Chopsticks and Other Writings

A silent dairyman works with extraordinary precision, keeping his own bowls, cloth, and exquisite ivory chopsticks. His employer wonders whether the man’s strange composure conceals a form of wisdom—or a life broken by grief. A child’s affection slowly begins to reach him.

Chopsticks stands beside four other writings by Itō Sachio, the poet and novelist remembered for his close association with Masaoka Shiki. A mountain journey opens onto a sea of white clouds. Two distinct memoirs recall the sickroom, conversations, tastes, and changing standards of a demanding teacher. A final essay argues that a poet’s greatness resides in personality and attitude as much as in written work.

This complete new English translation preserves all five supplied writings, the memoirs’ quoted conversations, the story’s seven sections, and the original publication and written dates. Notes explain historical names, period terms, and textual uncertainties. Together these works explore the difficulty of understanding another person, the claims of art, and the fragile bonds that make an isolated life visible.