Natsume Sōseki – Promoter of Modern Japanese Literature

Although he was a writer whose artistic activity lasted only about 10 years, Natsume Sōseki has gone down in Japanese history as the greatest promoter of modern Japanese literature . His works, which are many, have remained a staple of school textbooks in Japan.

His literature has long been considered to have captured what is called the ” Meiji no seishin “, meaning ” the Spirit of the Meiji Era “. Sōseki’s official status as Japanese cultural property was recognized in the form of his image, which is long commemorated on the thousand yen bill.

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Without exaggeration, he was the person who set the standard for a new era as a novelist in a turbulent time when Japan became a modern nation and not only the nation-state and politics , but also culture and literature , were reborn.

Biography

Natsume Sōseki was born on February 9, 1867 in Babashitacho, Ushigome , now Shinjuku, Tokyo. He began his life as an unwanted child, since both parents were already in advanced age (his mother was 40 years old and his father 53). When he was born, he already had five siblings, which created instability in the family. A childless couple adopted him and raised him until he was 9 years old, when the couple divorced. Because of this, he returned to his biological family and was welcomed by his mother, although considered a nuisance by his father. His mother died when he was fourteen, and his two older brothers died in 1887, intensifying his sense of insecurity.

He enrolled in what is now Tokyo Imperial University in 1890 and upon graduation worked as a teacher, lecturing at the university.

In one of his essays ” In my glass doors ” he mentions that the couple who adopted him had an antiques store and in his words he says: “They put me in a little basket and displayed me in the store window every night, on the main street of Yotsuya”. And he tells that his older sister was disappointed with the situation, so she took him back to his biological parents.” Whether it is an urban legend or a fact that happened, this reflects the feeling of loneliness that Natsume Sōseki had in his childhood.

He was teaching for a couple of years and one day he received a scholarship from the University of Tokyo to study English in London (1901–1903). His time there would be solitude although it allowed him to read many books by English writers.

Upon his return to Tokyo, he taught English Philology at the Imperial University, however, he was not attracted to this activity, so all his free time was devoted to writing. It was in these years that works such as ” I am a cat “, ” Botchan ” and ” Sanshiro ” saw the light of day. In 1914 he would write ” Kokoro “, his magnum opus and which to date is a must-read in Japanese schools as it is considered a work where the transition from Meiji Japanese society to the modern era is very well displayed and exposed.

In 1916, he died in Tokyo at the age of 49, due to a peptic ulcer and leaving an unfinished work called Light and Darkness .

Achievements

He is credited with three achievements in his artistic life:

1. He was the person who created a royalty system.

Until then, the only income a writer could earn was the sale price of the manuscript that the publisher bought for each work, and even if the work caught on and sold a lot, the writer could get nothing from the sales.

With this he managed to create a royalty system and stabilize the income of vulnerable writers in an attempt to change this situation. Thanks to this royalty system, the position of writers rose and the number of people who aspired to be novelists increased significantly.

2. It made novels take root in Japan and created new entertainment

While teaching at the university, he published works such as ” I am a cat ” and ” Bochan “, and even after leaving his teaching profession, he was still working as a professional writer at the Asahi Shimbun newspaper , with works such as ” Sanshiro ” and ” Kokoro “.

In this way, he published a series of works rich in narrative, developed a novel as pure literature in Japan, and succeeded in rooting the novel as entertainment.

3. Developed a wide range of cultures with many students

Natsume Sōseki ‘s students included many writers, such as Akutagawa Ryunosuke , as well as scholars and cultural figures from various fields.

Many of his students attended the gathering called “Thursday Party” that Natsume Sōseki held at his house. At these parties or gatherings, various discussions would take place and many of the students, being inspired by him, grew up and became active as novelists, politicians, physicists and critics.

Legacy

Major themes in Sōseki’s works include ordinary people struggling with economic hardship, the conflict between duty and desire (a traditional Japanese theme), loyalty and group mentality versus freedom and individuality, isolation and personal estrangement, Japan’s rapid industrialization and its social consequences, contempt for Japan’s imitation of Western culture, and a pessimistic view of human nature.

And if you want to read the works of Natsume Sōseki you can purchase them in digital / ebook format