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阿部一族

The Abe Family

by Mori Ōgai

Denied leave to die with his lord, a retainer’s family is ruined.

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Original language: JapaneseLevel: Advanced3,596 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.

従四位下Junior Fourth Rank, Lower grade左近衛少将Left Konoe Lesser General兼越中守concurrently Governor of Etchu細川忠利はHosokawa Tadatoshi (topic marker)寛永十八年辛巳の春the spring of Kan'ei 18, the year of the metal snakeよそよりはthan elsewhere早く咲くbloom early領地肥後国の花をthe flowers of his domain Higo (object)見すててleaving behind, abandoning五十四万石の大名のof a 540,000-koku daimyo晴れ晴れしい行列にby the splendid procession前後を囲ませhaving (him) surrounded front and back南より北へfrom south to north歩みを運ぶadvancing, making its way春とともにtogether with the spring江戸を志してsetting his mind on Edo参勤の途にon the journey of alternate attendance上ろうとしているwas about to set outうちはwhile, during which timeからずunexpectedly (from はからず)病にかかってhaving fallen ill典医の方剤もeven the court physicians' medicines功を奏せずhad no effect日に増しday by day重くなるばかりonly growing worseなのでand so, therefore江戸へはto Edo出発日延べの飛脚がa fast messenger for postponing the departure date立つis dispatched
In the spring of Kan'ei 18, the year of the metal snake, Hosokawa Tadatoshi—Junior Fourth Rank Lower, Left Konoe Lesser General, and Governor of Etchu—left behind the flowers of his domain Higo, which bloom earlier than elsewhere. Surrounded front and back by the splendid procession of a 540,000-koku daimyo, as spring moved from south to north, he set his mind on Edo and was about to set out on the journey of alternate attendance, when unexpectedly he fell ill; the court physicians' medicines had no effect, and as his condition only grew worse day by day, a fast messenger was dispatched to Edo to postpone the departure date.
徳川将軍はthe Tokugawa shogun名君の誉れの高いhighly praised as a wise ruler三代目の家光でwas the third generation, Iemitsu, and島原一揆のときduring the Shimabara uprising賊将天草四郎時貞をthe rebel leader Amakusa Shiro Tokisada討ち取ってkilled大功を立てたhad achieved great merit忠利の身の上をTadatoshi's fate気づかいconcerned about三月二十日にはon March 20松平伊豆守Matsudaira Izu-no-kami阿部豊後守Abe Bungo-no-kami阿部対馬守のof Abe Tsushima-no-kami連名の沙汰書をa jointly signed letter of instruction作らせhad prepared針医以策というものをa needle doctor named Isaku京都からfrom Kyoto下向させるsent down
The Tokugawa shogun was the third generation, Iemitsu, highly praised as a wise ruler; concerned about the fate of Tadatoshi, who had achieved great merit by killing the rebel leader Amakusa Shiro Tokisada during the Shimabara uprising, on March 20 he had a letter of instruction prepared jointly signed by Matsudaira Izu-no-kami, Abe Bungo-no-kami, and Abe Tsushima-no-kami, and sent a needle doctor named Isaku down from Kyoto.
続いてnext; subsequently二十二日にはon the 22nd同じくlikewise; similarly執政三人のof the three senior officials署名したsigned沙汰書をa written directive (object)持たせてhaving (him) carry it曽我又左衛門というnamed Soga Matazaemon侍をa samurai (object)上使にas the shogun's envoyつかわすsends; dispatches
Then on the 22nd, similarly having him carry a letter of instruction signed by the same three senior officials, he sent a samurai named Soga Matazaemon as the shogun's envoy.
大名daimyo (feudal lord)に対するtoward / in relation to将軍家the shogun familyの's (possessive)取扱いtreatmentとしてasはas for (topic marker)鄭重courteous / politeを(object marker)きわめたreached the extreme (きわめた: was extreme)ものthing (nominalizer)であったwas (de aru past form)
As for the shogun family's treatment of daimyo, it was extremely courteous.

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About the book

"Abe Ichizoku" is a short story by Mori Ōgai, based on the historical incident in which the Abe family, a high-ranking family of the Higo domain in the early Edo period, was wiped out by order of the authorities. After their lord's death, Abe Yaichiemon was not permitted to follow him in death, and the family moved toward destruction. Published in 1913 amid contemporary debate over Nogi Maresuke's junshi, the story reflects the concerns of its time.

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.

参勤 History

The Edo shogunate required daimyo to travel to Edo at regular intervals to serve the shogun, leaving their wives and children in Edo as hostages while also attending to the government of their domains. This became a fixed institution during the Kan'ei era, and the size of a procession was set by the domain's kokudaka. Tadatoshi's journey east with the procession of a 540,000-koku daimyo was the performance of this duty.

島原一揆 History

An uprising of peasants and Catholics in Shimabara and Amakusa in 1637–1638 (Kan'ei 14–15). The shogunate sent Itakura Shigemasa, who died in battle; Matsudaira Nobutsuna then led the forces, destroyed Hara Castle, and killed the leader Amakusa Shirō Tokisada. Hosokawa Tadatoshi distinguished himself in this campaign.

沙汰書 History

Official documents issued by the shogunate's government offices. "Sata" originally meant an instruction from a superior to a subordinate. In the text, the document is jointly signed by Matsudaira Izu-no-kami, Abe Bungo-no-kami, and Abe Tsushima-no-kami, reflecting the convention of the time that the rōjū (elders) directed shogunal government.

About the author

Mori Ōgai (February 17, 1862 – July 8, 1922), born Mori Rintarō, was a Japanese Army Surgeon general officer, translator, novelist and poet, and father of the writer Mari Mori. He obtained his medical license at a young age, introduced translated German literary works to Japanese readers, and is considered a leading figure who modernized Japanese literature; his major work is The Wild Geese (1911–1913).

Summary prepared with AI from Wikipedia: 阿部一族 (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.

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