Natsume Sōseki — 夏目漱石（なつめ そうせき）
Natsume Sōseki（1867–1916）is generally regarded as one of the founders—and perhaps the greatest master—of modern Japanese literature（日本近代文学）.
His real name was Natsume Kinnosuke（夏目金之助）. The pen name Sōseki（漱石） comes from the Chinese expression 漱石枕流, suggesting an eccentric person who stubbornly refuses to admit a mistake.
His life
Sōseki was born in Edo, now Tokyo, shortly before the Meiji Restoration（明治維新）. Japan was rapidly changing from a traditional society into a modern industrial nation influenced by the West.
He studied English literature（英文学）and was sent by the Japanese government to study in London from 1900 to 1902. However, he experienced severe loneliness, financial difficulties and psychological distress there.
After returning to Japan, he taught at the University of Tokyo（東京帝国大学）but later left academia to become a full-time writer for the newspaper Asahi Shimbun（朝日新聞）.
Major works
1. I Am a Cat — 『吾輩は猫である』
The story is narrated by a nameless cat observing its owner and other middle-class intellectuals.
Its famous opening is:
吾輩は猫である。名前はまだ無い。
“I am a cat. As yet, I have no name.”
The novel uses satire（風刺）and humour to criticize human vanity, intellectual pretension and Japan’s superficial Westernization.
2. Botchan — 『坊っちゃん』
A straightforward young teacher from Tokyo takes a job in rural Shikoku and encounters hypocrisy and corruption.
坊っちゃん（ぼっちゃん） means something like “young master” or “spoiled young gentleman.” The novel is lively and humorous but also examines honesty versus social hypocrisy.
3. Sanshirō — 『三四郎』
A young man moves from rural Kyushu to Tokyo for university. He experiences the confusion of modern city life, intellectual change and uncertain love.
It is partly a coming-of-age novel（成長小説）.
4. And Then — 『それから』
The intellectual protagonist, Daisuke, falls in love with the wife of his friend. He must choose between social respectability and personal truth.
The title means “And what happened after that?” It expresses uncertainty about the consequences of individual choice.
5. The Gate — 『門』
A married couple live quietly under the shadow of a morally troubling past. The husband seeks spiritual peace at a Zen temple but fails to achieve enlightenment.
Sanshirō, And Then and The Gate are often called Sōseki’s early trilogy（前期三部作）.
6. Kokoro — 『こころ』
Sōseki’s most internationally famous serious novel. A young narrator becomes close to an older man called Sensei（先生）, who carries deep guilt over his friend’s death.
The title こころ／心 can mean heart, mind, inner self or spirit. Major themes include:
Loneliness（孤独）
Guilt（罪悪感）
Betrayal（裏切り）
Friendship（友情）
Generational change（世代交代）
The end of the Meiji era（明治時代の終焉）
7. Light and Darkness — 『明暗』
Sōseki’s final and longest novel explores marriage, jealousy, money and unconscious motives. It remained unfinished when he died in 1916.
Central ideas
Sōseki lived between Japanese tradition and Western modernity. His works repeatedly explore:
Individualism（個人主義）
Modern loneliness（近代人の孤独）
Egoism（則天去私）
Conflict between the individual and society
Psychological anxiety（心理的不安）
Tradition versus Westernization（伝統と西洋化）
Sōseki believed modern people wanted freedom but often became isolated after separating themselves from family and society.
“Self-centeredness” — 自己本位
After returning from London, Sōseki developed the idea of 自己本位（じこほんい）, meaning establishing one’s own independent intellectual and moral standpoint instead of blindly following Western or Japanese authority.
It does not simply mean selfishness. It means:
Thinking independently while accepting responsibility for one’s choices.
則天去私 — “Follow heaven and abandon the self”
Sōseki’s later ideal is often expressed as:
則天去私（そくてんきょし）
It roughly means “follow the natural order and let go of the selfish ego.” However, scholars debate how completely this phrase represents his final philosophy.
Literary importance
Sōseki transformed the Japanese novel from simple storytelling into a serious exploration of the modern mind. His characters are often educated, intelligent and sensitive—but unable to communicate or live peacefully with others.
In one sentence:
Natsume Sōseki portrayed the loneliness and psychological conflict created when modern individualism entered traditional Japanese society.
