作品Free Graded Reading
娘の生霊The Daughter's Living Ghost
Musume no Ikiryō
by 田中 貢太郎 · Tanaka Kōtarō
JLPT N1Short StoryQuiz ready
A tailor is visited by a young woman's spirit who tries on a dress and vanishes, leaving only the garment behind.
What you'll learn
What you'll learnA stockbroker's daughter commissions an expensive dress from a seamstress. The seamstress works through the night to finish it. The daughter arrives late at night, tries on the dress, and mysteriously vanishes, leaving only the dress behind. The next morning, the seamstress learns the stockbroker family has fled after a huge financial loss, realizing the daughter was a ghost.
Language difficultyIntermediate · 55/100
Key vocabulary
Key vocabulary| 相場師 (そうばし) | stockbroker |
|---|---|
| 裁縫師 (さいほうし) | seamstress |
| ねだる | to coax, to pester (for something) |
| 金目のかかる (きんめのかかる) | costly, expensive |
| 後廻し (あとまわし) | postponement, putting off |
| ずんずん | briskly, quickly (walking) |
| おおがらを啖う (おおがらをくう) | to suffer a huge loss, to go bankrupt |
| 夜逃げ (よにげ) | night flight (escaping at night) |
Grammar points you'll meet
Grammar points you'll meet- ～て（で）もらう N4Receive the favor of someone doing something (causative of receiving). Here, the daughter had her father buy the clothes.父親にねだって買ってもらった衣服を
- ～させる（使役） N4Causative form: to make/let someone do something. Here, the daughter had the seamstress sew (缝わせる is used in older form 縫わしに).縫わしにやった
- ～てしまう N4To do something completely/regrettably. Here, the seamstress finished sewing (缝いあげた).やっと縫いあげたところで客があった。
- ～ところで N1Just when (something happened). In classical usage, it can mean 'at the point when'. Here, 'just when she finished sewing, a visitor came.'やっと縫いあげたところで客があった。
- ～て（で）ある N4State of having been done (transitive). Here, 'the clothes were wrapped in tatami mat' -> 包んであった.胡蓙の中に包んであった彼の衣服を執って見せた。
- ～てたまらない N3Cannot stand, extremely. Here, 'the seamstress was extremely curious' -> 不思議でたまらない.裁縫師は不思議でたまらないので、朝になるのを待ちかねて相場師の家へ往って見た。
Cultural notes
Cultural notes- Classic Japanese Ghost Story (怪談)This story is reminiscent of kaidan, traditional Japanese ghost tales often involving restless spirits tied to objects or unfinished business. The daughter's spirit appears fully materialized and then vanishes, leaving only the dress—a classic motif of tsukumogami or spirit attachment.
- 夜逃げ (Night Flight)夜逃げ refers to secretly fleeing one's home at night to escape creditors or disgrace. In the context of the stockbroker suffering a huge loss (おおがらを啖う), this was a common fate for failed speculators in pre-modern Japan, highlighting the precariousness of wealth.
- 裁縫師 (Seamstress) as a Social RoleIn Edo-period Japan, seamstresses (裁縫師) were skilled artisans who often worked from home, taking orders from wealthier clients. The story emphasizes the trust and urgency involved in custom garment making, as well as the social gap between the clients and the craftswoman.
Try a comprehension question
Try a comprehension questionWhy did the seamstress postpone other work?
- Because she was asked to finish the dress by the next morning.
- Because she wanted to start a new project.
- Because she was expecting a visitor.
- Because the dress was not expensive.
Sensei's reading tip
Sensei's reading tipPay attention to the use of classical verb forms like 縫わしに (causative) and 出て往く (old form of 出ていく) to understand the historical setting.
Read a sample in Japanese
Read a sample in Japanese某相場師の娘が、父親にねだって買ってもらった衣服を、知りあいの裁縫師の処へ縫わしにやった。なにしろ相場で巨万の富を積んだ家のことであるから、その衣服も金目のかかったりっぱな物であったろう。またそうした衣服であるから期日も急ぐので、裁縫師は他の仕立物を後廻しにして裁縫にとりかかったが、期日が翌日の朝になっているので、その夜は一時近くまで仕事をして、やっと縫いあげたところで客があった。裁縫師は夜遅くなって何人が来たろうと思って、入口の雨戸をあけると、それは相場師の娘であった。「おや、まあ、お嬢さん」娘は光沢のいい顔に微笑を見せた。「明日の朝までに、どうかと思って、見に来たのよ」「やっと出来あがったところでござんすの」「そう」裁縫師は娘を上へあげて、胡蓙の中に包んであった彼の衣服を執って見せた。すると娘は、「ちょっと」と云って、それを着るなり、ずんずんと表の方へ出て往くので、裁縫師は驚いて、
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