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赤耀館事件の真相

by Juza Unno

A string of sudden deaths at a mansion hides a different truth.

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Original language: JapaneseLevel: Intermediate3,504 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.

赤耀館事件the "Red Gleam House case"と言えばspeaking of; when you mention昨年起ったthat occurred last year泰山鳴動して鼠一匹a great mountain rumbling and only a single mouse (a big fuss over a trifle)といった風のof the kind that is like; in the manner of一見詰らないseemingly dull/boring at first glance事件であったwas an incident
Speaking of the "Red Gleam House case," it happened last year and was like a big noise over a small thing, seeming dull at first.
赤耀館に関係ある人々のof the people connected to Red Gleam House急死がthe sudden deaths (subject marker)何か犯罪の糸にby some thread of crimeあやつられているare being manipulatedのではないかと言うのでbecause people said that it might be其筋ではthe authorities / the parties concerned二重にも三重にもtwice and even three times事件の調査をthe investigation of the case行ったのであったがhad conducted, butいわゆる証拠不充分の理由をもってon the grounds of so-called insufficient evidence事件はthe case (topic marker)抛棄せられたのであったhad been abandoned
People said the sudden deaths of those connected to Red Gleam House might be pulled by some thread of crime, so the authorities looked into the case twice and three times, but for the reason of what they called not enough proof, the case was thrown away.
東京Tokyoのof諸新聞the newspapersは(topic marker)赤耀館事件the Red Gleam House caseのof第一報道the first reportにfor大きなbig活字lettersを(object marker)費したusedことをthe fact that後悔してregrettingいるようだったseemed to beしand中でもamong them某紙の如きはone certain paper近来lately警視庁the police headquartersが(subject marker)強いstrong神経衰弱症nerve sicknessにwithかかっているis suffering from点をthe point指摘しpointed outこの調子ではat this rate今にsoon警視庁はthe police都下にin the city起るoccurring毎日百人宛a hundred a dayのof死者dead peopleのof枕頭the pillowに立ってstanding at殺人審問murder inquestを(object marker)しなdoければunless居られなくなるwould become unable to stayだろうprobablyなどとsaying things like毒舌sharp tongueを奮いwielding一杯担がれたhaving been fooled greatly腹癒せventing one's angerをしたdid
The newspapers of Tokyo seemed to regret that they had used big letters for the first report of the Red Gleam House case, and among them one paper pointed out that the police had lately caught a strong nerve sickness, and said with a sharp tongue that at this rate the police would soon have to stand at the pillow of each of the hundred dead in the city every day and ask murder questions, and so let out the anger of having been fooled.
しかしbut / however探偵小説に趣味を持っているhave an interest in detective stories私としてはas for me / since I諸新聞の記事をthe articles of the various newspapers聚めgathered又also / too警視庁の調書もthe police records too読ませて貰いwas allowed to readなるほどindeed / to be sure証拠不充分insufficient evidence乃至はor rather証拠絶無の事実をthe fact of there being no evidence at all合点することが出来たwas able to understandのであったがit was so, butどうしたものかsomehow / for some reason事件の底にat the bottom of the case猶still / yet消化しきれないcannot be fully digested或るものがsomething沈澱しているis settlingような気がしてfeeling as ifならなかったcould not help (feeling)
But since I have an interest in detective stories, I gathered the newspaper articles and was allowed to read the police records too, and I could understand the fact that there was not enough proof—or rather, no proof at all—yet somehow I could not help feeling that something still undigested was settled at the bottom of the case.

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About the book

People connected to the Sekikokan mansion keep dying suddenly, and though the police dropped the case for lack of evidence, the narrator senses something unresolved lurking beneath it. He is then unexpectedly invited by the mansion's owner to hear 'the truth of the Sekikokan incident.' The prose has the flavor of an old-style detective story, with an eerie atmosphere, and the red-brick mansion glowing in the sunset feels especially sinister.

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.

圏点 Customs

Refers to emphasis marks placed alongside characters (called 圏点 or 傍点 in Japanese), used for emphasis. In the text, the invitation deliberately adds 圏点 to the word “真相” (truth), showing that the sender intentionally stressed it.

能面 Style

Masks worn in the traditional Japanese performing art of Noh; their expressions are serene and almost expressionless. The original describes Matsuki Ryōjirō's face as “as formal as a Noh mask.”

笛吹川画伯 Customs

「画伯」 is an honorific title for a painter, with 「伯」 serving as an elevating suffix; it can also be used in a mocking or sarcastic tone.

About the author

Unno Jūza (December 26, 1897 – May 17, 1949), born Sano Shōichi, was a Japanese novelist regarded as the founding father of Japanese science fiction.

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

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