三人兄弟
by Kan Kikuchi
A thousand years ago, three brothers part ways at a fork in the road.
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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
The text tells of three brothers who lost their parents young and lived by helping others with farm work, until one day they decide to set out together for the capital—only to choose separate paths at a three-way fork in the road to try their luck individually. The unhurried narration and small everyday details give it the feel of an old tale told quietly by a 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.
丹波 (Tamba) was one of Japan's ancient provinces under the ritsuryō system, located in what is now central Kyoto Prefecture and eastern Hyōgo Prefecture. Here "国" refers to an old administrative division, not a modern nation-state.
"奉公" means taking service in someone else's household or shop as a servant or worker in exchange for room, board, and pay. Here it refers to finding employment with a master in the capital.
A high-ranking official of the Daijōkan under the ritsuryō system. Since the office of Daijō-daijin was often vacant, the Minister of the Left was in effect the head of the court officials.
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).
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.
Do I need to pay or sign up?
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.