Hikoichi is back — and so is the fox.
Hikoichi is Japan's quick-witted folk hero: the young man who outsmarts lords, foxes, and tanuki with a word instead of a sword. In this volume he takes on a shape-shifting kitsune twice and wins both times without ever raising a hand. (The fox does most of the work himself.)
These two folktales are built for learners who can read hiragana and are ready for real Japanese — not textbook filler, but actual stories, broken down so carefully you never get lost.
Each story, three ways:
Line-by-line gloss — every sentence taken apart word by word, with furigana, vocabulary, grammar notes, and cultural background. Nothing left unexplained.
Japanese only — the same story with no furigana and no glosses, so you can test yourself against "real" Japanese once you're ready.
English summary — a plain, mostly literal translation to check your understanding. (Work through the Japanese first. We'll know.)
Also inside:
Comprehension questions, particle fill-ins, and grammar hunts with answer keys.
"Kanji in Focus" pages: readings, example words, component breakdowns, and stroke order.
Notes on shape-shifting foxes, daimyō processions, classical samurai speech, and more.
Free bonus materials — no hoops:
Two MP3s per story, normal speed and slowed down, recorded by a native Japanese speaker and former radio announcer with professional pronunciation training.
QR codes right on the story pages — scan with your phone and the audio plays in seconds. (The download link still lives in the back of the book.)
Printable PDFs of all the vocabulary and grammar.
An Anki flashcard deck of the story vocabulary.
Free access to every sentence in the Makoto+ Sentence Explorer — interactive, word-by-word, on the web or in the app.
For upper-beginner to intermediate learners. Studied a year or two and stalled out? Start with the Japanese-only story, then work through the gloss to lock it in. Reading is how the vocabulary finally sticks.
Two stories. Three ways through each. One fox who never learns.
Scroll up and grab your copy.
