Welcome to the lesson notes for "Hoichi the Earless," a B1 graded reader based on a famous Japanese ghost story. As you read, tap the clickable words to see instant definitions, and use the audio button to listen to each paragraph read aloud.
These lesson notes will help you understand the key vocabulary, review an important grammar point, explore the story's themes, and practice your own English with a short writing and speaking task.
Long ago, there was a named Hoichi.
He lived in a by the sea.
Hoichi played the , a Japanese lute.
He was especially for the Tale of the Heike.
This is a about an old war between two great .
When Hoichi sang about the of Dan-no-ura, listeners cried.
One hot night, Hoichi sat near the temple veranda.
The monk who looked after him had gone to .
Suddenly, Hoichi heard .
Clank, clank. The sound of .
A deep voice said, "Hoichi!"
"Yes?" Hoichi answered, a little.
"I am a samurai," the voice said. "My noble lord is nearby. He wishes to hear your tale. Come with me."
Hoichi could not a samurai.
He took his biwa and .
The samurai led him through the .
Hoichi could tell they were going .
Soon, he heard the of silk and the of many people.
He felt like he was in a .
"Play the Tale of the Heike," a said. It sounded high and proud.
Hoichi .
He sang of the young emperor and his warriors.
He sang of the at sea.
When he reached the part where Lady Nii with the child emperor, the audience sighed.
Then they all .
Hoichi played through the night, and at dawn, the samurai led him back.
"Tell no one," the samurai . "I will come for you again."
The next night, the samurai came again.
And the next, and the next.
The monk noticed that Hoichi looked and tired.
"Hoichi, where do you go every night?"
"I… I cannot say, ."
"But you are !"
Hoichi only shook his head.
The monk grew more .
One rainy night, he secretly Hoichi.
To his , he saw Hoichi sitting in the middle of a graveyard.
All around him were .
Hoichi was playing and singing to an of spirits.
The monk Hoichi and dragged him back to the temple.
"You foolish boy! Those are not humans! They are the of the Heike clan!"
Hoichi went .
"If you go to them again, they will forever."
"What can I do?" Hoichi whispered.
"I will you," the monk said.
He painted holy all over Hoichi's body.
Arms, legs, face, chest – every part.
"Now listen. When the samurai comes, you must be completely . The words will make you invisible to him. Do not move, no matter what."
"I understand."
But the monk forgot one thing.
He forgot to paint the holy words on Hoichi's .
That night, the samurai came.
"Hoichi! Where are you?"
Hoichi sat like a .
The samurai looked around the room.
He saw .
Then he saw two ears floating in the air.
"There you are!" he cried.
He the ears and pulled.
Rip!
Hoichi felt terrible , but he did not scream.
He did not move.
The samurai held the ears up.
"If this is all I can find, I will take this to my lord."
Then he left.
In the morning, the monk found Hoichi on the floor.
"Hoichi! What happened?"
Hoichi told him, and the monk saw his .
"Oh, your poor ears! I forgot! I am so sorry."
"You saved my life," Hoichi said. "It is a small ."
Hoichi healed, but he never grew new ears.
From that day, people called him "Mimi-nashi Hoichi" – Hoichi the .
His story spread , and he became even more famous.
The and the came from all over to hear him play.
And he always remembered the ghosts of the Heike, and played for them in his heart.
This ghost story is full of useful words for describing feelings, sounds, and dramatic events. Learning these will help you talk about stories, movies, and mysterious experiences in English.
Many of these words appear more than once in the story, so try to spot them as you re-read. The clickable definitions and audio will help you remember how they sound and what they mean.
- blind — unable to see
- trembling — shaking slightly, often from fear or cold
- armor — metal clothing that soldiers wore for protection
- refuse — to say no to something
- murmur — a soft, low sound of many people talking
- loyal — always supporting and faithful to someone
- wept — past tense of weep; cried
- exhausted — extremely tired
- graveyard — a place where dead people are buried
- ghostly — like a ghost; strange and frightening
- holy — connected to God or religion
- invisible — impossible to see
This story is told in the past simple tense, which is the most common tense for narrating events that are finished. Notice how regular and irregular verbs work together to move the story forward.
Look at these examples from the story: "Hoichi sat alone," "A deep voice said," "The monk grabbed Hoichi," and "He painted holy scripture all over Hoichi's body." The past simple creates a clear, simple timeline of events.
- Regular verbs add -ed: live → lived, play → played, notice → noticed, order → ordered.
- Many verbs are irregular: go → went, hear → heard, take → took, see → saw, feel → felt.
- For negatives and questions, use did: "Hoichi did not move." "Where did the samurai go?"
- Time expressions often appear with past simple: "One hot night," "The next night," "In the morning."
- Try retelling one scene using only past simple verbs to practice this tense.
Hoichi the Earless is more than a spooky ghost story. It explores how a talented but vulnerable person is drawn into danger by forces he cannot control. Hoichi cannot refuse a samurai, and he cannot even see the danger around him.
The story also shows the power of small mistakes. The monk protects Hoichi with holy words, but he forgets one small thing — the ears. This tiny error leads to Hoichi losing them, yet Hoichi forgives the monk and even says the price was small. The story teaches that friendship and protection matter more than physical loss, and that fame can grow even from suffering.
- Vulnerability: Hoichi is blind and alone, which makes him an easy target for the ghosts.
- Loyalty and duty: Hoichi cannot refuse a samurai's order — social rules put him in danger.
- Small mistakes, big results: the monk's forgotten detail almost costs Hoichi his life.
- Forgiveness: Hoichi says, "You saved my life. It is a small price." He does not blame the monk.
- Turning loss into fame: after losing his ears, Hoichi becomes even more famous.
Now it's your turn to use the vocabulary and grammar from this lesson. First, write a short paragraph (60–100 words) retelling the story from the samurai's point of view. Why did he take Hoichi to the ghosts? What did he think when he saw only two floating ears?
Then practice speaking. Read your paragraph aloud, or record yourself and listen back. Try to use at least three vocabulary words from this lesson and only past simple verbs. When you finish, discuss with a partner: Do you think the monk did enough to protect Hoichi? What would you have done differently?
- Write 60–100 words from the samurai's point of view.
- Use at least three words from the vocabulary list.
- Check that all your verbs are in the past simple.
- Read your paragraph aloud or record it on your phone.
- Discuss: Was the monk's mistake forgivable? Why or why not?
Hoichi the Earless comes from the Japanese / Lafcadio Hearn tradition and is best known as a ghost story. This Yak Yacker article is an original learner retelling based on Lafcadio Hearn, Kwaidan, 1904; public domain, so the wording here is simplified for modern learners rather than copied from one old edition.
Older printings, translations, and retellings of this story can vary quite a bit. The original audience was usually adult/general, but this version is adapted for B1 Intermediate learners studying English. Horror/ghost story; highly memorable.
If you want to look into the source tradition, start with Project Gutenberg.
If you want to keep going, browse more in our English section and review the B1 English Vocabulary List. After that, try Best Graded Readers for English for another useful next step.