お住の霊The Ghost of the Residence

What you'll learn

The narrator introduces a ghost story from the Bunkyu era, heard from his friend's father, about a woman who seeks a divorce because she sees a ghost every night.

The brother goes to investigate at his sister's house. He confronts the husband, Hayato, who decides to search the pond for a possible drowned body.

The 80-year-old grandmother interrupts the pond-dredging and confesses a dark secret: 50 years ago, the owner's grandfather had an affair with a maid named Osumi, who was abused for becoming pregnant and drowned herself in the pond.

Key vocabulary

Grammar points you'll meet

• ～かどうか N4Used to express 'whether or not'. In the text: '成仏したかどうか知らぬ' (I don't know whether it became a Buddha or not).
  成仏したかどうか知らぬ
• ～ておく N4Indicates doing something in advance. In the text: '一応詮議致して見ましょう' (let's investigate first). Actually, ておく is implied but the text uses 致して見ましょう. Better to find explicit example. There is '打って置いた'? Not in text. Let's use another pattern.
  一応その掻堀をして見ろ
• ～ぬ N1Classical negative suffix. Equivalent to modern ない. Used frequently in the text, e.g., '知らぬ', '解らぬ', '信じられぬ'.
  知らぬ者の眼に怪しい影の映ろう筈がなく
• ～というもの N2Used to emphasize something as a concept. In text: '世には理外の理というものが有るものだ' (There are things beyond reason in this world).
  世には理外の理というものが有るものだ
• ～に相違ない N2Means 'without doubt'. In text: '正しくお住その者の幽魂が迷って出たに相違ない' (It is undoubtedly the ghost of Osumi).
  正しくお住その者の幽魂が迷って出たに相違ない

Cultural notes

• 旗本 (Hatamoto)A direct vassal of the shogun in the Edo period, holding a fief with income of at least 10,000 koku. The story mentions '旗下' (kaki), an alternate term for hatamoto, indicating the social status of the characters.
• 文久 (Bunkyu) EraA Japanese era name (1861-1864) towards the end of the Edo period. The story is set in this time, reflecting the historical backdrop.
• 幽霊 (Yurei) BeliefJapanese ghosts are often depicted with disheveled hair and white clothing, and are bound to the earthly realm by strong emotions. The ghost in the story is a classic example of a yurei seeking peace.
• 五十回忌 (Gojukkai Ki)A Buddhist memorial service held 50 years after a person's death, considered a significant milestone for the spirit's journey to enlightenment. The ghost appears exactly at this time.

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Read a sample in Japanese

Topics

Short Storyghost storysupernaturalsecretseeriesuspensefulaozora bunko