The Gate

Natsume Sōseki (1867–1916), born Natsume Kinnosuke, is widely regarded as the foremost Japanese novelist of the Meiji era. He studied English literature in Tokyo and London before turning to fiction, and his best-known works — I Am a Cat, Botchan and Kokoro — examine isolation, duty and the strain of Japan's rapid Westernisation. His portrait appeared on the 1,000-yen note from 1984 to 2004.