世帯休業Household Holiday

What you'll learn

The poet Toba returns to the lodging house to find the wife absent and the husband at home. The couple explains their experimental 'household holiday' contract. Toba offers to act as arbitrator for the remaining days.

The next morning, Toba cooks breakfast while the husband and wife ignore each other. Friction arises over domestic matters, and Toba enforces the contract. The wife's mother arrives with news of an inheritance from an uncle in Moji.

In the evening, the husband and wife discuss the inheritance in private, but are interrupted by Toba. They argue about how to use the money, touching on the limitations of their contract. The scene ends with the wife dreaming of a better life.

Key vocabulary

Grammar points you'll meet

• ～つたら N1Colloquial form of といったら, used to call someone with emphasis or mild annoyance.
  おい、僕ですよ、奥さん、鳥羽ですつたら……。
• ～たる N1Formal attributive form of である, meaning 'being' or 'as a (status)'.
  夫婦の一方が、疾病に罹りたるときは、隣人として看護の労をとること
• ～云々 N1Used to indicate 'and so on' or 'such things', often in formal documents.
  「故ら相手に苦痛を与へんとする言動を犯したる時云々」の項です。
• ～ものを N1Used to express regret or contradiction, meaning 'but/although'.
  さうだわ、お金が入つたら、真先

Cultural notes

• Household Holiday (世帯休業)The couple's concept of a temporary break from marital duties and domestic responsibilities, reflecting early 20th-century modern thoughts on marriage in Japan.
• Showa-era Literary CirclesThe poet Toba represents the bohemian artist figure common in Taisho/Showa literature, often lodging with families and engaging in intellectual discussions.
• Financial Expectations from RelativesThe news of an inheritance from a relative in Moji (Fukuoka) highlights the extended family economic ties common in early 20th-century Japan.

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Topics

Short Storycomedydomesticmiscommunicationhumorousaozora bunko