Antique Italian Pottery and Other Writings

An antique Italian plate captivates Kusakabe Tarō. Its glaze is exquisite, its signature troubling, and its arrival as a gift unsettles his wife’s carefully nurtured hopes for a villa. Miyamoto Yuriko’s extended story follows the delicate collision of aesthetic devotion, social courtesy, and practical ambition.

Ten further writings widen the collection’s view. A boasting drum confronts a quiet grain of millet; a train passenger discovers the limits of sympathy; a young woman encounters the rules and invisible labor of a residence hall. Champagne animates an evening’s observations, while journeys through Kyūshū and Kyoto sharpen the author’s eye for places and people.

Literary friendship brings shared meals, jokes, and impromptu verse. Reflections on dress, passion, and women writers ask how a person can live and create freely amid expectations of family and society. Each work appears complete, with concise notes on names, allusions, and textual uncertainties.