Acquaintances of Soseki

Masaoka, Shiki

A firm and lasting friendship between the two prominent writers-Shiki and Soseki-started in May 1889, when Soseki contributed a critical essay to a collection of Shiki's compositions. It is reasonable to suggest that their parting was foreseeable for them from the outset: it is said that Shiki was diagnosed as being tuberculosis of the lungs during this period and realized he had "only ten years" to live. This fact caused to deepen their friendship quickly. Influenced by Shiki, Soseki composed Chinese poems and haikus. Later, encouraged by Kyoshi Takahama, one of a disciple of Shiki, Soseki published I am a Cat in Hototogisu, a magazine started by Shiki.

It was Shiki Masaoka who acted as a middleman for Soseki to become a novelist. But he was already dead when Soseki started writing novels-he died in September 1902 during Soseki's stay in England. Shiki was "not satisfied if he couldn't take the leadership", and he constantly treated Soseki as a "youngster". Shiki sent letters to Soseki in England, in which he says, "I am hopeless" or asks, "Could you give me a letter once again, while I am still alive?" He was looking forward to hearing from Soseki. But Soseki could not send further pages of London Essays. In a flat in London, he was trying to solve the problem of "what is literature" so hardly that he went "mad" and suffered from a "neurosis". Soseki must have regretted that he could not grant Shiki's request: in the introduction of the Book Third of I am a Cat, he wrote, "I would like to have his request heard after five years." Therefore I am a Cat was "dedicated to the memory of Shiki."

Kano, Kokichi

A philosopher and an educator. Born in Akita Prefecture. Graduated from the Department of Mathematics, the Faculty of Science, Tokyo Imperial University in 1888; also graduated from the Department of Philosophy, the Colledge of Humanities, Tokyo Imperial University in 1891. He taught in Forth Higher School and Fifth Higher School. He was inaugurated as the president of First Higher School in 1898, and as the first president of the College of Humanities, Kyoto Imperial University in 1906. He made contribution to build up the academic character of each school. Resigned from his position in 1908, he earned his living as a connoisseur of paintings and calligraphic works. He studied natural scientific ideas in modern Japan. He is known as a non-academic scholar who found Shoeki Ando's manuscript of Shizen shin'eido. He first introduced Ando's unique thoughts to the public.

He was a close friend of Soseki. He offered his condolences at the funeral of Soseki on 12 Dec. 1916.

Doi, Bansui

A poet and a scholar of English literature. Born Rinkichi Tsuchii in Sendai. Graduated from the Department of English Literature, Tokyo Imperial University in 1897. His first collection of poems Tenchi ujou was published in 1899. His poems were so highly evaluated that they bore comparison with Toson Shimazaki's Wakanasyu. Bansui's poems-based on Chinese poetry-like masculine style-make good contrast with Toson's. He composed many school songs in his later years. He taught in Second Higher School in 1900, but resigned in 1901 in order to study in Europe. He came back to his former position in 1905 and taught in Second Higher School till 1934. He is also known as the lyric writer of 'Kojo no tsuki' which is composed by Rentaro Taki. He translated Homer's Iliad and Odyssey into Japanese verse. He received an Order of Cultural Merit Award in 1950-he was the first poet who received it.

Bansui was one of Soseki's junior fellows in Tokyo Imperial University. They met for the first time in 1894, when Bansui was still a student of Second Higher School and Soseki was on his travels to Matsushima.

Raphael von Koeber

A philosopher and a musician. A German-Russian, born in Russia. He graduated from a school of music in Moscow in 1872. He went to Germany and studied philosophy at Friedrich-Schiller-University in Jena and University of Heidelberg. He wrote a treatise on Schopenhauer by which he got a degree. He came to Japan in 1893 in order to teach philosophy at Tokyo Imperial University: he taught there till 1914. He also taught piano at Tokyo Music School. He died at the age of seventy-five in Yokohama-he could not go back to his country because of World War I. He was noble-minded and brilliantly educated, and had a great influence on the thought of the Taisho period.

Soseki regarded Koeber as the most noble-minded professor in the university. Koeber's lecture on aesthetics in 1893, soon after he came to Japan, was Soseki's first contact with Koeber.

Komiya, Toyotaka

A critic and a scholar of German literature. He worked energetically during the Taisho and Showa period. Born in Fukuoka Prefecture. Graduated from First Higher School. He entered Tokyo Imperial University where he made friends with Soseki Natsume. After graduated the university, he worked as a lecturer at Keio University, as a professor at Hosei University. In 1924, he became a professor at Tohoku Imperial University. He taught German Literature mainly. Retiring from his job, he worked as the president at Tokyo Music School, as the dean of the Faculty of Literature at Gakushuin University and so on. He became a member of the Japan Academy in 1951.

When he worked for Tohoku Imperial University, he established close ties with Jiro Abe and others. He studied haiku, Noh and kabuki in addition to his specialty. He had also held the position of the fifth Director of Tohoku Imperial University from 1940 to 1946. He directed the management of the library during the difficult times, and endeavored to assemble the Soseki Collection. After his death, his collection of books was given to the library-it is now kept in Tohoku University Library as Komiya Collection.

Abe, Jiro

A philosopher and an aesthetician. He was energetic during the Taisho and Showa period. Born in Yamagata Prefecture. Graduated from Yamagata Middle School and First Higher School. He entered Tokyo Imperial University and studied philosophy: he was greatly influenced by Koeber. He became a disciple of Soseki and made friends with Sohei Morita, Toyotaka Komiya and others. He worked as a lecturer at Keio University in 1913. He published Santaro no nikki in 1914, which attracted a lot of readers. He was one of the representatives of the intellectuals of the Taisho period.

He was also one of the central members of the project to establish the faculty of law and letters in Tohoku Imperial University. He taught aesthetics at Tohoku Imperial University from 1921 to 1945. He specialized disciplines of the West, but he also attached importance to the study of Japanese culture. He started a circle called Bashokai in 1926, and forged ties with his colleagues: Toyotaka Komiya, Yoshio Yamada, Tsunetsugu Muraoka, Yoshie Okazaki and Masao Ota (Mokutaro Kinoshita). After suffered a defeat in World War II, he redefined his goal-to establish a civilized nation. Retiring from his job at university in 1945, he established in Sendai the Research Institute for Japanese Culture. After his death in 1959 his collection of books was given to Tohoku University, which is now called as Abe Collection.