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煙管

by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa

A lord’s gold pipe sets the castle servants begging for it.

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Original language: JapaneseLevel: Intermediate3,458 characters · ≈ 14 minSource: 青空文库

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Sample: three-line reading

Each word has its meaning in this sentence underneath, and each sentence has a full translation. Read the original and glance down only when you need to.

一one
One
加州石川郡金沢城の城主the lord of Kanazawa Castle in Ishikawa District, Kaga Province前田斉広はMaeda Narihiro (topic)参覲中during his attendance江戸城の本丸へto the main keep of Edo Castle登城する毎にwhenever he went up to the castle必ずalways愛用の煙管をhis favorite pipe (object)持って行ったcarried (took along)
The lord of Kanazawa Castle in Ishikawa District, Kaga Province, Maeda Narihiro, always carried his favorite pipe whenever he went up to the main keep of Edo Castle during his attendance.
当時at that time有名なfamous煙管商pipe merchant住吉屋七兵衛Sumiyoshiya Shichibei (a name)の手に成ったwas made by the hand of金無垢地にin solid gold剣梅鉢の紋sword-and-plum-blossom crestぢらしと云うcalled (a pattern named)数寄を凝らしたelaborately refined煙管であるit is a pipe
It was a pipe made by Sumiyoshiya Shichibei, the famous pipe merchant of the time—solid gold, with a sword-and-plum-blossom crest pattern, a pipe of refined taste.
前田家はthe Maeda family (topic)幕府の制度によるとaccording to the shogunate's system五世加賀守綱紀以来since the fifth generation, Kaga-no-kami Tsunanori大廊下詰でbeing of the great corridor attendance席次はas for rank (topic)世々尾紀水三家の次をthe place after the three houses of Owari, Kishu, and Mito, for generations占めているhas been occupying
Under the shogunate's rules, the Maeda family had held the great corridor seat since the fifth generation, Kaga-no-kami Tsunanori, and for generations their rank occupied the place after the three houses of Owari, Kishu, and Mito.

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About the book

The text describes a lord of the Kaga domain who brings a solid gold pipe to Edo Castle, drawing attention at court and making it the talk of the tea-house monks. It reads as an ironic, refined classical narrative that carefully portrays the lord's vanity and the monks' chatter.

Cultural notes (selection)

Background a translation can’t carry: social roles, history and allusions. While reading, tap “Note” at the end of a sentence to see them all.

大廊下詰 History

One of the waiting seats in the honmaru of Edo Castle where daimyo were seated according to their family rank. The Kaga Maeda family's place there was an exceptionally high honour, rarely granted to an outside lord (tozama daimyo).

尾紀水三家 History

The three Tokugawa branch families of Owari, Kishū, and Mito—the gosanke—whose standing was above that of the daimyo. The Kaga Maeda family held a domain of one million koku and was ranked immediately after the gosanke, first among the tozama daimyo, which is why the text below stresses its wealth.

拝領 History

An Edo-period term for receiving an item from a superior such as one's lord or the shogun, carrying a sense of gratitude and honour. The recipient would often solemnly perform "osetsuki"—raising the gift above the head in thanks.

About the author

Ryūnosuke Akutagawa (1 March 1892 – 24 July 1927), also known by his art name Chōkōdō Shujin, was a Japanese writer active in the Taishō period who is regarded as the "father of the Japanese short story". He died by suicide at the age of 35 through an overdose of barbital, and Japan's premier literary award, the Akutagawa Prize, is named after him.

How the glosses are made

Word glosses and sentence translations are generated in context by AI models (DeepSeek and Zhipu GLM), and every word is checked to have a gloss. AI can make mistakes; you can report problems from the book page.

FAQ

Is this the original text?

Yes. The library holds the opening section of the public-domain original, taken from 青空文库.

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What level is it?

This one is marked “Intermediate”. Every word is glossed, so you can keep reading even with a small vocabulary.

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English and Chinese glosses are prepared in advance; signed-in readers can generate other languages.

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