Introduction
“Long before I called on Shiki, I was firmly convinced that he was the greatest master since the days of the Manyo[1]. Therefore, my joy at being able to come in close contact with his personality and receive his criticism knows no bounds. I felt virtually that I was pulled up to a higher level inch by inch.”
Again:
“Under such circumstances, every utterance of Shiki absolutely held me spell-bound. In the monthly poetry gathering, how delighted I was if my poems met his approval and how dejected I felt when it was otherwise. I could not sleep one whole night when my poems were printed in the Nihon.”
Shiki was in charge of the literary page of the Nihon, and the first printed poem by Sachio was
To a sickle and spade
Hung under the newly-thatched eaves,
I tied the festive straw strands
And welcomed the New Year.
The most significant poem, however, is his Song of a Cowherd, which marks his turning point and voices his aspirations:
A cowherd impelled
To compose poems,
- ↑ The earliest collection of Japanese poems, compiled in the middle of the eighth century.
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