It was there that he met Masaoka Shiki (正岡子規, 14 October 1867 - 19 September 1902), who had entered the university at the same time and would influence Sōseki and encourage his literary aspirations. In September 1884, he was accepted at the college of Tokyo University, and in 1888, he enrolled in English literature at the First Upper Middle School (later to be known as Tokyo Imperial University).

His encounter with classical Chinese literature first sparked his interest in becoming a writer. His early education included intensive studies of Chinese poetry and fiction from the Tang and Song periods. His mother passed away when he was 14 years old, and his two brothers died of pneumonia five years later, in 1887, contributing to his sense of insecurity. Unwelcome by his parents, who saw his late birth as a social embarrassment, he was sent to a foster family, the Shiobara, former servants of the Natsume who were childless.ĭue to marital issues between the Shiobara, Sōseki went back and forth between the two houses, only to return to his birth parents when the Shiobara finally divorced. GradeSaver, 22 June 2015 Web.Sōseki was born in Ushigome (modern-day Shinjuku, Tōkyō), the fifth son and the eighth and last child of Natsume Kohyōe Naokatsu, a nanushi (名主, village headman) and his wife, Chie. Next Section Glossary Previous Section Kokoro Summary Buy Study Guide How To Cite in MLA Format Lin, Alexander. The motherless son of a Buddhist priest, K is an extremely idealistic, determined, and indifferent young man who has been Sensei's friend since the two were young. 'Okusan' is the polite form of address for someone else's wife. Sensei calls her by her name, Shizu but in the context of his story she is called 'Ojosan,' which is the polite form of address for 'young lady' or 'daughter'. Sensei's Wife / OjosanĪ very beautiful woman whose seemingly simpleminded nature belies her strong emotional intuition. The Narrator's MotherĪ kindly and simpleminded country woman. The Narrator's FatherĪ pleasant and simpleminded old country man who is suffering from kidney disease. He hints of his dark past, but never reveals it. Although he is weary of the world in general, he becomes a mentor of sorts for the narrator. SenseiĪn enigmatic man who lives a reclusive and idle life with his wife.

Youthful and earnest, he is drawn to Sensei but feels alienated from his family. The unnamed narrator, a well-off young man from the countryside, attends university in Tokyo.

Kokoro by natsume sōseki