雨ふり坊主
In a drought, Taro makes a little doll to pray for rain.
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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.
About the book
During a drought, Taro's father worries that the rice will wither, so Taro makes a doll with a written plea for rain and ties it to a tree branch. That night a heavy rain falls, giving the story a playful, childlike charm.
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.
A teru-teru bōzu, or 'sunshine doll.' A Japanese custom: when hoping for clear weather, it is hung under the eaves as a prayer for sunshine; when rain is wanted, it is hung upside down, called 'ame-furi bōzu,' which echoes this work's title. Children often make them before picnics and sports days.
A kiseru, a long, slender pipe of traditional design for smoking, with tobacco placed at one end and a mouthpiece at the other. In old times men commonly carried one on their person, holding it in their mouths during breaks from work.
A standard size of Japanese paper used for writing and calligraphy practice, measuring about 24 × 33 centimetres. Elementary school children commonly use hanshi paper for handwriting practice, so Tarō fetching some to write a letter and make dolls fits his identity as a child.
About the author
Yumeno Kyūsaku (4 January 1889 – 11 March 1936) was a Japanese author whose pen name roughly means "a person who always dreams"; his real name was Sugiyama Yasumichi. He wrote detective novels and also worked as a Zen priest, post office director and sub-lieutenant, and is known for his avant-gardism and surrealistic, wildly imaginative and bizarre narratives.
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.
Do I need to pay or sign up?
Library books are free to read without an account. Other gloss languages and importing your own texts need an account and credits.
What level is it?
This one is marked “Beginner”. Every word is glossed, so you can keep reading even with a small vocabulary.
Can I use another gloss language?
English and Chinese glosses are prepared in advance; signed-in readers can generate other languages.