営繕かるかや怪異譚

営繕かるかや怪異譚 #1

by Fuyumi Ono, 小野不由美

この家には障りがある―住居にまつわる怪異を、営繕屋・尾端が、鮮やかに修繕する。心ふるわす恐怖と感動の物語。

Genres: Fiction

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 1, 2014

About the author

Kanji Name: 小野 不由美.

Fuyumi Ono (小野 不由美, Ono Fuyumi) is a Japanese novelist who is best known for writing the Twelve Kingdoms (十二国記, Juuni Kokuki) series, on which a popular anime is based. Her name after marriage is Fuyumi Uchida (内田不由美, Uchida Fuyumi), but she writes under her maiden name.

Ono was born in Nakatsu, Ōita, Kyūshū in 1960. She graduated from Ōtani University in Kyōto with a degree in Buddhist Studies, and in 1988 was employed by the publisher Kōdansha. Her debut story is titled Sleepless on Birthday Eve.

Ono is married to Naoyuki Uchida (内田直行, Uchida Naoyuki), a mystery novelist who writes under the pseudonym Yukito Ayatsuji (綾辻行人 , Ayatsuji Yukito).

Before she started work on Twelve Kingdoms, Fuyumi Ono wrote The Demonic Child (魔性の子), a horror novel about a boy from another world. She later worked certain events from this novel into the Twelve Kingdoms series. Short stories set in the various kingdoms include: Kasho, Toei, Shokan, Kizan and Jogetsu. In February, 2008, the first new Twelve Kingdoms short story, Hisho no Tori (丕緒の鳥) was published in Shinchosha's Yomyom magazine.

According to an interview at the Anime News Network, she is "currently rewriting a girls' horror series (she) wrote long ago."

- Wikipedia

Reviews

[空 · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I first read this in 2020, I thought it was a “fairly interesting collection” and I said I “hoped it would be creepier.” I rated the creepiness at around 2-3★, with Ono’s writing at around 4★. After rereading this in 2024, I’m much more of a fan (I am revising my rating to 5★) — I really liked the characters, and yes, it’s not creepy because that’s not particularly what Ono set out to do.

I think it’s because I read this immediately after Ono’s version of the 百物語, 鬼談百景 — there she was out to conjure fear. With this book, Ono is given the room to expand on her characters and their situations, their families and friends. They’re people, complicated by regrets and misunderstandings, and you get to join them in their many emotions complicated further by having to deal with ghosts.

✦ 奥庭より
Shōko moves into the house left to her by her recently deceased aunt, which has one strange room, the entrance of which is blocked by a large chest of drawers. The strange room’s door keeps opening of its own accord, and Shōko can’t get it to stay closed.

Thoughts:
First: Shōko’s second encounter with the ghost has got to be one of the creepiest encounters in the book: the door sliding open, the white hand grasping for the top, Shōko’s stunned paralyzation. It got me really interested in the rest of the book and kept me going.

But here we also have Shōko who is tired of the rat race and just wants somewhere to be — girl, don’t we all? She thinks she has found an escape with getting her aunt’s assets.

She grows to regret her lack of relationship with her aunt. Her aunt didn’t feature in her life, but she featured in her aunt’s. Her father sent his sister pictures of his daughter, and Shōko’s aunt kept them carefully — but he never mentioned it and she never came to visit her old, aged aunt, who died lonely and alone.

Shōko’s situation is a reality for some people — the last of their lines, and no second chances because before they realized it they were all alone. And also her aunt’s situation — she had remaining family but she still died alone because Shōko didn’t feel they were “close enough” to visit. Or maybe Shōko thought, why should I take time off for her?

That is to say, try to connect with your family because you don’t want regrets.

⁜⁜⁜

✦ 屋根裏に
Kōji lives with his wife Rie, two children (Mamoru and Natsuki), and elderly mother. His mother begins to talk about hearing, and seeing, “someone” in the attic, moving around and peering through the boards. However, none of the other adults in the house can verify this (although the youngest girl seems to be able to see something), and Kōji thinks age might finally be catching up to his mother.

Thoughts:
Kōji’s mother put up with a lot: a philandering husband and in-laws that looked down on her, treated like lesser because she came from a less well-off family. Despite this, she was still the one who took care of and look after her in-laws — a tale as old as time. Kōji in turn wants to make life easier for the mother he loves.

(One peeve about this story — I don’t think Kōji ever tells us his mother’s name, which is awkward … the mother he loves so much goes unnamed for the whole story. We only know her as Kōji’s mother, and she’s defined entirely by her relationship to one man — her son Kōji.)

This story must have been a rollercoaster for Kōji — first thinking his mom is getting dementia, then realizing it might actually be supernatural, but with that painful thought that she might still get dementia someday. You have to confront the reality that your parents who always seemed to be there will not be there someday. They won’t be as healthy. Who will take care of them? Or how do you take care of them?

But also, while the kappa itself is not creepy for me (thanks to NatsuYuu’s kappa whom Natsume constantly has to bail out), the idea of hearing someone constantly walking around in the little crawlspace, every night — Jesus, that’s creepy af. And then for something to be crawling down the walls? Thank god Mamoru and Natsuki are small so they might forget the horrors yet.

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✦ 雨の鈴
Yuuko lives in an old house in a cul-de-sac. One rainy day, on her way home she hears the sound of a bell — and sees a woman in mourning clothes, walking without an umbrella. But when she looks closer, she realizes that although the woman is “walking”, she’s not actually moving, and despite the rain, the woman is not actually getting rained on.

Thoughts:
This one has some great imagery, especially the opening scene: rain, the fallen blossoms, the sound of the bell, Yuuko with the umbrella. The fear comes with the impending death that the lady in mourning signals. お悔み申し上げます, she says, which seems to imply she is merely a harbinger — but who’s to say there would have been death if she hadn’t arrived? A question for the ages and one that’s left unresolved.

Probably the most straightforward scary tale in the story. While Yuuko and Chie are friends, this story is mostly about Yuuko, a young woman struggling to make a living as an artist and having to deal with a harbinger of death on top of trying to sell her handmade pieces.

⁜⁜⁜

✦ 異形のひと
Manaka’s father moved the family to some province when her father decided to take over her grandfather’s business after grandpa died. Manaka’s house, however, is one of those old, dark, poky houses … and she keeps encountering a strange old man inside the house, in places where he shouldn’t and can’t be — the kitchen, a poky closet full of random stuff, inside the bathtub full of hot water.

Thoughts:
Ono has a wide range of characters in this book and sullen teen Manaka is one of my favorites — I just love her. You can practically feel her teenage angst wafting from the pages — I don’t have friends and I hate this place! — but it’s not so annoying because she really is having a hell of a time being the only one to see this creepy old man. And for the record, I agree with Manaka, just ’cause you live in some inaka somewhere doesn’t mean you don’t lock the door!

I also am kind of sus of her uncle — if he, the older brother, is not taking over the business, then why is he living in the cool building in the middle of a popular area? How dare he, tbh.

But anyway, Ono really writes Manaka sympathetically, in a way where you’re like, “You are such a teen, but I get it. The struggle of youths is real.” Manaka really is seeing something, but she thinks her parents think she’s going nuts, and she doesn’t know how to convince them — or herself, really — that there is validity to what she’s experiencing.

⁜⁜⁜

✦ 潮満ちの井戸
Mariko’s husband, Kazushi, has taken to gardening. He spruces up the garden and even reopens the old well that her grandmother warned her could not be ingested and fits it up with a pump so they can use the well water to water the garden. Hindsight is 20/20 — this is when their troubles begin: the plants and trees die, a rotting smell pervades the garden, strange sounds from the garden.

Thoughts
When I first read this story I felt it was the weakest in the collection. I remembered in Ring it was implied that Sadako’s mother got down and dirty with a sea demon, and that is sort of echoed here in that “there are undead things in the sea and they came to our garden well.” The water is undrinkable because it’s brackish (汽水), with sea water mixing in — and possibly undead things from the sea thus being able to come through.

The creepiest scene, for me, is when Mariko sees a hand trying to get through the window of her bathroom: the realization that whatever it is that has come through the well, it’s trying to get in. The realization that the thing, whatever it is, has been moving slowly closer and closer to their house, and it’s almost inside. And what does it want to do? What will happen if it does get in?

But my favorite scene in this story has got to be Dōbara. At first he seemed jovial, friendly — then he took one look at their garden and was like, “LOL I’m out,” and got the fuck outta there, never mind politeness. I mean, he was as polite as he could be in his fear, but not quite polite enough for Japanese sensibilities. Man, he even waived his fee, he just wanted to leave. Respect for Dōbara who was like, “I don’t know what nonsense you folks are up to here, and I’m not going to be part of it.” I salute thee, Dōbara.

⁜⁜⁜

✦ 檻の外
Having finally divorced her abusive ex-husband, Mami has moved back to her hometown with her daughter Anna. Mami has her hands full holding down a job while trying to take care of herself and her daughter, and she needs a car. Enter her kōhai, Kengo, who scrounges up a cheap car that he promises has no issues. Except it keeps breaking down with no apparent cause. And one time, she sees a small child in the garage as she’s parking …

Thoughts:
Probably my favorite story in this book. But, I’m struck by how annoyed I am with Mami in the first part — mostly because her “kōhai” is helping her out, actually doing her a favor, but she has the temerity to have what seems to me to be excessive demands.

I’ve been on the kōhai end of the equation, and I hate that. I don’t like that I have to help someone “just because” I’m their kōhai. Sure, as a sempai, you are also “expected” to watch out for and guide your kōhai. But sometimes, when you’re the kōhai, it feels like you’re asked to repay that kindness threefold, and that just rankles. It’s a system that’s open to abuse.

But then I remember she’s a newly divorced single mother spurned by her own family, who can’t count on her lousy, abusive ex to provide any kind of child support. She’s being this unreasonable because she needs and wants to provide for her child Anna. And that, I can respect. She’s being unreasonable because it’s not just her — her mommy powers are kicking in, and she’s thinking, “I have to have this, to make sure Anna is safe.” She kept Anna safe from her own father, she is not letting some fucking ghost get to her child.

This story is just so good, such a great story to end the collection on. This story makes you feel so many things — fear, yes, but also sadness and pity, and hope and sympathy and admiration. The juxtaposition of Mami and Anna, Hiramatsu and his father, and the unnamed mother and her child who died, make for moving comparisons. Mami is trying, and she wants to be as good a mother as she can be — but she has no support and no wiggle room. Maybe Hiramatsu’s father was the same, and he gave up on trying and just took out his frustration on his kids. The unnamed mother may have given up too — and unlike Hiramatsu’s father, she went all the way and killed her child, whether deliberately or inadvertently through neglect.

As Mami thought:

ときどき、もう勘弁して、と思う自分がいる。全部放り出して、少しの間でいいから楽になりたい。 ——たぶん、この気分の果てにあの母親がいる。

Three similar situations, all with possibly different outcomes. Parents are people too, with their own struggles, but the heartbreaking part is that the kids they have don’t get a say in what happens. God damn I love this story, and the creepy scenes are creepy af too, especially since they involve a small child. Also special mention of that one scene where Kengo’s dad was like “Mami, why don’t you marry Kengo and join our family?” KENGO? HELLO?

I think I want to reread the whole series now. I think Hata shows up again at some point, but I don’t remember Dōbaru showing up elsewhere. Also, can I hope for another manga adaptation, this time of the second and third books? Can I?

⁜⁜⁜

✦ Final aside
I also read the manga adaptation of this book, but only the other-language versions are listed in GR, so I’ll just leave my notes for that manga adaptation here. (Also, I now own three copies of the first volume: the mass market paperback, the hardcover, and the manga adaptation.) Anyway.

I really appreciated having visuals. Some of my imagined scenes aligned with what KATO Kazue drew; for others what I imagined was completely wrong, and Kato’s interpretation gave me clarity. Specific shout outs for:

1) KATO Kazue’s interpretation of Obana. Kato’s Obana is different from the original book covers: it’s amazing how different haircuts make different impressions. Kato gives Obana a fade, which makes him look less reserved/plain than the simple haircut he has in the book covers.

2) Dōbaru, who I imagined to be older and rounder, becomes handsome and strapping in Kato’s interpretation. I also, to this day, cannot imagine what Dōbaru could possibly have seen that would have given him such a fright, and I wish I knew.

3) The adaptation of 塩満ちの井戸. The visuals really helped up the creep factor. Also, Kato’s version of Kazushi makes him such a big, bluff guy that it endeared him to me. Also, Kato’s version of Mariko and Kazushi seem so much younger? I thought Kazushi and Mariko were in their forties, for some reason…

It was a fairly faithful adaptation, but there were some parts left out. The stories were abridged in some places — for example, only one of Shōko’s encounters with the ghost was depicted. She saw the ghostly pale white face in the darkness, but Kato didn’t draw the scene where she sees a hand groping for the top. Come on! That was one of the best scenes in the story!!

[阿近 · Rating 4 out of 5]

　　《營繕師異譚》一開始看的時候，確實讓我有點後頸發涼的感覺，但後來就慢慢冷靜下來，原因一是文字上並沒有特別渲染強化靈異恐怖氣氛，二是主角心情儘管慌張，但他們很快就去找人商量，有一種在被拉進感覺更恐怖的陰陽魔界之前，就先回到歸繁華熱鬧人群之間的安心。且被找來協助老屋改善的營繕師尾端解釋可能發生特殊現象的原因後，亦可協助屋主平靜下來思考對策，而不是困在恐懼裡崩潰。

　　原本以為可能心懷惡意的怨靈作祟，想到就忍不住瑟瑟發抖，聽過尾端解釋後，感覺對方是伴隨屋宅歷史必然會有的存在或自然現象（？），只是另一位長年住在��裡的居民，既然沒有實質傷害人類住戶，那也不需要這般焦慮自己嚇自己。尾端所做的事情並非除靈或驅魔鎮壓對方，而是以營繕師立場建議屋主對宅邸進行微調或修繕，讓對方跟自己可以互不侵犯，相安無事、各過各的生活。《營繕師異譚》各篇故事的喜愛度是〈雨之鈴〉≧〈柵欄之外〉＞〈滿潮的水井〉≧〈來自後院〉＞〈異形之人〉＞〈天花板裡〉。

　　以下就六篇故事分別簡述感想：

〈來自後院〉
　　這一篇故事的靈異現象一開始有嚇到我，不是那種會讓人驚叫跳起的恐怖，而是背脊微微發涼的毛骨悚然感，但也僅止於此了。那個現象真的就只是固定從事相似的活動，除此之外並未打擾祥子的生活，所以後來閱讀文字的時候，心裡的恐懼感並未繼續升級。不過如果是我本人住在那裡的話，或許仍會心存芥蒂吧。可能也會認真考慮搬家事宜XD〈來自後院〉有一個觀念我很喜歡，就是繼承某樣事物必須好壞並承，以故事來說就是房子——「只要活著，就會碰上許多事，無論好壞。一旦繼承房子，或許代表兩邊都要接受。」（頁五十），營繕師尾端的解釋是「有的像比較身高那種是故意留下痕跡。有好的痕跡，也會有壞的痕跡。古老房子的痕跡回不斷重疊，正是所謂時間的刻痕吧。」（頁五十）看了這句話後，我覺得自己好像可以把祂們當作某種伴隨屋宅歷史而生的自然現象，而比較不害怕了。

〈天花板裡〉
　　〈天花板裡〉感覺摻雜了日本民間信仰的成份，但這一篇稍微多加著墨老屋給人的弔詭感，讓我想起小時候也很害怕阿婆家的和室，那間和室已經很多年沒有人使用，牆壁地板也積滿灰塵，印象中壁櫥裡除了放置不用的棉被以外，還翻出很舊的女生娃娃，灰塵像黑泥一樣黏在娃娃臉上的樣子真是嚇壞我了。打從心底覺得可怕，平常都不會靠近那間和室。小時候也想過黑沉沉的天花板好像有什麼看著自己，不由得心裡發顫，唯有靠近家人身邊，感受人體溫暖，才能稍微安定下來。最後尾端建議屋主「把瓦片放回原位」，讓我彷彿有見到乖乖信仰的既視感。

〈雨之鈴〉
　　〈雨之鈴〉就景物描寫上是我最喜歡的一篇故事，身著喪服弔唁的女子登門造訪的出現條件是下雨，因此故事裡有不少描述雨景的文字，作者將建築器皿植物等等靜物被雨水滋潤後散發清涼與生機的模樣描述得栩栩如生，有種它們沉靜在此守護著城下町住民的氣場；另一方面，這些敘述也將古老街坊的樸素雅致襯托出來。我本來想著沒有特別可怕，畢竟弔唁女子沒有驚駭有扶子的意圖，只是靜靜走在街上憑弔，直到後續千繪說出的往事，我才覺得「天啊！好恐怖！這是死神提前發預告給當事人嗎？」不知道是否因弔唁女子可能來訪的後續影響，覺得格外明顯有扶子意欲解決此困境的急迫心態。

　　宛若白絲的雨下個不停。
　　寂靜的路上，滿溢著海潮聲。纖細的雨絲打在古老民家的屋頂，打在綠色庭院的樹木上。洗淨土牆上的瓦片，接著變成雨珠低落在小巷的石板。綿延不絕的窸窣雨聲從遠處傳來的微弱水聲，渾然形成一體，好似波浪充滿周遭。
　　有扶子忽然聽到啪沙一聲，抬頭一看，紅傘上落下花影。那是越過一旁土牆，伸出枝芽的夾竹桃遭雨水打落，掉在傘上的聲響吧。她環顧四周，發現腳邊的石板路也散落著白花。（頁九十三）
　　眼前是狹窄的庭院。在圍牆包夾下，採光不佳。淨是陰生樹的庭院對面，搭起一片貧弱的籬笆。籬笆另一邊隔著小水溝，是鄰居的圍牆。雖然平凡無奇，不過從圍牆上方可看見氣派的樹木。最氣派的是聳立在圍牆旁的老山茶樹。每逢花季，就會開滿帶著白條紋的深紅花朵。一旁垂櫻的枝芽茂盛，甚至垂落牆外。花季來臨，猶如下起櫻花雨。（頁九十八）

〈異形之人〉
　　這一篇感覺真是哀傷，無論是真菜香不被相信看見老人，但仍被家人鄰居以自己的方式默默守護她的處境；或者是生前遭到兒孫虐待而死、過世後也持續待在生前住家的老人。最後整修期間那個箱子沒有交代用處，我的猜測是既然老人家怕被真菜香找到，真菜香被嚇到，老人也被嚇到，那乾脆準備一個老人可棲身的地方，讓彼此井水不犯河水，一起安居在這裡。雖然我個人比較期望老人能早日解脫，超渡到天堂，不再受困於此，但既然仍待在這裡，表示還有什麼原因導致他無法離開，而那個原因也非真菜香一家人可以解決的因緣。那就雙方互不干涉過日子就好。

〈滿潮的水井〉
　　〈滿潮的水井〉尾端說明水井造成庭院枯萎的原因，意外得沒有太多靈異要素，相當科學。雖然還是有提到「有形的東西進不去水井，但無形的東西則從海底來到井裡。」（頁二一四）不過這種偏向玄學的概念，也比較可以解釋麻理子在浴室看到的人手，那一段真的有點恐怖。是說這一篇我好在意原本的祠堂是怎麼發揮作用，讓水井的無形事物跟屋宅裡的人類能夠平衡共存喔？可惜知道詳情的長輩已過世，沒有人可以告訴麻理子具體的情況。

〈柵欄之外〉
　　〈柵欄之外〉雖然是小孩子，也沒有顯露加害麻美的想法，但他現身的時機實在太突然，在毫無心理準備下看到他的身影著實驚悚，我如果是麻美，搞不好會被嚇到心臟驟停。這一篇的靈異現象對應親情與親子關係，我很喜歡麻美經由和尚秦對於親子關係的解釋後有所感觸而鬆動原本以為的「必定怨恨」的刻板印象，後來也找遭遇父親家暴的朋友詢問對於家人的看法，再回想自己跟父母的關係、自身對父母的感情為何。最後那一句「⋯⋯沒事了，到外面來，自己拯救自己吧。」（頁二七四）感覺不只是麻美對那位遭到母親拋棄而始終在黑暗中徘徊求救的孩子所說，也是鼓勵被家人棄置不管的自己：「沒事了。自己拯救自己吧。」

[Shirlee Chia · Rating 5 out of 5]

不多不少，剛剛好的恐怖。

[Lindenbaum · Rating 4 out of 5]

封面的繪者是《蟲師》的作者，我看完小說之後深深覺得，如果能由這位作者來畫漫畫的話，該有多好。因為整本小說不會到很恐怖，看完後跟我當時看完《蟲師》有一點點惆悵的感覺。

[YITING · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5。

第一本看的小野不由美的書。以前看過他的作品改編的動漫屍鬼。說實在那部動漫真的很糞，讓我一開始有點猶豫到底要不要看這本，不過漆原友紀的封面繪圖和文案看起來實在是蠻吸引人的，而且我本來就很喜歡鬼怪這類題材，最後還是決定一試。

雖然作者描述城下町的空間場景搞得我暈頭轉向，但我很喜歡作者塑造出日式那種陰翳幽玄的氛圍。這種氛圍最適合鬼怪出沒了!!!不過喜歡歸喜歡，要是真的生活在這類空間還是蠻可怕的，尤其是這類不可知事物全都發生在當中角色理當安心居住的住家場景之中(這是要人往哪逃啊!!!)。其中我最喜歡、最感到發毛，同時也是被空間類描述搞得最混亂的，就是第三篇〈雨之鈴〉，最不喜歡的則是〈滿潮的水井〉。

整體上，作者營造的場景氛圍很棒，可有時在鬼怪或是人性的故事方面，沒有更多的著墨，總讓我覺得少了些什麼。從以往到目前為止讀的幾本短篇小說的經驗來看，我發覺很多這類小說都給我這種感受。要在有限的篇幅內塑造世界觀，還要把角色的故事說得完整，應該蠻有挑戰性的。

P.S. 喜歡這部的人，我也更推恆川光太郎的夜市。

[Kei · Rating 4 out of 5]

雰囲気も物語自体は大好きだが、何かが足りない…つないでくれる何かが。
長く考えることも必要なく、足りないものは営繕屋の存在感だと思う。表紙に描かれているわりには「申し訳なさそうに微笑んで、「分かりません」と言いながらサッと解決してくれる青年」ぐらいしか中身がなく、さらにセリフさえもない章もある。
それぞれの物語がそれぞれの視点から描かれている点は素晴らしいですが（リアリティがあって、それぞれ違う空気と背景がある）、やはり「定着剤」になるはずの営繕屋の存在感が足りない…もうすこし「サブスタンス」が欲しかった。

[ツバキ · Rating 4 out of 5]

有點新穎的恐怖小說。一般恐怖小說通常都會出現有那方面能力的人，出來解決一切，但是這個故事中完全沒出現擁有除靈能力的，所以當然也沒辦法徹底解決住家出現的靈異事件，那麼該怎麼辦呢？沒想到故事給出的答案是透過改建裝修跟這些異物和平共處，不覺得這還滿新穎的嗎？雖然改裝一下就可以解決問題好像滿划算的，但如果是我才不想繼續住在同一個地方，雖然書中角色多是有什麼理由而不能搬家的人就是了。

不過因為我沒有實際去過日式建築中，所以其實有點難想像書中寫到的格局，只能用我常看恐怖遊戲實況的想像力。應該就像是遊戲零系列裡面的那種房子吧。

[s · Rating 4 out of 5]

20180718

ほんわかホラー。必ずかるかやさんが出てきてくれるという安心感もあって読みやすいホラー。しかもかるかやさん、とても優しい方法で解決してくれる。優しい気持ちになれるお話。

[Jun · Rating 4 out of 5]

推薦《營繕師異譚》這本書給不想看太恐怖、想輕鬆閱讀的受眾。然後它的漫畫版是找《青之驅魔師》的作者加藤和惠來畫的哦，不覺得超棒的嗎。
整體給分：劇情給3.5⭐+台版美術設計超用心多給0.5⭐=4⭐
詳細心得在此：
https://vocus.cc/article/6577196efd89...