Sato and the elephants

980926 Sato and the elephants-Michael
When Sato was a child, his father was a master carver of netsuke and okimono. Sato liked to carve figures from creamy white pieces of ivory. His father told him that someday he will be a great ivory carver like you. Sato’s father died when Sato was young. But Sato didn’t give up. Whenever he finished his carving, he always brought the carving to Akira the dealer. Sato sold the figures to earn money and then bought more ivory. One day, Sato went to Akira’s shop and bought an expensive ivory. He was very excited; when he got home he started to carve the ivory. The next morning, he finished his carving. It was an elephant figure, except a dark shiny bullet was buried in the elephant’s forehead like a jewel. Sato never sold the elephant. He kept it on his table so that he would see it each day when he woke up. He bought a cheap ivory next day and started carving again. Someday he will might be a great carver and carve a masterwork from marble or other stones.