MORI OGAI

Mori Ogai, given name Rintaro, was a translator, novelist, and poet. He is often paired with Natsume Soseki as the two founding fathers of modern Japanese literature. A Romanticist writer, he trained as a physician and graduated with his medical license at 19, whereupon he enlisted in the army as a doctor and spent from 1884 to 1888 in Germany studying medicine. During this time, he took an interest in Japanese and European literature, and upon returning from Germany published a literary journal, Shigarami Zoshi (The Weir). His best-known works include “Maihime” (1890; tr. The Dancing Girl, 1948), based on his experiences in Berlin, and Gan (1911–13; tr. The Wild Geese, 1951). In his later years, he focused his writing on historical narratives.

See also AESTHETICISM; KARAKI JUNZO; LITERARY CRITICISM; MILITARISM; OSANAI KAORU; THEATER REFORM; WAR LITERATURE; WASEDA BUNGAKU; YAMAZAKI MASAKAZU; YOSHII ISAMU.