Master Chōji

A cabinetmaker who refuses careless work also refuses to bend his conscience. Chōjirō can build an altar that survives a patron’s hammer blows, but neither money nor praise will make him accept what he thinks wrong. His generosity wins admiration, while his stubbornness unsettles the people closest to him.

A journey to the hot springs changes everything. An old woman recognizes him and tells the story of a child abandoned decades earlier. Chōjirō’s search for his beginnings leads from a prosperous merchant’s household to a violent encounter and an extraordinary inquiry before the city magistrate. Craftsmanship, family obligation, social rank, and justice become entangled in a case that resists an easy verdict.

San’yūtei Enchō (1839–1900), one of Japan’s great masters of performed storytelling, combines workshop humor, vivid dialogue, and moral suspense. This new English translation includes the complete supplied preface and all forty sections, preserving the storyteller’s asides and the voices of artisans, servants, merchants, and officials. Brief notes explain selected historical and literary terms. AI-assisted translation.