真珠夫人
by Kan Kikuchi
After an accident, a dying man entrusts Shinichiro with a watch.
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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
The Pearl Lady is a novel by Kan Kikuchi, serialized simultaneously in the Osaka Mainichi Shimbun and Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun from June 9 to December 22, 1920. It was his first newspaper serial and first attempt at popular fiction, and its success led to multiple film and television adaptations. The opening excerpt held in the library describes Shinichiro encountering a train accident, where a dying man entrusts him with delivering a wristwatch.
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.
Refers to Ōshima tsumugi, a silk fabric woven on Izu Ōshima. Thick and lustrous, and expensive, it was a kimono material much loved by women of the wealthier classes at the time. “揃” means a matched set of clothing.
A station on the Tōkaidō Line, in present-day Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture. It was a transfer station for travellers heading towards Hakone, Yugawara and Atami.
About the author
Kan Kikuchi (December 26, 1888 – March 6, 1948) was a Japanese author and publisher who came to prominence with the plays Madame Pearl and Father Returns. He founded the publishing company Bungeishunjū and its monthly magazine, the Japan Writer's Association, and both the Akutagawa and Naoki Prizes, and also served as head of Daiei Motion Picture Company (currently Kadokawa Pictures).
Summary prepared with AI from Wikipedia: 真珠夫人 (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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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.