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高野聖

The Holy Man of Mount Koya

by Kyōka Izumi

A wandering monk recalls a bewitching woman deep in the mountains.

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Original language: JapaneseLevel: Advanced3,597 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
参謀本部General Staff (military headquarters)編纂のcompiled by地図mapを(object marker)またagain繰開いて見るopen up and look atでもなかろうprobably would not (even do so)と(quotation particle)思ったthoughtけれどもbut / however余りのtoo much / excessive道roadじゃis (colloquial copula)からbecause手を触るtouch with the handさえeven暑くるしいswelteringly wearisome / bothersome in the heat旅の法衣の袖the sleeve of my travel robeを(object marker)かかげてlifting / raising表紙を附けたwith a cover attached折本folded book (accordion-folded)にin (the form of)なってるis made into / has becomeの(nominalizer: the thing)を(object marker)引張り出したpulled out
I had thought I would never need to open the map made by the General Staff again, but the road was so long that even touching it was hot, so I lifted the sleeve of my travel robe and pulled out the folded book with a cover.
飛騨から信州へ越えるcrossing from Hida to Shinshu深山の間道でon a deep mountain pathちょうど立休らおうというjust about to stop and rest一本の樹立も無いthere was not a single tree右も左も山ばかりじゃon both sides there was nothing but mountains手を伸ばすとwhen you stretch out your hand達きそうな峰があるとif there is a peak that seems reachableその峰へ峰が乗りpeak upon peak巓が被さってsummits overlapping飛ぶ鳥も見えずnot even a flying bird can be seen雲の形も見えぬnor the shape of a cloud can be seen
On a deep mountain path from Hida to Shinshu, there was not a single tree to rest under, and on both sides there were only mountains; if there was a peak that seemed reachable by stretching out a hand, peak upon peak and summit over summit, no flying bird could be seen, nor the shape of a cloud.
道と空との間にbetween the road and the skyただ一人all alone我ばかりI alone / only Iおよそ正午と覚しいseemingly around noon極熱の太陽the scorching hot sunの色も白いほどにso intense that its color turned white冴え返ったkeen, piercing (light)光線をthe rays (direct object)深々とdeeply (worn on the head)戴いたwore / received on the head一重の檜笠にwith a single-layered cypress hat凌いでenduring / shielding againstこうthus, in this way図面を見たlooked at the drawing
Between the road and the sky, I alone endured the rays of the extremely hot sun, which seemed to be around noon and shone so white and clear, under a single-layer cypress hat worn deep, and thus I looked at the drawing.

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About the book

"The Saint of Mt. Koya" is a short story by Izumi Kyōka. A traveling monk of Mt. Koya recounts to a young companion the strange tale of his own experience: passing through mountain paths infested with snakes and leeches, he arrives at a solitary house where an alluring woman lives. The story depicts a surreal, mysterious world in Kyōka's distinctive style—rich vocabulary, visual imagery, and rhythm created by sentence-ending nouns—and is regarded as a masterpiece of fantastic fiction.

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.

参謀本部編纂の地図 History

The General Staff was the military organ in charge of army command and land surveying in the early Meiji period, and the topographical maps produced by its Land Survey Division were the most detailed of the time. That the travelling monk carries such a map to cross the deep-mountain back routes between Hida and Shinshū shows how remote and difficult these paths were.

高野山に籍を置く Social role

Mount Kōya is the head temple and sacred site of the Shingon sect in Wakayama Prefecture, founded by Kūkai (Kōbō Daishi). 「籍を置く」means that his name as a monk was registered at a temple on Mount Kōya, that is, he was a Shingon priest.

宿引 Customs

This refers to the touts who worked in front of stations in the Meiji period, competing to seize travellers and drag them back to their own inns. With exaggerated strokes, Kyōka depicts the scramble of touts at Tsuruga Station—a faithful picture of the railway inn trade of the day.

About the author

Izumi Kyōka (real name Izumi Kyōtarō; 4 November 1873 – 7 September 1939) was a Japanese novelist, writer, and kabuki playwright active in the prewar period. He was known for a Romanticism favoring supernatural tales influenced by the Edo period, and is considered one of the supreme stylists of modern Japanese literature.

Summary prepared with AI from Wikipedia: 高野聖 (小説) (CC BY-SA)

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

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