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Motojirō Kajii: 12 works in the original Japanese, with translation

Motojirō Kajii (February 17, 1901 – March 24, 1932) was a Japanese writer of the early Shōwa period known for his poetic short stories, including "Lemon," "In a Castle Town," "Winter Days," and "Beneath the Cherry Trees." His works were praised by fellow writers such as Yasunari Kawabata and Yukio Mishima, and are admired today for their finely tuned self-observation and descriptive power.

Works in the library

Cultural notes (selection)

肺尖カタル Lemon

Apex catarrh, an inflammation at the tip of the lung, was a diagnostic term used at the time for early-stage pulmonary tuberculosis. Kajii Motojirō himself suffered from tuberculosis for many years, and by writing the protagonist's illness into the story here he gives it an autobiographical colour.

安全剃刀 Under the Cherry Trees

The safety razor is the Gillette-style T-shaped razor with replaceable blades, introduced to Japan from Europe and America in the late Meiji period, and by the Taishō era it had spread as an everyday item. The original text deliberately points out that it is a "ちっぽけな薄っぺらい" (small and thin) object in the home, highlighting how such an unremarkable thing nonetheless lingers stubbornly in the mind.

地引網を捲く轆轤 The Ascension of K

A beach seine is a traditional fishing method on Japan's coasts: after a boat casts the net, a group of people on shore haul it in together. Here「轆轤」refers to the winch on shore that winds in the net ropes, casting a clear shadow on the sand in the moonlight.

吐く痰は、黄緑色からにぶい血の色 Winter Days

Coughing up blood-streaked sputum is a typical symptom of tuberculosis, which was then an incurable disease. The author, Kajii Motojirō, himself suffered from tuberculosis for many years, and the plight of the sick in his works often carries an autobiographical colouring.