こま犬
by Kidō Okamoto
At a snowy-night ghost-story gathering, a tale of stone dogs.
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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
At a gathering of ghost stories on a snowy spring night, someone tells of a pair of stone guardian lions. The tale unfolds as one speaker relaying S's account of returning to his hometown, giving it a quiet, lingering eeriness.
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 formal outfit for Japanese men of the Meiji and Taishō periods: a haori (a short coat worn over the kimono) paired with hakama (trouser-skirts). Although Western clothing had become widespread by then, this outfit was still worn on traditional occasions such as memorial services. Its appearance indicates that the narrator is attending a family ceremony as a guest, observing rather than working.
Genki (1570–73) and Tenshiō... Tenshō (1573–92) were the era names of the age of Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi, that is, the final stage of Japan's Sengoku period. The Tenshō-era campaign of 1585, in which Hashiba Hideyoshi subjugated Shikoku, is a real historical event; Chōsokabe Motochika surrendered after this campaign.
Refers to the period when, in 1868, the new Meiji government issued the ordinance separating Shinto and Buddhism and banned the syncretic worship of both. This was followed by the anti-Buddhist movement known as haibutsu kishaku across the country, and many small shrines of obscure origin were merged or abandoned.
About the author
Kidō Okamoto (October 15, 1872 – March 1, 1939) was a Japanese author and playwright whose real name was Keiji Okamoto; he was born in the Shiba Takanawa district of Minato Ward, Tokyo. His best known work is the shin kabuki play Bancho Sarayashiki.
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 “Intermediate”. Every word is glossed, so you can keep reading even with a small vocabulary.
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English and Chinese glosses are prepared in advance; signed-in readers can generate other languages.