護持院原の敵討
by Mori Ōgai
A samurai is murdered in Edo, and his family sets out for revenge.
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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
This passage opens the story of a Himeji samurai, Yamamoto San'emon, who while keeping watch in the gold room of his domain's Edo residence is ambushed by a man delivering a blank letter, leaving him badly wounded as the attacker flees—the start of the survivors' long quest for revenge. The narrative shifts abruptly from a quiet, dimly lit dawn scene to sudden violence, giving it a tense, stark feel.
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.
Utanokami (雅楽頭) was originally a court title. In the Edo period, daimyo commonly used such titles as their courtesy names; attaching an official title after the surname instead of calling the person by his given name was a form of respectful address. Sakai Tadazane was the lord of Himeji Domain.
In the Edo period the twelve-hour system was in use; the hour of the Rabbit (卯刻) corresponds to around six in the morning, so 'past the hour of the Rabbit' means after six o'clock. It was the time when gatekeepers changed shifts and servants came and went, so Kamezō, pleading urgent business, could slip out without close inspection.
A kuchiire-yado was an inn (brokering establishment) in Edo that arranged employment between employers and servants and guaranteed the servant's identity. Kamezō was introduced into the Sakai household's service through Fujiya Jizaburō, and this inn was responsible for guaranteeing his identity. The 'shitauke-yado' mentioned below refers to the affiliated establishment actually entrusted with placing the employee.
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).
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 “Advanced”. 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.
More by this author
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- Sansho the StewardMori Ōgai · Intermediate
- The Last PhraseMori Ōgai · Intermediate
- The Abe FamilyMori Ōgai · Advanced
- The Wild GeeseMori Ōgai · Advanced
- YouthMori Ōgai · Advanced
- 杯Mori Ōgai · Intermediate
- 牛鍋Mori Ōgai · Intermediate