Introduction
The death of Shiki on September 19, 1902, was a bitter blow to Sachio and the Negishi group. Without their leader, the members began to drift away. Lamenting this sad state, Sachio, Takashi Nagatsuka (1879–1915), and a few others gathered the scattering group and in June, 1903, founded a journal, Ashibi. Until it was discontinued in January, 1908, with the thirty-second issue, Sachio was its editor-in-chief with the editorial office at his house. Almost all Sachio’s poems as well as his critical essays in these years were published in the Ashibi. He was also writing idyllic novelettes, which appeared serially in various magazines and newspapers. With a little more leisure of mind and body, Sachio now was able to devote his time to the cult of tea. His new experiences in other fields of literature and art and his association with brilliant younger poets enriched his verse. Just as he and others had previously gathered around Shiki, they now met at Sachio’s house every month, discussing and composing poems.
More and more Sachio showed strong indignation toward the Myojo school with their wild intoxication, their “artiness,” and their abysmal ignorance of the poetic tradition. In March,
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