作品Free Graded Reading
隧道内の怪火Strange Fire in the Tunnel
Suidōnai no Kaika
by 田中 貢太郎 · Tanaka Kōtarō
A train tunnel haunted by a blue flame that chases railway workers.
About this story
About this storyA train conductor encounters a mysterious blue flame in a tunnel built with many casualties.
Read a sample in Japanese
Read a sample in JapaneseWhat you'll learn
What you'll learnThe passage introduces a cursed tunnel between Hyogo and Okayama prefectures, built with many casualties. Train conductors fear the sound of the wheels, which seems to say 'not enough bones'. Years later, a young conductor on a summer night sees a blue fire rise from the tracks and fly towards the train, causing it to shake violently.
Key vocabulary
Key vocabulary| 隧道 (ずいどう) | tunnel |
|---|---|
| 恐れられていた (おそれられていた) | was feared |
| 背筋 (せすじ) | spine, back (muscles) |
| 慄えあがって (おののきあがって) | to shudder with fear |
Grammar points you'll meet
Grammar points you'll meet- 〜だけに N2Expresses 'precisely because' or 'just as expected from'.多くの犠牲者を出してようやく竣工しただけに、
- 〜てしかたがない N3Expresses that something is extremely (unbearably) ...熱くてしかたがないので、
- 〜なり N1Indicates that an action occurs immediately after a previous action (archaic/literary).それがふわりと浮きあがるなり、非常な勢いで列車目がけて飛んで来た。
- 〜目がけて N2Aiming at/toward a target.非常な勢いで列車目がけて飛んで来た。
Cultural notes
Cultural notes- Human Pillar Legend (人柱)Japanese folklore holds that building large structures like bridges or tunnels sometimes required human sacrifice (人柱, hitobashira) to appease spirits. The phrase '骨がたりない' (not enough bones) in the story alludes to the belief that the tunnel was incomplete because not enough lives were lost.
Try a comprehension question
Try a comprehension questionWhat did the train wheels sound like according to the story?
- Bones rattling
- Toko toko ton
- Blue fire
- Not enough bones
Sensei's reading tip
Sensei's reading tipPay attention to onomatopoeia like 'とろとろ' and 'ぐらぐら'—they often set the mood.
Topics & grammar
Topics & grammar
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