作品Free Graded Reading
炭取りThe Charcoal Container
Sumitori
by 田中 貢太郎 · Tanaka Kōtarō
A child sees his dead mother climb the stairs at night, a classic ghost story.
About this story
About this storyA boy who lost his mother sees her ghost visit at night, causing a charcoal container to move.
Read a sample in Japanese
Read a sample in JapaneseSource
SourceThis 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 changed the spelling to modern kana and modern kanji.
The furigana are Yomimaru's.
What you'll learn
What you'll learnA child who lost his mother wakes up one night and sees his dead mother enter the room. As she moves, her kimono catches a charcoal container, which rotates. Meanwhile, all the other sleepers in the room have nightmares.
Key vocabulary
Key vocabulary| 母親 (ははおや) | mother |
|---|---|
| 梯子段 (はしごだん) | ladder; staircase (often steep) |
| 炭取 (すみとり) | charcoal container (used in traditional heaters) |
Grammar points you'll meet
Grammar points you'll meet- ～を無くした N5Past tense of なくす (to lose). The pattern [noun]をなくす means 'to lose something'.母親を無くした小供
- ～てくる (て来る) N4A auxiliary verb meaning 'to come' doing an action; often indicates direction towards speaker or beginning of an action.あがって来る者があった。
- ～うとする (volitional form + とする) N4Expresses an attempt to do something: 'try to do' or 'about to do'.小供の枕頭の方に来ようとした
- ～をはじめ（として） N3Meaning 'including [noun]' or 'starting with'. Used to list a representative example.祖父をはじめ傍に寝ていた者
Cultural notes
Cultural notes- Japanese Ghost Story MotifThis passage resembles classic Japanese ghost stories (怪談 kaidan) where a deceased relative returns, often causing supernatural events. The presence of a charcoal brazier (火鉢) and sliding door (障子) are common in traditional settings.
- Charcoal Container (炭取)A charcoal container (炭取) is used to hold charcoal for heating. In this story, the ghost's kimono hem catches on it, causing it to move mysteriously.
Try a comprehension question
Try a comprehension questionWho comes into the room?
- The child's father
- The child's dead mother
- A stranger
- The child's grandfather
Sensei's reading tip
Sensei's reading tipPay attention to sequential actions: waking, hearing, seeing the ghost enter, then the movement of objects.
Topics & grammar
Topics & grammar
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