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鼠坂

by Mori Ōgai

On a steep Tokyo slope, men drink at night and one tells a dark tale.

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Original language: JapaneseLevel: Intermediate3,401 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.

小日向からfrom Kohinata音羽へto Otowa降りるdescend / go down鼠坂Nezumi-zaka (Rat Slope)と云うcalled / named坂があるthere is a slope
There is a slope called Nezumi-zaka that goes down from Kohinata to Otowa.
鼠mouseでなくてはunless it is; only if it is上がり降りgoing up and downが出来ないcannot doと云うthat is to say; called意味meaningでwith; by附けたattached; gave名nameだそうだis, it is said
The name is said to have been given because only a mouse could go up and down it.
台platform/hill terrace町townの方からfrom the direction of坂の上までup to the top of the slopeはas for人力車rickshawが通うpass/go back and forthがbut左側にon the left side近頃recently刈り込んだtrimmed事のthe fact ofなさそうなseeming not to be生垣hedgeを見てlooking at右側にon the right side広いwide邸跡site of a former residenceを(object marker)大きいbig松pine treeが一本one (tree)我物顔にas if it owns the place占めているoccupying赤土のred earth地盤をground見ながらwhile lookingここからがfrom here坂slopeだと思うthinking that it is辺までas far as the point来るとwhen (one) comes突然suddenly勾配の強いsteep in gradient狭いnarrow曲りくねったwinding小道になるbecomes a small path
From Daichō to the top of the slope, rickshaws pass, but on the left you see a hedge that looks like it has not been cut recently, and on the right you see a wide empty lot with a big pine tree standing as if it owns the place on red earth; when you come to the point where you think this is the slope, it suddenly becomes a steep, narrow, winding path.
人力車に乗ってriding in a rickshaw降りられないcannot go downのは勿論of course (that) ...空車にしてmaking it empty挽かせてmaking (someone) pull it降りることも出来ないcannot even go down
Of course you cannot go down riding a rickshaw, and you cannot even let it go down empty while pulling it.

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About the book

The passage describes Rat Slope, a steep hill in Tokyo, where a grand but oddly gloomy mansion has been newly built by a man named Miyabuchi whose background is unknown. The scene then moves inside the house, where several men drink at night and talk about the past.

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.

いかがわしい文晁の大幅 Allusion

Bunchō refers to Tani Bunshō (1763–1840), a famous Nanga painter of the late Edo period. His works survive in great numbers, but so do forgeries and pieces painted on his behalf, so the large hanging scrolls in ordinary households were often of questionable provenance.

旅順は落ちると云う時期に History

This refers to the final stage of the siege of Port Arthur during the Russo-Japanese War. The fortress of Port Arthur fell in January of Meiji 38 (1905). Since the text is dated "February 17" and says "a full year since the war began," the piece can be dated to early 1905.

マアテルリンクの戯曲 Allusion

This refers to the Belgian French-language playwright Maurice Maeterlinck (1862–1949), a leading figure of Symbolist drama. Mysterious, dim old mansions often appear in his plays.

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 “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.

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