蜘蛛の夢
by Kidō Okamoto
A widow of seventy-eight recalls a spider dream from her youth.
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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
A 78-year-old woman recounts, in her own voice, her family and relatives as they were when she was fourteen in the Bunkyū era. The prose is conversational and unhurried, with the long, rambling preface typical of an elderly storyteller.
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.
Kaei 3 corresponds to 1850. Japanese era-name dates were often paired with the sexagenary cycle; 戌歳 means the Year of the Dog. This double marking of era name plus zodiac sign was the customary way Edo people stated their birth year.
In the Edo period, barbershops (髪結床) had to pay a licence fee (myōgakin) to the shogunate or to temples and shrines to obtain the right to operate—a right known as a "kabu." Kabu could be bought, sold, and inherited, and holders earned a steady income from them; this was a common livelihood among small townspeople.
In Edo currency, one bu was a quarter of a ryō. In the text, "three bu," "one bu," and "a little over one ryō" are converted step by step, reflecting the base-four silver-money system then in use.
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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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 “Intermediate”. 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.