Kokoro: A Japanese word whose closest translation could be one’s “soul heart.” It literary means heart; however it is not a physical embodiment, but it is also separate from the soul.  It is a concept difficult to explain to someone who isn’t Japanese, and thus “soul heart” is the best explanation we have.

Kokoro also happens to be the title of the late Natsume Soseki’s award winning novel. Regarded as the father of modern literature in Japan, Soseki wrote many great novels during his lifetime; Kokoro however is the most famous.  Whereas in America we study J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in The Rye and John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men the Japanese study Kokoro.  It is practically mandatory reading across Japan, and for good reason.

The novel follows an unnamed narrator through his life after he encounters “Sensei” who will become his good friend.  Sensei is an older man, having retired and now living a life of leisure. However, he carries with him a deep secret that haunts him day in and day out.  In his novel, Soseki tackles the innermost components of the Japanese psyche in true modern style. The novel is set at the end of the Meiji era. The Meiji is known as a revolutionary time for Japan. Suddenly the country has opened its doors to the world and quickly is embracing modernization and westernization. For many, this comes as a shock, especially those living a traditional life in the country side. Soseki manages to captures both ideologies in his novel.

This is a novel that everyone should be reading, but many people haven’t.  This is especially a novel for the college student, as the unnamed narrator struggles with wanting to live a life like “Sensei”, without having to put the work in. There is much discussion about the value of education and a college degree, as well as the changing economy of Japan. These two themes alone echo much of what is happening in the United States at the moment.  Lastly, with Japan in the spotlight regarding the recent national disaster of March 11^th, everyone owes it to themselves to learn a little bit about Japanese culture. There is no better novel to read than Natsume Soseki’s Kokoro if you really wish to understand what it means to be Japanese during a time of great national change.