Podcasts about earless

The TV series "Shogun" brings Japanese history to life, but who was the first Shogun? In the first episode of this new podcast series, Sean Bermingham explores Minamoto no Yoritomo's extraordinary rise to power in medieval Japan, amidst the dramatic backdrop of the Gempei War - an epic clash between two rival samurai clans, the Genji and the Heike. We'll see how the Tale of the Heike was passed down over generations by traveling storytellers - and in a secluded temple cemetery, we'll accompany a brave musician who has an unearthly encounter with samurai spirits from a vanished age...Places mentioned in this episode:Kitano Tenmangu Treasure House, Kyoto - the shrine preserves an ancient sword believed to be the Genji heirloom 'higekiri' : https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20220826/p2a/00m/0et/037000cAkama Shrine, Shimonoseki - shrine dedicated to the boy-Emperor Antoku and the Heike who died at Dan-no-Ura; the setting for the tale of Hoichi the Earless:https://en.japantravel.com/yamaguchi/akama-shrine/17401Music and sound effects from Pond 5: www.pond5.comThe First Shogun podcast website: https://firstshogun.buzzsprout.com

Episode #66 of Daffy's Round Table! Hello everyone and welcome back to another episode! Join me as i talk with Stefan of @terrariumchannel about his experiences in the hobby, what the hobby is like where he is based in the Netherlands! We also discuss keeping and breeding semi aquatic reptiles and paludariums and then take a deep dive into an incredible species Lanthanotus borneensis the Borneo Earless Monitor!Thanks for listening! Thank you to Exo Terra for sponsoring this podcast and making this episode possible. Exo Terra makes quality products for our pet reptiles to make them feel at home. Give Stefan a follow on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/terrariumchannel/Subscribe to Stefan's Youtube Channel:https://www.youtube.com/ @terrariumchannel If you enjoyed this episode please subscribe to Daffy's Round Table on whatever streaming platform you use! Follow Daffy: Instagram: @DaffysreptilesTwitter: @DaffysreptilesFacebook: Facebook.com/DaffysreptilesTiktok: @DaffysreptilesBusiness: daffysreptiles@gmail.com

How do you find a pet sitter for your reptiles? We share some of our favorite tips for petting sitting and crazy stories like finding a dead chameleon! We talk about our Valentine's Day plans and traditions and wrap up this episode by talking about some of our listener's dream species. Get early access to episodes: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-wild-type-podcast/subscribe Follow the podcast: - https://www.instagram.com/thewildtypepodcast/ - https://www.tiktok.com/@thewildtypepodcast - Merch: https://my-store-efee6d.creator-spring.com Follow Neptune the Chameleon: - https://www.youtube.com/c/NeptunetheChameleon/ - http://instagram.com/neptunethechameleon - https://tiktok.com/@neptunethechameleon - http://facebook.com/neptunethechameleon - https://www.neptunethechameleon.com Follow Lyssa's Lizards: - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmZaN6Q4yOt1j36J0-Ml6LQ - https://www.instagram.com/lyssaslizards - https://www.tiktok.com/@lyssaslizards - https://m.facebook.com/p/Lyssas-Lizards-100064470381677/ 00:00 Happy Valentine's Day! 02:43 Boarding your pets 07:30 We pet sit for each other 08:54 The story of the dead chameleon 13:19 Automate as much as possible 14:25 Have spares on hand 15:36 Have everything laid out for your sitter 16:15 It has to be someone you trust 17:33 Provide detailed care info 18:38 Don't feed dead crickets 20:30 Choose food wisely 21:53 Feeding snakes ahead of time 23:14 Pet sitting Tarzan 25:30 Have an emergency contact 28:22 How to find a pet sitter 30:26 Teach the signs of a sick animal 32:49 Poke laid an egg! 33:46 Significant others as pet sitters 34:46 Check local Facebook groups 35:46 Are you the type to go big or small for Valentine's Day? 38:26 Flowers are required 39:39 Lyssa's got MARRIED! 42:30 Discounted candy 43:19 Smash or pass reptile edition 44:06 Komodo dragon 44:34 Brazilian rainbow boa 45:36 Red tegu 46:27 Emerald tree boa 47:03 Day gecko 48:06 Parson's chameleon 49:17 Earless monitor lizard 51:49 Carpet chameleon 52:43 Red eyed crocodile skink --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-wild-type-podcast/message

In this episode we hear from Drake Rangel about his masters' thesis research on Spot-Tailed Earless Lizards—what they are, where they live, how to find them, and who's eating whom out there.    Email us at wildpodcast@tamuk.edu For more information: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drake-rangel-570921157/ https://www.ckwri.tamuk.edu/media/talk-wild-side-podcast   https://www.rotarycc.com/harvey-weil/

FULL EPISODE ON THE WIKISLEEP APP... Find it on WikiSleep.com.Pulled from from The Book of Japanese Myth, these Four Legends of the Weird include a corpse eater, the tale of Hōïchi the Earless, a haunted futon and more. Spooky, strange and perfect for lulling you to sleep.......#WikiSleep #SleepStories #Japanese #Myth #Meditation #SleepDiversion #SleepTool #MentalHealth #Sleep #Podcast #Stories  By becoming a WikiSleep member, you're investing in your own ad-free sleep health—and sleep health is mental health. Thank you for being a supporter. https://plus.acast.com/s/wikisleep. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Photo: No known restrictions on publication. @Batchelorshow #OzWatch: Return of the extinct Earless Dragon of Victoria! Jeremy Zakis, New South Wales. #FriendsofHistoryDebatingSociety https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jun/25/australian-earless-dragon-last-seen-in-1969-rediscovered-in-secret-location

Today we look into the tale of Hoichi the Earless, a renowned Biwa player known to recite the tale of Dan-no-Ura. And in Heather's Corner today, we have an interesting senryu. ~ Review us over on: Podchaser. Check out our growing database on Japanese History over at historyofjapan.co.uk Instagram: @nexus_travels Youtube (Minecraft): Mycenria ~~ Intro and Outro music Ocha by Harris Heller. ~~ Written by Thomas and Heather.

Sign up for our mailing list! We also have t-shirts and mugs with our logo! Thanks to Richard from NC for his suggestion that leads us to learn about some interesting seals! Further reading: Mystery of Siberian freshwater seal food choice solved Under Antarctica's ice, Weddell seals produce ultrasonic vocalizations Further listening/watching: Rarely-heard Weddell Seal Sounds in Antarctica The bearded seal Wikipedia page with audio so you can listen over and over and over The Baikal seal, the world's only fully fresh water seal species: Baikal seal, round boi: The Baikal seal's teeth have teeth: A Weddell seal mama with her pup who seems to be practicing singing: Look ma, no ears! The bearded seal. Can you tell where its name comes from? (Moustachioed seal might be more accurate.) (Also, note the ear opening with no external ear flap.) Show transcript: Welcome to Strange Animals Podcast. I'm your host, Kate Shaw. This week let's learn about some interesting seals. Thanks to Richard from NC who suggested freshwater seals, which is where we'll start. Most seals live on the coast and spend most of the time in the ocean. But there's one species of seal that lives exclusively in fresh water. That's the Baikal [bay-CALL] seal, and the only place it lives is a big lake in Siberia called Lake Baikal. Lake Baikal formed where two sections of the earth's crust are being pulled apart by continental drift. That's called a rift lake or rift valley lake. The lake gets bigger every year, but only by a tiny amount—just under an inch, or 2 cm. Since this has been going on for an estimated 25 to 30 million years, though, it's an extremely big, deep lake. It is, in fact, the deepest lake on earth, and is also the oldest lake on earth. It's more than twice as old as Lake Tanganyika in East Africa, which is also a large, deep rift lake but only about 12 million years old at the most. Lake Baikal is almost 400 miles long, or 636 km, and nearly 50 miles wide, or 80 km. At its deepest point, it's 3,893 feet deep, or 1,186.5 meters. That's from the surface of the water to the muddy bottom. But that mud and sediment on the bottom has been building up for a very long time and there's a lot of it—4.3 miles of it, in fact, or 7 km. The water is very clear and very oxygenated, but the surface freezes for several months out of the year. Then again, there are some hydrothermal vents, especially in the deepest areas, that heat the water around them to 122 degrees Fahrenheit, or 50 Celsius. Because Lake Baikal is so deep, so big, so oxygenated, and so old, lots of species of animal live in and around it that live nowhere else in the world. That includes the Baikal seal. The Baikal seal is related to the Arctic ringed seal but has lived in the lake exclusively for probably two million years. It only grows five and a half feet long at most, or 1.65 meters, and is usually closer to four feet long, or 1.2 meters. It's gray in color and has no external ears, so that its head appears smooth. It can still hear, but because it doesn't have ears sticking out of its head, it's more streamlined than seals with external ears. It has large eyes, a pair of front flippers that it uses to maneuver in the water and on land, and a pair of hind flippers that act like a tail instead of legs. That's actually the main difference between earless and eared seals. Earless seals are more streamlined in general and more adapted for life in the water and for deep diving, but they're awkward on land because they can't use their hind limbs for walking. Eared seals have little flaps of external ears and while their hind flippers act as a tail in the water, the seal can turn its hind flippers over to walk on them on land. The Baikal seal is quite small for a seal, which keeps it from needing as much food as a bigger animal. For a long time people thought the Baikal seal mostly ate fish,

We're back, baby, we're back, and just in time to release part one of this SPOOKY OCTOBER Halloween Weekend Double Feature! Let's travel back to Heian Japan with "Hoichi the Earless," the third segment from the 1964 anthology film, "Kwaidan." We're talking about the Genpei War, how vengeful ghosts could threaten the political state, and Lafcadio Hearn (best name ever?).

The re-telling of a famous Japanese folktale about a blind minstrel who can charm even the dead.Hengtee Lim writes stories that look to capture the snippets of loneliness and connection that weave through the city of Tokyo. You can find more of his work at snippetsbooks.com or drop him a line at @hent03 on Twitter.Anglo-Irish writer Andi Brooks is co-author of the critically acclaimed biography Vampire Over London: Bela Lugosi in Britain and Ghostly Tales of Japan. Since moving to Japan, he has become immersed in the world of yūrei and yōkai. You can read today's story and all the stories featured on kaidankai at https://www.whiteenso.com/100-stories.html. Follow us on twitter at: Japanese Ghost Stories @ghostJapanese Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kaidankai100/

If you listen to our show, your ears are doing the work, unless you're a certain type of roundworm that researchers have just shown can react to sound even though they don't have any ear-like organs. Plus: a crater on the moon has a new name in honor of the great Black explorer Matthew Henson. Earless worms 'listen' through their skin (Science Daily) Thanks to UCLA graduate student, a lunar honor for explorer Matthew Henson (UCLA) If you hang out with us you'll hear us talk about how great our Patreon backers are --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/coolweirdawesome/support

Hello everyone! We've got another exciting episode to kick off September

Japanese Myths, Hoichi-the-Earless. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/Phinesjacksonjr IG: Everythingsjustphine --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/phines-jackson-jr7/support

In this episode, Indy chatters at length about the earless monitor lizard! And we had a surprise last episode that we were not aware of in the form of our cool new intro song! Thanks to Milo Cuesta for composing that absolute BOP for us!

Hour 1 of A&G features a rousing introduction, a triumphant Mailbag, mask guidance, a drunk Tom Brady and a look at yesterday's impeachment hearing. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

In this episode, Jenny talks with us about the poem that has been a friend to her – 'Mushrooms' by Sylvia Plath. Jenny joined The Poetry Exchange online and is in conversation with Poetry Exchange team members, Fiona Bennett and John Prebble. Fiona reads the gift reading of 'Mushrooms'. ***** Mushrooms by Sylvia Plath Overnight, very Whitely, discreetly, Very quietly Our toes, our noses Take hold on the loam, Acquire the air. Nobody sees us, Stops us, betrays us; The small grains make room. Soft fists insist on Heaving the needles, The leafy bedding, Even the paving. Our hammers, our rams, Earless and eyeless, Perfectly voiceless, Widen the crannies, Shoulder through holes. We Diet on water, On crumbs of shadow, Bland-mannered, asking Little or nothing. So many of us! So many of us! We are shelves, we are Tables, we are meek, We are edible, Nudgers and shovers In spite of ourselves. Our kind multiplies: We shall by morning Inherit the earth. Our foot's in the door. From Collected Poems (1981) by Sylvia Plath, published by Faber and Faber Ltd. ***** For more information surrounding our upcoming event, 'In The Company of Poems', please visit www.thepoetryexchange.co.uk

In this episode, I make an attempt at telling a Japanese horror story. “Hoichi the Earless” is one of the more darker legends in Japanese folklore.

In the summer of 1907, two bodies turned up in different sections of Oklahoma, shot, presumably robbed – and with their ears cut off. Part of the Straight Up Strange Network: https://www.straightupstrange.com/ My Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/forgdark/ Opening music from https://filmmusic.io. "Dark Child" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Closing music by Soma. SOURCES “Another mystery.” McAlester Daily Capital, August 2, 1907. “Black Hand in Oklahoma.” Drummond Herald, August 15, 1907. “Brutal murder in box car.” Parsons (KS) Daily Sun, July 29, 1907. “Bury body held 5 years.” St. Louis (MO) Globe-Democrat, April 29, 1912. “Charles Gunreth is a victim of murderous organization.” Oklahoma Post, August 2, 1907. “Crawford is yet alive.” Tuttle Times, August 9, 1907. “Crime is fixed on Tuttle man.” Lawton Daily News-Republican, August 2, 1907. “Crimes committed by the same persons?” Chickasha Daily Express, August 7, 1907. “Ear snipped body again identified.” Wichita Beacon, December 20, 1911. “Ear snipper up again.” Chickasha Daily Express, March 20, 1908. “Ear snippers are believed to be in custody of officers.” Oklahoma Post, September 9, 1907. “Earless body is unidentified.” McAlester Daily Capital, August 3, 1907. “Ears severed from the heads.” Jasper (IN) Herald, August 9, 1907. “Earlsboro man is discharged.” Shawnee Daily Herald, September 18, 1907. “Expect more arrests in Gunreth mystery.” Oklahoma Post, September 14, 1907. “False arrest suits in murder mystery put off.” Daily Oklahoman, April 22, 1910. “Find body of murdered man.” Oklahoma News, March 18, 1907. “Firm under sweating.” Ardmore Morning Democrat, September 11, 1907. “Five men arrested, two are discharged.” Chickasha Daily Express, July 30, 1907. “Frantz offers reward.” Daily Ardmoreite, August 12, 1907. “Fryrear returns.” Tuttle Times, August 16, 1907. “The Gunreth murder.” Lawton Daily News-Republican, March 25, 1908. “Identification now complete.” Hobart Daily Republican, April 1, 1907. “Identity of dead man brought to light.” Hobart Daily Republican, March 22, 1907. “Indian may have committed the crime.” Oklahoma Post, August 2, 1907. “Isabel boy not victim.” Wichita Daily Eagle, August 23, 1907. “Isabel items.” Barber County Index, September 4, 1907. “Maintain innocence.” Chickasha Daily Express, September 11, 1907. “Man found in Elk Creek.” Roosevelt Record, March 22, 1907. “May be murderers of unknown man.” Lawton Daily News-Republican, July 29, 1907. “May catch ear snippers.” Chickasha Daily Express, December 26, 1907. “May have been Tuttle man.” Lawton Daily News-Republican, August 1, 1907. “May have murderer.” Chickasha Journal, July 30, 1907. “Most brutal murder committed.” Chickasha Daily Express, July 29, 1907. “Mummy is positively identified.” Chickasha Daily Express, December 21, 1911. “Murder case still a mystery.” Oklahoma City Weekly Times, August 9, 1907. “Murder growing mysterious.” Cement Courier, August 9, 1907. “Murder mystery grows complex!” Hobart Daily Republican, July 20, 1907. “Murdered in car.” Fort Smith (AR) Times, July 29, 1907. “Mysterious ear clipping baffle Oklahoma officials.” Greensboro (NC) Daily News, October 27, 1907. “Mysteriously disappeared.” Tuttle Times, August 2, 1907. “Not able to solve.” Shawnee Union Gazette, August 3, 1907. “Officers have right clue in big mystery.” Ardmore Morning Democrat, September 18, 1907. “One more victim of band of thugs.” Muskogee Daily Phoenix, August 2, 1907. “Sees his sister among the dead.” Oklahoma Post, September 1, 1907. “Still unidentified.” Daily Ardmoreite, August 20, 1907. “Theory of Gunreth murder revives old seduction story.” Oklahoma Post, August 7, 1907. “Three Tuttle men arrested.” Chickasha Journal, August 1, 1907. “To call special grand jury.” Chickasha Journal, August 5, 1907. “Two men found dead with ears clipped off.” Houston Post, September 3, 1912. “Unknown man murdered in Frisco box car.” Chickasha Journal, July 29, 1907. “Waters of Big Elk reveal ghastly crime.” Hobart Daily Republican, March 18, 1907. “Wilbur Gunreth's mother fails to identify body.” Oklahoma Post, August 3, 1907. “Will offer reward.” Vinita Daily Chieftain, August 5, 1907. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/58663849/johnny-robinett https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/69091681/wilbert-olin-gunreth  

In this extra-long episode of Blood on the Tracks Lee mostly just shuts up during the wrap-around and gives you a massive playlist of music from horror anthology movies, starting in the 1960s and finishing up in the 2010s. Playlist: --Main Titles from "Black Sabbath" (1963) --Roberto Nicolosi --Main Titles from "Black Sabbath" (1963) --Les Baxter --Hoichi the Earless from "Kwaidan" (1964) --Takemitsu Toru --Main Titles & End Credits from "Dr. Terror's House of Horrors" (1965) --Elisabeth Lutyens --Suite from "Torture Garden" (1967) --Don Banks & James Bernard --Main Titles & End Credits from "The House that Dripped Blood" (1971) --Michael Dress --Gnomus from "Asylum" (1972) --Modest Mussorgsky --Main Titles, score excerpt & End Credits from "The Vault of Horror" (1973) --Douglas Gamley --Toccata & Fugue in D Minor from "Tales from the Crypt" (1972) --Johann Sebastian Bach --Main Theme from "Tales that Witness Madness" (1973) --Bernard Ebbinghouse --Main Titles & End Credits from "From Beyond the Grave" (1974) --Douglas Gamley --Score excerpts from "The Uncanny" (1977) --Wilfred Josephs --Something to Tide You Over from "Creepshow" (1982) --John Harrison --End Credits from "Nightmares" (1983) --Craig Safan --Cat's Eye from "Cat's Eye" (1985) --Ray Stevens --Main Theme from "Cat's Eye" (1985) --Alan Silvestri --Everybody But You from "Night Train to Terror" (1985) -- Joe Turano --Old Chief Wood'nhead from "Creepshow 2" (1987) --Les Reed --The Raft from "Creepshow 2" (1987) --Rick Wakeman --Main Titles from "Tales from the Dark Side: The Movie" (1990) --Donald Rubenstein --From The Dark Side from "Tales from the Hood" (1995) --Gravediggaz --Main Theme from "Trick 'r Treat" (2007) --Douglas Pipes --Corridor Of Truth from "Ghost Stories" (2018) --Frank Ilfman Opening and closing music: Money Orgy from "Danger Diabolik" by Ennio Morricone & Main Theme from "The Horror of Dracula" by James Bernard.

Part 1 of 2 of our scope special! Thanks to Paul for joining Dutchy, Bronte & Rusty. In this episode, we broke down a bunch of scope terminology and looked at how scopes worked, some of the limitations and options. Check out our facebook group: Precision Rifle Australia https://www.facebook.com/groups/498886997583395/ Remeber our episode special through Projectile Warehouse & Scoped Out. Use the code EARLESS to take $10 off M31 earmuffs from Earmor. www.projectilewarehouse.com.au www.scopedout.com.au

In this 2 Part episode, Travie Harris joins Andy, Dutchy & Rusty for a wrap up of the 2019 Delta Tactical Steelpocalypse. Remeber our episode special through Projectile Warehouse & Scoped Out. Use the code EARLESS to take $10 off M31 earmuffs from Earmor. www.projectilewarehouse.com.au www.scopedout.com.au

In this 2 Part episode, Travie Harris joins Andy, Dutchy & Rusty for a wrap up of the 2019 Delta Tactical Steelpocalypse. Remeber our episode special through Projectile Warehouse & Scoped Out. Use the code EARLESS to take $10 off M31 earmuffs from Earmor. www.projectilewarehouse.com.au www.scopedout.com.au

Download MP3 今月第1週は「ドラマで英語を学ぼう」をお届けします。 夏の風物詩といえば怪談！というわけで、今回は久々にLafcadio Hearn (1850-1904)の"Kwaidan" (1904) をお届けします。本ポッドキャストでは4年前に「おしどり」「貉」「雪女(1)」「雪女(2)」をお届けしましたが、今回は映画にもなり、体中にお経が書かれたあの琵琶法師の姿でおなじみ、「耳なし芳一」です。 今回は35分と少し長いですが、比較的わかりやすい英語で書かれ、日本人にとって親しみのある題材を扱った「怪談」は、英語学習にも適しています。どうぞ最後までお楽しみください。 　 [スクリプトは動画上に表示されます] Hoichi the Earless straits = 海峡 a clan = a family group, especially in history, or in remote villages of developing societies today. (Example: the Nobunaga clan) to perish = to be destroyed and disappear utterly = terribly to be haunted = ghosts lurk, 幽霊の出る to hover about = to wander around, うろつく、さまよっている 　　 to flit = to go or flash quickly, ひらひら飛び回る pale = not bright, 薄い clamor = noise and confusion to be restless = 落ち着かない、そわそわした to appease = to make (somebody) feel better because you did something bad、なだめる、やわらげる a cemetery = a place where dead people are buried and honored to inscribe = to carve (cut) some writing into a stone or other hard material, しるす、刻む drowned = dead from sinking in water vassals = servants and workers under a shogun or king Buddhist services = Buddhist religious ceremonies on behalf of = for, のために a tomb = cemetery memorial rocks, 墓, 記念の洞窟 to erect = to make a building or a large structure such as a tomb to give less trouble = to not cause so many problems queer = strange at intervals = sometimes, once in a while, from time to time, occasionally to find peace = to be satisfied, relaxed, and not cause problems blind = not able to see to be famed for = to be famous for, to be well-known for… recitation = telling stories to recite = to tell stories a lad = a boy to surpass (someone) = to go even higher (than someone) in ability chiefly = mainly to refrain from = to avoid (doing), 控える、~を我慢する an outset = a beginning a priest = a religious leader of a temple or a Catholic church gratefully = thankfully lodging = sleeping facilities, 宿泊 to gratify = to make happy, to satisfy otherwise = その他の点で to be disengaged = to be free (from doing work) a parishioner = a member of a temple or church an acolyte = an assistant (especially in a temple or church) a verandah = a porch, a walk-way between the garden and the building in a temple or traditional Japanese house, 縁側 to overlook = to be above with a view to relieve = to ease the pain of, 楽にする solitude = loneliness midnight = 12:00 at night to halt = to stop abruptly = suddenly unceremoniously = without formalities a manner = a way, a behavior to summon = to order to come an inferior = a person with less power a menace = a danger, threatening a lord = a samurai leader exceedingly = great a rank = a level an attendant = the assistants of a lord or a king at once = right away, immediately august = noble, rich, honored, 恐れ多い an assembly = a group of people lightly = carelessly, without thought to disobey = to not follow the orders of to don = to wear deftly = skillfully obliged = required iron = very strong and similar to 鉄 a clank = a noise of metal hitting against metal a stride = a walking step armed = with weapons on duty = working a retainer = a samurai’s assistant an assurance = speaking with confidence presently = at that moment unbarring = unlocking a heavy gate the twain = a pair of people (Note: old English) to pass on = to move forward to traverse = to move across a screen = 襖 in converse = talking a domestic = a person who cleans and takes care of a house noble = rich to conduct = to lead, 案内する conjecture = deep thinking to mount = to climb interminable = unending a reach = an open area polished = 磨き上げた planking = boards (板) in the floor pillared = similar to pillars (柱) angles = 角度 widths = distances a matted floor = 畳 vast = huge assembled = gathered rustling = こすれる音 humming = ブンブン undertones = whispers a court = a king/queen or samurai leader and all of his/her assistants to put (someone) at ease = to relax (someone) a kneeling-cushion = 座布団 to divine = to guess, to imagine a matron = 女監督 in charge of = responsible for to address (someone) = to formally speak to (someone) to the accompaniment of = with the background music of to venture a question = to dare to ask a question, 大胆無謀にも a portion = a part augustly = with respect, 荘厳な to make answer = to answer (Note: formal and old) for the pity of it = because the sadness of it is the most deep = is great to chant = to sing to strain = ぐいとやる an oar = オール、櫂（かい） a whirr = ヒューという音 the hissing of arrows = シューという矢の音 to trample = 踏みつける to plunge = to dive a flood = the big sea (Note: old English) slain = killed (by swords) murmuring = whispering praise = complements、褒めること a province = an region, 県 courage = bravery a hush = quietness wonder = awe, 畏敬の念 the fate = the destiny, 悲運 the fair = beautiful people (Note: old English) the helpless = 無力な人たち piteous = 哀れな、痛ましい to perish = to die a leap = a jump imperial = related to an Emperor or King an infant = a young child to utter = to say, 言い表す to shudder = to shake anguish = 苦悩 to weep = to cry (Note: the past form is “wept”) to wail = to cry in a loud voice grief = trouble, 嘆き to sob = to cry lamentation = sadness to suppose = to think, to guess to be assured = to be told with confidence, to be guaranteed in recitative = in story telling to-night = tonight (Note: old English) pleased = happy, satisfied to bestow upon = to give (Note: a king or samurai leader gives something to a less powerful person) fitting = appropriate, suitable a reward = 褒美 a sojourn = travelling and staying somewhere incognito = hiding one’s presence and name, お忍びで、匿名で duly = dutifully, adequately, to bid (someone) farewell = to say goodbye to (someone) (Note: poetic. Also, the past form of “to bid” is “bade”) to reproach = to scold, to criticize to be anxious = to be worried to accompany = to go together with evasively = avoiding something, あいまいに to attend to (something) = to take care of (something), 事務を執る to be pained by = to be troubled by 　 reticence = keeping quiet to be bewitched = 〜にたぶらかされる、〜にばかされる to be deluded by = to be tricked by, だまされる evil spirits = 悪霊 in case that = in the event that, もしの場合に a lantern = ランタン、ちょうちん evidently = apparently, it seems like for = because to make inquires = to ask questions, to investigate furiously = in a crazy way, 猛烈に to hasten = to hurry to resound = to echo, 鳴り響く mortal = a normal person who will die in the end strenuously = with great effort to rattle = to make noise loudly, ガラガラ鳴る clang = clank, カーン reprovingly = criticizingly to interrupt = to interfere, 邪魔する、割り込む in such a manner = in this way to be tolerated = 許される Whereat = With that weirdness = craziness to seize = to grab to be relieved of = 脱がせる (Note: formal English) by order of = の命令で to insist upon = to say strongly, to demand astonishing = shocking to hesitate = to delay doing, ためらう at last = finally conduct = behavior, actions, manner to alarm = to worry, 不安を感じさせる to abandon = to give up reserve = reticence, hesitating to relate = to tell any… whatever = none at all, 全然ない but = but instead… illusion = fantasy, hallucinations, 錯覚 to obey = to follow the orders of to tear (something) to pieces = 切れ切れに引き裂く sooner or later = eventually, in the end in any event = no matter what you do, いずれにしても holy texts = お経 to strip = to take the clothes off of to trace = to write a breast = a chest limbs = arms and legs soles = 足の裏 the holy sutra = 経典 Hannya-Shin-Kyo = 般若心経 as if = pretending to to meditate = めい想する to stir = to move a little to be torn asunder = to be ripped into pieces laid = put (Note: the past tense of “to lay” is “to put”) planking = floor boards to assume the attitude of = to be in the position of, ある態度をとる、〜のふりをする to cough = 咳をする audibly = in a way that can be heard thus = in this way to hold (one’s) breath = 息を殺す grimly = seriously and sadly, 厳格に savagely = wildly and angrily as still as a stone = without moving at all to grumble = to utter disapprovingly, うなるように言う That won’t do! = That is NOT good enough! I am not happy. a fellow = a guy, a man deliberately = carefully and with a goal, 慎重に to halt = to stop dead silence = complete silence gruff = husky and not friendly, しわがれ声、どら声 to mutter = to grumble, to speak in a quiet way footfalls = footsteps to recede = to go into the distance to descend = to go down to cease = to finish a trickling = 滴り落ちるもの to dare not to = 〜しょうと思わない to slip = 滑る clammy = cold, wet, and sticky to perceive = to see, to notice to ooze = to drip in a bad way, じくじく流れ出る a wound = 怪我 My poor, Hoichi = 可哀想です to be startled = to be shocked to burst out = 突然〜しだす tearfully = 涙ながらに It’s all my fault! = すべて私のせい grievous = serious and regretful to make sure = to confirm ~ cannot be helped = 仕方がない to heal = 癒す Cheer up! = Don’t be sad! to be well over = to be totally finished aid = help far and wide = to many places wealthy = rich the appellation of = the name of

Download MP3 今月第1週は「ドラマで英語を学ぼう」をお届けします。 夏の風物詩といえば怪談！というわけで、今回は久々にLafcadio Hearn (1850-1904)の"Kwaidan" (1904) をお届けします。本ポッドキャストでは4年前に「おしどり」「貉」「雪女(1)」「雪女(2)」をお届けしましたが、今回は映画にもなり、体中にお経が書かれたあの琵琶法師の姿でおなじみ、「耳なし芳一」です。 今回は35分と少し長いですが、比較的わかりやすい英語で書かれ、日本人にとって親しみのある題材を扱った「怪談」は、英語学習にも適しています。どうぞ最後までお楽しみください。 　 [スクリプトは動画上に表示されます] Hoichi the Earless straits = 海峡 a clan = a family group, especially in history, or in remote villages of developing societies today. (Example: the Nobunaga clan) to perish = to be destroyed and disappear utterly = terribly to be haunted = ghosts lurk, 幽霊の出る to hover about = to wander around, うろつく、さまよっている 　　 to flit = to go or flash quickly, ひらひら飛び回る pale = not bright, 薄い clamor = noise and confusion to be restless = 落ち着かない、そわそわした to appease = to make (somebody) feel better because you did something bad、なだめる、やわらげる a cemetery = a place where dead people are buried and honored to inscribe = to carve (cut) some writing into a stone or other hard material, しるす、刻む drowned = dead from sinking in water vassals = servants and workers under a shogun or king Buddhist services = Buddhist religious ceremonies on behalf of = for, のために a tomb = cemetery memorial rocks, 墓, 記念の洞窟 to erect = to make a building or a large structure such as a tomb to give less trouble = to not cause so many problems queer = strange at intervals = sometimes, once in a while, from time to time, occasionally to find peace = to be satisfied, relaxed, and not cause problems blind = not able to see to be famed for = to be famous for, to be well-known for… recitation = telling stories to recite = to tell stories a lad = a boy to surpass (someone) = to go even higher (than someone) in ability chiefly = mainly to refrain from = to avoid (doing), 控える、~を我慢する an outset = a beginning a priest = a religious leader of a temple or a Catholic church gratefully = thankfully lodging = sleeping facilities, 宿泊 to gratify = to make happy, to satisfy otherwise = その他の点で to be disengaged = to be free (from doing work) a parishioner = a member of a temple or church an acolyte = an assistant (especially in a temple or church) a verandah = a porch, a walk-way between the garden and the building in a temple or traditional Japanese house, 縁側 to overlook = to be above with a view to relieve = to ease the pain of, 楽にする solitude = loneliness midnight = 12:00 at night to halt = to stop abruptly = suddenly unceremoniously = without formalities a manner = a way, a behavior to summon = to order to come an inferior = a person with less power a menace = a danger, threatening a lord = a samurai leader exceedingly = great a rank = a level an attendant = the assistants of a lord or a king at once = right away, immediately august = noble, rich, honored, 恐れ多い an assembly = a group of people lightly = carelessly, without thought to disobey = to not follow the orders of to don = to wear deftly = skillfully obliged = required iron = very strong and similar to 鉄 a clank = a noise of metal hitting against metal a stride = a walking step armed = with weapons on duty = working a retainer = a samurai’s assistant an assurance = speaking with confidence presently = at that moment unbarring = unlocking a heavy gate the twain = a pair of people (Note: old English) to pass on = to move forward to traverse = to move across a screen = 襖 in converse = talking a domestic = a person who cleans and takes care of a house noble = rich to conduct = to lead, 案内する conjecture = deep thinking to mount = to climb interminable = unending a reach = an open area polished = 磨き上げた planking = boards (板) in the floor pillared = similar to pillars (柱) angles = 角度 widths = distances a matted floor = 畳 vast = huge assembled = gathered rustling = こすれる音 humming = ブンブン undertones = whispers a court = a king/queen or samurai leader and all of his/her assistants to put (someone) at ease = to relax (someone) a kneeling-cushion = 座布団 to divine = to guess, to imagine a matron = 女監督 in charge of = responsible for to address (someone) = to formally speak to (someone) to the accompaniment of = with the background music of to venture a question = to dare to ask a question, 大胆無謀にも a portion = a part augustly = with respect, 荘厳な to make answer = to answer (Note: formal and old) for the pity of it = because the sadness of it is the most deep = is great to chant = to sing to strain = ぐいとやる an oar = オール、櫂（かい） a whirr = ヒューという音 the hissing of arrows = シューという矢の音 to trample = 踏みつける to plunge = to dive a flood = the big sea (Note: old English) slain = killed (by swords) murmuring = whispering praise = complements、褒めること a province = an region, 県 courage = bravery a hush = quietness wonder = awe, 畏敬の念 the fate = the destiny, 悲運 the fair = beautiful people (Note: old English) the helpless = 無力な人たち piteous = 哀れな、痛ましい to perish = to die a leap = a jump imperial = related to an Emperor or King an infant = a young child to utter = to say, 言い表す to shudder = to shake anguish = 苦悩 to weep = to cry (Note: the past form is “wept”) to wail = to cry in a loud voice grief = trouble, 嘆き to sob = to cry lamentation = sadness to suppose = to think, to guess to be assured = to be told with confidence, to be guaranteed in recitative = in story telling to-night = tonight (Note: old English) pleased = happy, satisfied to bestow upon = to give (Note: a king or samurai leader gives something to a less powerful person) fitting = appropriate, suitable a reward = 褒美 a sojourn = travelling and staying somewhere incognito = hiding one’s presence and name, お忍びで、匿名で duly = dutifully, adequately, to bid (someone) farewell = to say goodbye to (someone) (Note: poetic. Also, the past form of “to bid” is “bade”) to reproach = to scold, to criticize to be anxious = to be worried to accompany = to go together with evasively = avoiding something, あいまいに to attend to (something) = to take care of (something), 事務を執る to be pained by = to be troubled by 　 reticence = keeping quiet to be bewitched = 〜にたぶらかされる、〜にばかされる to be deluded by = to be tricked by, だまされる evil spirits = 悪霊 in case that = in the event that, もしの場合に a lantern = ランタン、ちょうちん evidently = apparently, it seems like for = because to make inquires = to ask questions, to investigate furiously = in a crazy way, 猛烈に to hasten = to hurry to resound = to echo, 鳴り響く mortal = a normal person who will die in the end strenuously = with great effort to rattle = to make noise loudly, ガラガラ鳴る clang = clank, カーン reprovingly = criticizingly to interrupt = to interfere, 邪魔する、割り込む in such a manner = in this way to be tolerated = 許される Whereat = With that weirdness = craziness to seize = to grab to be relieved of = 脱がせる (Note: formal English) by order of = の命令で to insist upon = to say strongly, to demand astonishing = shocking to hesitate = to delay doing, ためらう at last = finally conduct = behavior, actions, manner to alarm = to worry, 不安を感じさせる to abandon = to give up reserve = reticence, hesitating to relate = to tell any… whatever = none at all, 全然ない but = but instead… illusion = fantasy, hallucinations, 錯覚 to obey = to follow the orders of to tear (something) to pieces = 切れ切れに引き裂く sooner or later = eventually, in the end in any event = no matter what you do, いずれにしても holy texts = お経 to strip = to take the clothes off of to trace = to write a breast = a chest limbs = arms and legs soles = 足の裏 the holy sutra = 経典 Hannya-Shin-Kyo = 般若心経 as if = pretending to to meditate = めい想する to stir = to move a little to be torn asunder = to be ripped into pieces laid = put (Note: the past tense of “to lay” is “to put”) planking = floor boards to assume the attitude of = to be in the position of, ある態度をとる、〜のふりをする to cough = 咳をする audibly = in a way that can be heard thus = in this way to hold (one’s) breath = 息を殺す grimly = seriously and sadly, 厳格に savagely = wildly and angrily as still as a stone = without moving at all to grumble = to utter disapprovingly, うなるように言う That won’t do! = That is NOT good enough! I am not happy. a fellow = a guy, a man deliberately = carefully and with a goal, 慎重に to halt = to stop dead silence = complete silence gruff = husky and not friendly, しわがれ声、どら声 to mutter = to grumble, to speak in a quiet way footfalls = footsteps to recede = to go into the distance to descend = to go down to cease = to finish a trickling = 滴り落ちるもの to dare not to = 〜しょうと思わない to slip = 滑る clammy = cold, wet, and sticky to perceive = to see, to notice to ooze = to drip in a bad way, じくじく流れ出る a wound = 怪我 My poor, Hoichi = 可哀想です to be startled = to be shocked to burst out = 突然〜しだす tearfully = 涙ながらに It’s all my fault! = すべて私のせい grievous = serious and regretful to make sure = to confirm ~ cannot be helped = 仕方がない to heal = 癒す Cheer up! = Don’t be sad! to be well over = to be totally finished aid = help far and wide = to many places wealthy = rich the appellation of = the name of

After coming to live in Japan (1890), Lafcadio Hearn listened intently to the folk stories and ghostly tales that were related to him. He then wrote them down in English, adding his own unique style and began publishing books of his gathered observances and retellings. Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan, Exotics and Retrospectives, and Kwaidan to name a few. Today on Uncanny Japan, I read you "Mimi-nashi Hoichi", arguably Mr. Hearn's most well-known story. A story that has been made into a movie, appears on stage, shows up in manga, music, and is told on stages even today. As a matter of fact, I have tickets to go see a performance of Mimi-Nashi Hoichi in May. You can also find me on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/UncannyJapan Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncannyjapan/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thersamatsuura Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncannyjapan/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqAtoUS51HDi2d96_aLv95w Website: https://www.uncannyjapan.com/ The music bed for today's Story Time by my musician son, who also does the intro/outro music. Julyan Ray Matsuura. Here and here. And here. Transcript [00:02] Uncanny Japan is author me, Thersa Matsuura, exploring all that is weird from Japan. Strange superstitions and old wives tales, cultural oddities and interesting language quirks. These are little treasures I dig up while doing research for my writing, and I want to share them with you here on Uncanny Japan. I hope you like the show. [00:29] Hey, hey everyone. This is Terrie on Uncanny Japan. Before I go into more detail about the tengu and all those other weird things I want to talk about, I want to interrupt with this story. This story is also by Koizumi Yakimo--Lafcadio Hearn, and it's called the story of Mimi-Nashi Hoichi, or, The Earless Hoichi. [00:57] Some centuries ago there lived at Akamagaseki a blind man named Hoichi, who was famed for his skill in recitation and in playing upon the biwa. From childhood he had been trained to recite and to play; and while yet a lad he had surpassed his teachers. As a professional biwa-hoshi he became famous chiefly by his recitations of the history of the Heike and the Genji; and it is said that when he sang the song of the battle of Dan-no-ura "even the goblins, the k1ijin, could not refrain from tears." [01:40] At the outset of his career, Hoichi was very poor; but he found a good friend to help him. The priest of the Amidaji was fond of poetry and music; and he often invited Hoichi to the temple, to play and recite. Afterwards, being much impressed by the wonderful skill of the lad, the priest proposed that Hoichi should make the temple his home; and this offer was gratefully accepted. Hoichi was given a room in the temple-building; and, in return for food and lodging, he was required only to gratify the priest with a musical performance on certain evenings, when otherwise disengaged. [02:19] One summer night the priest was called away, to perform a Buddhist service at the house of a dead parishioner; and he went there with his acolyte, leaving Hoichi alone in the temple. It was a hot night; and the blind man sought to cool himself on the verandah before his sleeping-room. The verandah overlooked a small garden in the rear of the Amidaji. There Hoichi waited for the priest's return, and tried to relieve his solitude by practicing upon his biwa. Midnight passed; and the priest did not appear. But the atmosphere was still too warm for comfort within doors; and Hoichi remained outside. At last he heard steps approaching from the back gate. Somebody crossed the garden, advanced to the verandah, and halted directly in front of him -- but it was not the priest. [03:24] A deep voice called the blind man's name - - abruptly and unceremoniously, in the manner of a samurai summoning an inferior:- - [03:36] "Hoichi!" [03:36] "Hai!" answered the blind man, frightened by the menace in the voice, - - "I am blind! - - I cannot know who calls!" [03:46] "There is nothing to fear," the stranger exclaimed, speaking more gently. "I am stopping near this temple, and have been sent to you with a message. My present lord, a person of exceedingly high rank, is now staying in Akamagaseki, with many noble attendants. He wished to view the scene of the battle of Dan-no-ura; and to-day he visited that place. Having heard of your skill in reciting the story of the battle, he now desires to hear your performance: so you will take your biwa and come with me at once to the house where the august assembly is waiting." [04:32] In those times, the order of a samurai was not to be lightly disobeyed. Hoichi donned his sandals, took his biwa, and went away with the stranger, who guided him deftly, but obliged him to walk very fast. The hand that guided was iron; and the clank of the warrior's stride proved him fully armed,-- probably some palace-guard on duty. Hoichi's first alarm was over: he began to imagine himself in good luck; -- for, remembering the retainer's assurance about a "person of exceedingly high rank," he thought that the lord who wished to hear the recitation could not be less than a daimyo of the first class. Presently the samurai halted; and Hoichi became aware that they had arrived at a large gateway; -- and he wondered, for he could not remember any large gate in that part of the town, except the main gate of the Amidaji. "Kaimon!" the samurai called,-- and there was a sound of unbarring; and the twain passed on. They traversed a space of garden, and halted again before some entrance; and the retainer cried in a loud voice, "Within there! I have brought Hoichi." Then came sounds of feet hurrying, and screens sliding, and rain-doors opening, and voices of women in converse. By the language of the women Hoichi knew them to be domestics in some noble household; but he could not imagine to what place he had been conducted. Little time was allowed him for conjecture. After he had been helped to mount several stone steps, upon the last of which he was told to leave his sandals, a woman's hand guided him along interminable reaches of polished planking, and round pillared angles too many to remember, and over widths amazing of matted floor,-- into the middle of some vast apartment. There he thought that many great people were assembled: the sound of the rustling of silk was like the sound of leaves in a forest. He heard also a great humming of voices,-- talking in undertones; and the speech was the speech of courts. [07:08] Hoichi was told to put himself at ease, and he found a kneeling-cushion ready for him. After having taken his place upon it, and tuned his instrument, the voice of a woman -- whom he divined to be the Rojo, a matron in charge of the female service -- addressed him, saying,-- [07:31] "It is now required that the history of the Heike be recited, to the accompaniment of the biwa." [07:41] Now the entire recital would have required a time of many nights: therefore Hoichi ventured a question:-- [07:51] "As the whole of the story is not soon told, what portion is it augustly desired that I now recite?" [08:00] The woman's voice made answer:-- [08:03] "Recite the story of the battle at Dan-no-ura,-- for the pity of it is the most deep." [08:11] Then Hoichi lifted up his voice, and chanted the chant of the fight on the bitter sea,-- wonderfully making his biwa to sound like the straining of oars and the rushing of ships, the whirr and the hissing of arrows, the shouting and trampling of men, the crashing of steel upon helmets, the plunging of slain in the flood. And to left and right of him, in the pauses of his playing, he could hear voices murmuring praise: "How marvelous an artist!" -- "Never in our own province was playing heard like this!" -- "Not in all the empire is there another singer like Hoichi!" Then fresh courage came to him, and he played and sang yet better than before; and a hush of wonder deepened about him. [09:04] But when at last he came to tell the fate of the fair and helpless,-- the piteous perishing of the women and children,-- and the death-leap of Nii-no-Ama, with the imperial infant in her arms,-- then all the listeners uttered together one long, long shuddering cry of anguish; and thereafter they wept and wailed so loudly and so wildly that the blind man was frightened by the violence and grief that he had made. For much time the sobbing and the wailing continued. But gradually the sounds of lamentation died away; and again, in the great stillness that followed, Hoichi heard the voice of the woman whom he supposed to be the Rojo. [09:50] She said:-- [09:52] "Although we had been assured that you were a very skillful player upon the biwa, and without an equal in recitative, we did not know that any one could be so skillful as you have proved yourself to-night. Our lord has been pleased to say that he intends to bestow upon you a fitting reward. But he desires that you shall perform before him once every night for the next six nights -- after which time he will probably make his august return-journey. To-morrow night, therefore, you are to come here at the same hour. The retainer who to-night conducted you will be sent for you... There is another matter about which I have been ordered to inform you. It is required that you shall speak to no one of your visits here, during the time of our lord's august sojourn at Akamagaseki. As he is traveling incognito, he commands that no mention of these things be made... You are now free to go back to your temple." [11:00] After Hoichi had duly expressed his thanks, a woman's hand conducted him to the entrance of the house, where the same retainer, who had before guided him, was waiting to take him home. The retainer led him to the verandah at the rear of the temple, and there bade him farewell. [11:20] It was almost dawn when Hoichi returned; but his absence from the temple had not been observed,-- as the priest, coming back at a very late hour, had supposed him asleep. During the day Hoichi was able to take some rest; and he said nothing about his strange adventure. In the middle of the following night the samurai again came for him, and led him to the august assembly, where he gave another recitation with the same success that had attended his previous performance. But during this second visit his absence from the temple was accidentally discovered; and after his return in the morning he was summoned to the presence of the priest, who said to him, in a tone of kindly reproach:-- [12:09] "We have been very anxious about you, friend Hoichi. To go out, blind and alone, at so late an hour, is dangerous. Why did you go without telling us? I could have ordered a servant to accompany you. And where have you been?" [12:25] Hoichi answered, evasively,-- [12:29] "Pardon me kind friend! I had to attend to some private business; and I could not arrange the matter at any other hour." [12:37] The priest was surprised, rather than pained. He felt it to be unnatural, and suspected something wrong. He feared that the blind lad had been bewitched or deluded by some evil spirits. He did not ask any more questions; but he privately instructed the men-servants of the temple to keep watch upon Hoichi's movements, and to follow him in case that he should again leave the temple after dark. [13:03] On the very next night, Hoichi was seen to leave the temple; and the servants immediately lighted their lanterns, and followed after him. But it was a rainy night, and very dark; and before the temple-folks could get to the roadway, Hoichi had disappeared. Evidently he had walked very fast,-- a strange thing, considering his blindness; for the road was in a bad condition. The men hurried through the streets, making inquiries at every house which Hoichi was accustomed to visit; but nobody could give them any news of him. At last, as they were returning to the temple by way of the shore, they were startled by the sound of a biwa, furiously played, in the cemetery of the Amidaji. Except for some ghostly fires -- such as usually flitted there on dark nights -- all was blackness in that direction. But the men at once hastened to the cemetery; and there, by the help of their lanterns, they discovered Hoichi,-- sitting alone in the rain before the memorial tomb of Antoku Tenno, making his biwa resound, and loudly chanting the chant of the battle of Dan-no-ura. And behind him, and about him, and everywhere above the tombs, the fires of the dead were burning, like candles. Never before had so great a host of Oni-bi appeared in the sight of mortal man... [14:43] "Hoichi San! -- Hoichi San!" the servants cried,-- "you are bewitched!.. Hoichi San!" [14:50] But the blind man did not seem to hear. Strenuously he made his biwa to rattle and ring and clang; -- more and more wildly he chanted the chant of the battle of Dan-no-ura. They caught hold of him; -- they shouted into his ear,-- [15:07] "Hoichi San! -- Hoichi San! -- come home with us at once!" [15:12] Reprovingly he spoke to them:-- [15:15] "To interrupt me in such a manner, before this august assembly, will not be tolerated." [15:22] Whereat, in spite of the weirdness of the thing, the servants could not help laughing. Sure that he had been bewitched, they now seized him, and pulled him up on his feet, and by main force hurried him back to the temple,-- where he was immediately relieved of his wet clothes, by order of the priest. Then the priest insisted upon a full explanation of his friend's astonishing behavior. [15:51] Hoichi long hesitated to speak. But at last, finding that his conduct had really alarmed and angered the good priest, he decided to abandon his reserve; and he related everything that had happened from the time of first visit of the samurai. [16:09] The priest said:-- [16:11] "Hoichi, my poor friend, you are now in great danger! How unfortunate that you did not tell me all this before! Your wonderful skill in music has indeed brought you into strange trouble. By this time you must be aware that you have not been visiting any house whatever, but have been passing your nights in the cemetery, among the tombs of the Heike; -- and it was before the memorial-tomb of Antoku Tenno that our people to-night found you, sitting in the rain. All that you have been imagining was illusion -- except the calling of the dead. By once obeying them, you have put yourself in their power. If you obey them again, after what has already occurred, they will tear you in pieces. But they would have destroyed you, sooner or later, in any event... Now I shall not be able to remain with you to-night: I am called away to perform another service. But, before I go, it will be necessary to protect your body by writing holy texts upon it." [17:24] Before sundown the priest and his acolyte stripped Hoichi: then, with their writing-brushes, they traced upon his breast and back, head and face and neck, limbs and hands and feet,-- even upon the soles of his feet, and upon all parts of his body,-- the text of the holy sutra called Hannya-Shin-Kyo. When this had been done, the priest instructed Hoichi, saying:-- [17:55] "To-night, as soon as I go away, you must seat yourself on the verandah, and wait. You will be called. But, whatever may happen, do not answer, and do not move. Say nothing and sit still -- as if meditating. If you stir, or make any noise, you will be torn asunder. Do not get frightened; and do not think of calling for help -- because no help could save you. If you do exactly as I tell you, the danger will pass, and you will have nothing more to fear." [18:31] After dark the priest and the acolyte went away; and Hoichi seated himself on the verandah, according to the instructions given him. He laid his biwa on the planking beside him, and, assuming the attitude of meditation, remained quite still,-- taking care not to cough, or to breathe audibly. For hours he stayed thus. [18:55] Then, from the roadway, he heard the steps coming. They passed the gate, crossed the garden, approached the verandah, stopped -- directly in front of him. [18:57] "Hoichi!" the deep voice called. But the blind man held his breath, and sat motionless. [19:23] "Hoichi!" grimly called the voice a second time. Then a third time -- savagely:-- [19:29] "Hoichi!" [19:29] Hoichi remained as still as a stone,-- and the voice grumbled:-- [19:35] "No answer! -- that won't do!... Must see where the fellow is."... [19:44] There was a noise of heavy feet mounting upon the verandah. The feet approached deliberately,-- halted beside him. Then, for long minutes,-- during which Hoichi felt his whole body shake to the beating of his heart,-- there was dead silence. [20:03] At last the gruff voice muttered close to him:-- [20:06] "Here is the biwa; but of the biwa-player I see -- only two ears!... So that explains why he did not answer: he had no mouth to answer with -- there is nothing left of him but his ears... Now to my lord those ears I will take -- in proof that the august commands have been obeyed, so far as was possible"... [20:35] At that instant Hoichi felt his ears gripped by fingers of iron, and torn off! Great as the pain was, he gave no cry. The heavy footfalls receded along the verandah,-- descended into the garden,-- passed out to the roadway,-- ceased. From either side of his head, the blind man felt a thick warm trickling; but he dared not lift his hands.. [21:02] Before sunrise the priest came back. He hastened at once to the verandah in the rear, stepped and slipped upon something clammy, and uttered a cry of horror; -- for he saw, by the light of his lantern, that the clamminess was blood. But he perceived Hoichi sitting there, in the attitude of meditation -- with the blood still oozing from his wounds. [21:27] "My poor Hoichi!" cried the startled priest,-- "what is this?... You have been hurt?... [21:36] At the sound of his friend's voice, the blind man felt safe. He burst out sobbing, and tearfully told his adventure of the night. [21:46] "Poor, poor Hoichi!" the priest exclaimed,-- "all my fault! -- my very grievous fault!... Everywhere upon your body the holy texts had been written -- except upon your ears! I trusted my acolyte to do that part of the work; and it was very, very wrong of me not to have made sure that he had done it!... Well, the matter cannot now be helped; -- we can only try to heal your hurts as soon as possible... Cheer up, friend! -- the danger is now well over. You will never again be troubled by those visitors." [22:24] With the aid of a good doctor, Hoichi soon recovered from his injuries. The story of his strange adventure spread far and wide, and soon made him famous. Many noble persons went to Akamagaseki to hear him recite; and large presents of money were given to him,-- so that he became a wealthy man... But from the time of this adventure, he was known only by the appellation of Mimi-nashi-Hoichi: "Hoichi-the-Earless." The end. [23:11] Pssst! Hey, do you like scary stories? Or maybe you don’t do full-on horror, but enjoy a nice dark tale. Something creepy involving Japanese folklore and superstition. Well, if that’s the case, you can sneak on over to Amazon or wherever you like to buy books and look for my two short story collections: A Robe of Feathers and The Carp-Faced Boy. All you need to do is search for Theresa Matsuura. Let me spell that for you. T-H-E-R-S-A, M-A-T-S-U-U-R-A. Another place you can find me doing things is on Patreon. There, once a month for my five dollar and up patrons, I translate, retell and record obscure Japanese folktales. Some are dark, some are humorous, some are just weird. And lastly, another super sweet thing you can do is to write a review on iTunes. By doing this you help like minded people find Uncanny Japan. It’s a little thing but it means a lot and it’s a great big help. Thank you, I’m Thersa Matsuura, and I’ll talk to you soon. (Transcribed using Happy Scribe)

Alton Chung shares the story "Horchi the Earless." Then Simon Brooks offers the story "The Shapeshifting Girl."