Cat Town

This collection of poems, written by Sakutarō Hagiwara, (1886-1942) captures ephemeral moments and timeless sentiments with ease and grace. Modern readers will find his surroundings and customs unique, but his thoughts and feelings relatable. Hagiwara’s poems encapsulate a time and a place that belongs to a world long past. Late 19th to mid-twentieth century Tokyo and rural Japan bears little resemblance to the modern, sleek, and technologically advanced country that exists today.

Hagiwara memorializes small actions such as tacking rubber to the soles of his shoes on a rainy day, or the view glimpsed from a bumpy ride in a horse-drawn carriage to the ocean. These little moments that were only small gears in the overall design of his everyday life, have now become a means of transport to the past. Readers delving into this collection will discover untarnished universal truths while also exploring a place in time and space that has long been forgotten. A high recommendation for lovers of history and those who delight in discovering the unalterable aspects of the human condition that exist regardless of an individual’s birth- or death-year.