It is about Gauche, a struggling small-town cellist who is inspired by his interactions with anthropomorphized animals to gain insight into music.

The story has been translated into English, Italian and Spanish, and was adapted into a critically acclaimed animated film in 1982 by Isao Takahata.

Gauche was irritated, as the tomato was from his garden outside, so he berated the cat and instead played "Tiger Hunt in India" (Michio Mamiya).

As Gauche played "The Merry Master of a Coach Station", the tanuki hit the cello with a drum stick.

Upon hearing the applauding audience, Gauche thought he was being made a fool of and again played "Tiger Hunt in India".

The lead key animator, Shunji Saida, took cello lessons so that he could accurately capture finger movements.

The 1949 adaptation was animated and directed by Yoshitsugu Tanaka and produced by Ichirou Ono of Nippon Eiga (Japanese: 日本映画).

[10] The 1963 adaptation was animated and directed by Matsue Jinbo, and produced by Masatsugu Hara of Gakken Eiga Kyoku.

[11] Gauche the Cellist was translated into English by John Bester, along with several other short stories, in Once and Forever, the Tales of Kenji Miyazawa, published by Kodansha International in 1994.

It has also been translated into English by Roger Pulvers and published in Japan by the Labo Teaching Instruction Center (ISBN 978-4898110072).