Natsume Soseki on the former 1000 yen note.

Natsume Soseki (夏目 漱石 Natsume Sōseki, February 9, 1867 - December 9, 1916) was the pen-name of Natsume Kinnosuke (夏目金之助 Natsume Kin'nosuke), who is widely considered to be the foremost Japanese novelist of the Meiji Era. He is best known for his novels Kokoro and I Am a Cat. He was also a scholar of British literature and composer of haiku, Chinese-style poetry, and fairy tales. From 1984 until 2004, his portrait appeared on the front of the 1000 yen note. Japanese 1000 yen bill with portrait of Natsume Soseki File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Japanese 1000 yen bill with portrait of Natsume Soseki File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... February 9 is the 40th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1867 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... December 9 is the 343rd day (344th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1916 (MCMXVI) is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar) // Events January-February January 1 -The first successful blood transfusion using blood that had been stored and cooled. ... A pen name or nom de plume is a pseudonym adopted by an author. ... History of Japan Paleolithic Jomon Yayoi Yamato period ---Kofun period ---Asuka period Nara period Heian period Kamakura period Muromachi period Azuchi-Momoyama period ---Nanban period Edo period Meiji period Taisho period Showa period ---Japanese expansionism ---Occupied Japan ---Post-Occupation Japan Heisei The Meiji period (Japanese: Meiji Jidai 明治時代 ) (1868–1912... Kokoro (こころ, in kanji 心) is a novel by Natsume Soseki. ... I Am a Cat (吾輩は猫である, Wagahai wa neko de aru) is a comic novel written in 1905-1906 by the Japanese author Natsume Soseki. ... British literature is literature from the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. ... Haiku is one of the most important modes of Japanese poetry, a late 19th century revision by Masaoka Shiki of the older hokku (発句), the opening verse of a linked verse form, haikai no renga . ... Quatrain on Heavenly Mountain by Emperor Gaozong Hand-painted Chinese New Years poetry pasted on the sides of doors leading to peoples homes, Old Town, Lijiang, Yunnan, China. ... A fairy tale is a story, either told to children or as if told to children, concerning the adventures of mythical characters such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, giants, and others. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Japanese 10 yen coin (obverse) showing Phoenix Hall of Byodoin Yen is the currency used in Japan. ...

Early Years

Born as Natsume Kinnosuke in the city of Edo (modern-day Tokyo), Natsume began his life as an unwanted child, born to his mother late in her life. His parents foisted him off on a former household servant (Shiobara Masanosuke) and his wife, by whom he was brought up until the age of nine. He returned to his household and was welcomed by his mother though regarded as a nuisance by his father. His mother died when he was fourteen. Edo (Japanese: 江戸, literally: bay-door, estuary), once also spelled Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo. ... View of Tokyos Shibuya district Long a symbol of Tokyo, the Nijubashi Bridge at the Kokyo Imperial Palace. ...

In middle school, Natsume became enamored with Chinese literature, and fancied that he might someday become a writer. However, his family disapproved strongly of this course of action, and when Natsume entered the Tokyo Imperial University (now the University of Tokyo) in September of 1884, it was with the intention of becoming an architect. He began studying English at that time, feeling that it might prove useful to him in his future career. // Ancient texts The Four Books (四书, Sì shū) are The Great Learning, (大学, Dà Xué). The Doctrine of the Golden Mean (中庸, Zhōng Yóng). ... The Yasuda Auditorium on the University of Tokyos Hongo Campus. ...

In 1887, Natsume met Masaoka Shiki, a friend who would give him encouragement on the path to becoming a writer, which would ultimately be his career. Shiki tutored him in the art of composing haiku. From this point on, Natsume began signing his poems with the name Soseki, which is a Chinese idiom meaning "stubborn". In 1890, Soseki entered the English literature department, and quickly became a master of the English language. Soseki graduated in 1893, and enrolled for some time as a graduate student and part-time teacher at the Tokyo Normal School. Haiku by Shiki at Horyu-ji (temple): kaki kueba kane ga naru nari Hōryū-ji I bite into a persimmon and a bell resounds— Hōryūji —trans. ... Haiku is one of the most important modes of Japanese poetry, a late 19th century revision by Masaoka Shiki of the older hokku (発句), the opening verse of a linked verse form, haikai no renga . ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

Soseki began teaching at Ehime Prefecture Middle School in Shikoku in 1895, which is the setting of his novel Botchan. Along with fulfilling his teaching duties, Soseki published haiku and Chinese poetry in a number of newspapers and periodicals. He resigned his post in 1896 and began teaching at the Fifth High School in Kumamoto. On June 10 of that year, he married Nakane Kyoko. Ehime agency Ehime Prefecture (愛媛県; Ehime-ken) is a prefecture in northwestern Shikoku, Japan. ... Shikoku (四国, four provinces) is the smallest and least populous of the four main islands of Japan. ... Wikibooks has more about this subject: Japanese/Reader/坊っちゃん Botchan (坊っちゃん) by Natsume Soseki is one of the most popular novels in Japan. ... Haiku is one of the most important modes of Japanese poetry, a late 19th century revision by Masaoka Shiki of the older hokku (発句), the opening verse of a linked verse form, haikai no renga . ... Categories: Cities in Kumamoto Prefecture | Japan geography stubs ...

Natsume Soseki's lodgings in Clapham, South London

Image File history File links Download high resolution version (480x640, 73 KB)Natsume Sōsekis lodgings in The Chase, Clapham, London. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (480x640, 73 KB)Natsume Sōsekis lodgings in The Chase, Clapham, London. ... For the village in Bedfordshire, see Clapham, Bedfordshire. ...

Soseki in the United Kingdom, 1901-1902

In 1900, Soseki was sent by the Japanese government to study in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. He visited Cambridge and stayed a night there, but gave up the idea of studying at the university because he could not afford it on his government scholarship. He had a miserable time of it in London, spending most of his days indoors buried in books, and his friends feared that he might be losing his mind. He also visited Pitlochry in Scotland. The Union Flag, in its modern form, was first adopted in 1801. ... Map of the Cambridgeshire area (1904) The city of Cambridge is an old English university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire. ... Pitlochry (Baile Chloichridh in Gaelic) is a burgh in Perthshire, Scotland, lying on the River Tummel within the council area of Perth and Kinross. ... ...

He lived in four different lodgings. Nevertheless, he solidified his knowledge of English literature and returned to Japan at the end of 1902. Five years later, in his preface to Bungakuron (The Criticism of Literature), he wrote about the period: ...

The two years I spent in London were the most unpleasant years in my life. Among English gentlemen I lived in misery, like a poor dog that had strayed among a pack of wolves.

After his return to the Empire of Japan, he became a professor of English literature at Tokyo Imperial University. Part of the London skyline viewed from the South Bank London is the most populous city in the European Union, with an estimated population on 1 January 2005 of 7. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: England Travel guide to England from Wikitravel English language English law English (people) List of monarchs of England – Kings of England family tree List of English people Angeln (region in northern Germany, presumably the origin of the Angles for whom England is named) UK... Trinomial name Canis lupus familiaris (Linnaeus, 1758) The dog is a canine mammal of the Order Carnivora. ... Wolf Wolf Man Mount Wolf Wolf Prizes Wolf Spider Wolf 424 Wolf 359 Wolf Point Wolf-herring Frank Wolf Friedrich Wolf Friedrich August Wolf Hugo Wolf Johannes Wolf Julius Wolf Max Franz Joseph Cornelius Wolf Maximilian Wolf Rudolf Wolf Thomas Wolf As Name Wolf Breidenbach Wolf Hirshorn Other The call... Flag of Imperial Japan The Empire of Japan (: 大日本帝國; Shinjitai: 大日本帝国; pronounced Dai Nippon Teikoku) commonly refers to Japan from the Meiji Restoration until the end of World War II. Politically, it covers the period from the enforced establishment of prefectures in place of feudal domains (廃藩置県; Hai-han Chi-ken) in July... The term English literature refers to literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; Joseph Conrad was Polish, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Edgar Allan Poe was American, Salman Rushdie is Indian. ... The Yasuda Auditorium on the University of Tokyos Hongo Campus. ...

Literary career

Soseki's literary career began in 1905 when he wrote a short story entitled I Am a Cat, which was such a public success that he began serializing it in Hototogisu, a prominent literary journal of the time, founded by his friend Masaoka Shiki. Soon after he published Botchan, another work which won him wide public admiration as well as critical acclaim. He began writing full-time in 1907, when he left his post at the university for a position with Asahi Shimbun. He began writing one novel a year until his death from a stomach ulcer in 1916. I Am a Cat (吾輩は猫である, Wagahai wa neko de aru) is a comic novel written in 1905-1906 by the Japanese author Natsume Soseki. ... Hototogisu can refer to either: A bird native to Japan A literary magazine External links Hototogisu (bird) Hototogisu (magazine) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Wikibooks has more about this subject: Japanese/Reader/坊っちゃん Botchan (坊っちゃん) by Natsume Soseki is one of the most popular novels in Japan. ... Asahi-TOKYO Office Asahi-OSAKA office ASA Asahi is a common name in Japan, for other uses see Asahi. ... Peptic ulcer is a non-malignant ulcer of the stomach (called gastric ulcer) or duodenum (called duodenal ulcer). ...

Major themes in Soseki's works include ordinary people fighting against economic hardship, the conflict between duty and desire, loyalty and group mentality versus freedom and individuality, personal isolation and estrangement, the rapid industrialization of Japan and its social consequences, contempt of Japan's aping of Western culture, and a pessimistic view of human nature.

Soseki's major works include:

I Am a Cat (吾輩は猫である, Wagahai wa neko de aru) is a comic novel written in 1905-1906 by the Japanese author Natsume Soseki. ... See also: 1904 in literature, other events of 1905, 1906 in literature, list of years in literature. ... Wikibooks has more about this subject: Japanese/Reader/坊っちゃん Botchan (坊っちゃん) by Natsume Soseki is one of the most popular novels in Japan. ... See also: 1905 in literature, other events of 1906, 1907 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1906 in literature, other events of 1907, 1908 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1907 in literature, other events of 1908, 1909 in literature, list of years in literature. ... Ten Nights of Dream ) is a series of short stories by Natsume Soseki, printed in 1908. ... See also: 1908 in literature, other events of 1909, 1910 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1909 in literature, other events of 1910, 1911 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1911 in literature, other events of 1912, 1913 in literature, list of years in literature. ... Kokoro (こころ, in kanji 心) is a novel by Natsume Soseki. ... See also: 1913 in literature, other events of 1914, 1915 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1914 in literature, other events of 1915, 1916 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1915 in literature, other events of 1916, 1917 in literature, list of years in literature. ...

See also

• Anglo-Japanese relations

Chronology of Anglo-Japanese relations (Nichi-Ei kankei 日英関係) 1600. ...

External links

• Works by Kinnosuke Natsume at Project Gutenberg
• Sōseki page including links to the entire text of Kokoro
• Japanese recordings of several stories from Ten Nights of Dreams, in MP3 format