdvanced · 78/100

Key vocabulary

雁行 (がんこう)	flying in a V-formation
エアーポケット	air pocket (turbulence)
機翼 (きよく)	wing (of an aircraft)
著陸 (ちゃくりく)	landing (aircraft)
兵曹 (へいそう)	petty officer (naval rank)

Grammar points you'll meet

～やいなや N1As soon as (something happened), ...
著陸するやいなや駈けて往って
～しいしい N1While doing (one action) repeatedly (with some feeling)
Ｓ中尉の身の上を心配しいしい帰って来た
～というのであった N2It is said that...; (used to explain a reason or situation)
夢中になって著陸したと云うのであった。
～かと思うと N3As soon as; no sooner than
と云ったかと思うと、そのままばったりと倒れてしまった。
～ことのないように N2So that something does not happen
（Example not in text, so skipping）

Cultural notes

Taisho Era Military AviationThe story is set in the Taisho period (1912-1926), when Japanese military aviation was in its infancy. Yokosuka Air Corps was a real unit. Aircraft were fragile and flying was risky, which contributes to the story's atmosphere.
Naval Ranks: 大尉, 中尉, 兵曹大尉 (Captain) and 中尉 (Lieutenant) are officer ranks in the Imperial Japanese Navy. 兵曹 (Petty Officer) is a non-commissioned officer rank. These ranks reflect the military hierarchy of the time.
Japanese Ghost Stories (Kaidan)This story follows the tradition of kaidan, Japanese ghost stories that often involve unresolved deaths and vengeful spirits. The disappearance of M兵曹 and his reappearance is a classic trope.