Chopsticks came from China. The earliest chopsticks were found in China and date from around 1200 BC. Even earlier, there are records of a Chinese emperor asking his servant to make him chopsticks from around 4,000 years ago.
It's believed that the first primitive chopstick was a tool for jabbing at fires and retrieving food. As food gradually began to be cut into smaller pieces for easier preservation and faster cooking, people found it easier to handle these small food chunks with two rather than one.
Confucius endorsed chopsticks. A vegetarian, he said we shouldn't have knives or anything at all sharp at the table because they remind us of the violence of the slaughterhouse. Sharp points, he believed, evoke violence and warfare. Two diners fighting over the last morsel of General Tso's chicken could turn into full-scale carnage (note: author's opinion, not Confucius's).
Wooden bamboo tweezers
The oldest records in Japan are from the Kojiki, written in 712 AD, but chopsticks probably made their first appearance here around 500 AD. This is the era when Chinese culture began flooding into Japan via Korea. Other countries record this as the time when chopsticks were first used.
At first, chopsticks were considered precious and only used for religious ceremonies. You didn't see little plastic Hello Kitty chopsticks with loops for kids' fingers. These early chopsticks were made from one piece of bamboo that was joined at the top like a pair of wooden tweezers. Gradually, they came to be used for eating. Around the 10th century, we have the first recorded instance of separated chopsticks being used.
Japanese vs. Chinese chopsticks
Japanese chopsticks are different from Chinese chopsticks. They're short, wooden and come to a point at the end. Chinese chopsticks are usually blunt at the tip. The stated reason for this difference is that it makes it easier to remove tiny bones from fish.
Chopsticks in Japan are usually made of lacquered wood or bamboo. The lacquered wood tradition started in the 17th century. Wealthy people had their chopsticks made from cedar, pine, teak and various other types of wood. The really well-to-do had theirs made from jade, gold, ivory or silver, which they believed would turn black if the food was poisoned.
In 1878, Japan produced the world's first disposable chopsticks. Today in China, around 20 million trees are sacrificed to make disposable chopsticks, which is leading people throughout Asian chopstick countries to reconsider their use.
Japan produces chopsticks of varying quality, from disposable chopsticks to those that are quite elegant. Kyoto is considered the center of chopstick design and 85% of the country's chopsticks are made in nearby Obama, Fukui Prefecture.