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正義

by Shirō Hamao

After a public trial, a spectator reveals another view of justice.

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Original language: JapaneseLevel: Intermediate3,584 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.

ほうoh (expression of mild surprise/interest)するとso; then君はyou (topic)今日todayあのthat (distant)公判廷courtroom; court of lawにat; in (location particle)来て居たhad come; was (there)のか(explanatory question particle) is that so?
"Oh, so you were at the court today. ..."
そうだthat's so / that's how it isっ(gemination marking a casual, emphatic tone)た(past tense ending)の(explanatory nominalizer)か(question particle)
"Was that so?"
ええyesあのthat事件caseのof (possessive/linking particle)初めbeginningからfrom終りendまでuntil / to傍聴courtroom attendance / observing a trialしdo (stem of する)て-ing (te-form, linking to auxiliary)居be (auxiliary, here forming progressive)まpolite (part of ます)したdid (past polite)
"Yes, I sat in the court from the start to the end of that case.
あのum / sayあなたがyou (subject)弁護してやってるare defending (for someone)森木国松Moriki Kunimatsuっていうcalled / named被告人ですねthe defendant, rightあれがthat person (subject)松村子爵Viscount Matsumuraを(object marker)殺したkilledとはthat (topic)僕にもeven to me / I myself一寸a little / quite考えられませんよcannot think / believe
That defendant you are defending, Moriki Kunimatsu, I myself cannot think he killed Lord Matsumura. ...

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About the book

The text opens with a conversation after a murder trial: a playwright who attended the hearings visits his old friend, now the defense lawyer, and voices doubts about the accused's guilt. Set on a snowy night in a lonely study, with memories of their fading friendship, the prose feels quiet but quietly tense.

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.

衣川は法律を学んだ History

After the Meiji era, law and literature were the two main tracks at the old imperial universities: the law faculty led to elite careers in government or as lawyers, while the humanities were relatively poorly paid. Hamao Shirō himself trained in law and worked as a lawyer and a member of the House of Peers.

子爵 History

One of the five ranks of peerage (prince, marquess, count, viscount, baron) in Japan's kazoku system, established in 1884. Viscount titles were often granted to cadet branches of former daimyo families, shogunal retainers, and those with merit from the Meiji Restoration.

予審判事 History

The preliminary examination system in prewar Japanese criminal procedure: a preliminary judge investigated the evidence before trial, and if guilt was suspected, the case was sent to formal trial. The system was abolished in 1943. The phrase 「公判に移して居る」in the text means the case had already been transferred from preliminary examination to formal trial.

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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