Kokoro Book Assignment #1

1) How did “I” travel from Tokyo, where he attended school, to home and back to Tokyo?

Here you should be able to explain his mode of conveyance and explain how this differed

from how people traveled in the Tokugawa period.

“I” being the narrator of Kokoro, studied in Tokyo and would travel back and forth from

home via train “I left Tokyo by train that night.” (Kokoro, 47). This brings to light the

modernization of Japan during the Meiji era with available transportation like trains. Previously,

in the Tokugawa period, the main mode of transportation was by foot or if you were wealthier by

palanquin. With new transportation technology, journeys that may have taken days in the past

can now be done in one or less.

2) How did Sensei’s friend “K” kill himself (be specific)? Also explain why you think he

killed himself.

Sensei’s friend “K” took his own life by using a small knife to cut open his carotid artery.

The carotid arteries provide your brain with blood, the cut likely killed K almost instantly. K’s

suicide was likely due to his love for Ojosan. K believed in strict discipline and renouncing his

earthly desires, including Ojosan. This internal battle between his spiritual beliefs and feelings of

love seems to drive K into a state of hopelessness and depression “I am a weak man, and I am

ashamed… I mean that I can’t decide whether to take a step forward or to turn back” (Kokoro,
196). Adding insult to injury, Sensei had asked Okusan for Ojosan’s hand in marriage, leading K

to take his own life.

3) Who gave Sensei the idea to commit Junshi? What is Junshi? What was Sensei’s

motivation for committing Junshi?

Junshi is a type of ritualistic suicide, where one takes their own life following the death

of their lord. Sensei’s wife jokingly mentions the concept of Junshi to him, but this plants the

seed in Sensei's mind. After the death of Emperor Meiji, the Sensei seriously considered the idea

of it. General Nogi (one of Emperor Meiji’s revered generals) commits Junshi in honor of the

death of his leader. The Sensei seeing this as inspiration to do the same mixed with the death of

his friend K and the growing disconnect from the world following the Meiji period leads the

Sensei to his final decision. “I will commit junshi if you like; but in my case, it will be through

loyalty to the spirit of the Meiji era… My remark was meant as a joke; but I did feel that the

antiquated word had come to hold a new meaning for me” (Kokoro, 225).

4) Why was Okusan able to own her own home? How did this differ from female property

ownership in the Tokugawa era?

During the Meiji era, a time of social and political reform, property laws changed. In the

Tokugawa era, women were dependent on men, with men owning all the property. This changed

in the Meiji era when under certain circumstances, women could own property, for example, if

they were widows with no male heir like Okusan. “There were only three people living in the

house, the woman told me: the widow, her daughter, and one maid” (Kokoro, 135).
5) Why did Sensei and his Uncle have a falling out? In answering this question, explain in

detail how it came to be that Sensei’s Uncle became Sensei’s guardian and what Sensei’s

Uncle did that angered Sensei.

After both of Sensei’s parents died of typhoid fever, Sensei’s Uncle became his new

guardian. The Uncle willingly stepped up to the plate, helping send him to university and giving

him allowances. Behind the scenes, Sensei’s parents had left behind an inheritance for their son,

but it never reached him. The Uncle had secretly stolen the inheritance “my uncle cheated me of

my inheritance. He managed to do so without much difficulty during the three years that I was

away in Tokyo” (Kokoro, 132). After Sensei found out, he was disgusted with his uncle for

stealing both his inheritance and his innocent trust.

6) “I’s” father seemed fixated with the Emperor. How did father learn about the Emperor?

What were father’s concerns regarding the Emperor, and why do you suppose he felt the

way he did? How did the role of the Emperor change in the Meiji period when compared to

the Tokugawa era?

I’s father learned about Emperor Meiji’s death through the newspaper. During the

Tokugawa period, the emperor was seen more as a figurehead, worshiped like a god but not

respected as a man. During the Meiji era, the education systems focused on instilling loyalty to

the Emperor, going as far as having portraits of him in schools. I’s father, like many other men,
was most likely concerned with whether or not he should commit Junshi “Oh, His Majesty is

gone at last. I too . . .” (Kokoro, 87).

7) What did “K” originally plan to study in university and what did he seem to be more

interested in studying? How did this impact his relationship with his foster family? Why

would K’s issue regarding his studies not have been an issue in the Tokugawa era?

Following his parents' wishes, K’s original plan was to study medicine at university and

in return his foster parents would pay for his education. In reality, K was drawn to philosophy

and religious studies. When K confronted his parents about this in a letter, things didn't go over

smoothly. K’s foster father replied saying “ he could not possibly finance the education of one so

unprincipled as to cheat his parents” (Kokoro, 156). This left a wound in K’s relationship with

his parents that never truly healed. Comparing this to the Tokugawa period, education was

limited to the upper class. It did not matter what you were educated in, just having an education

set you above the rest.