SANSHIRO

   Sanshiro (1908; tr. Sanshiro, 1977), written by Natsume Soseki, is a coming-of-age novel about the social consequences of rapid industrialization in Meiji-era Tokyo. The main character, Sanshiro, transplanted from his rural village into the intellectual fray of urban university life, makes friends and struggles with a confusing, changing world. As Sanshiro’s relationship with the Westernized Mineko undergoes ups and downs, their struggle parallels Japan’s own contemporary turmoil.