When later published in novel form by Iwanami Shoten, its title was shortened to Kokoro the rendering of the word 'kokoro' itself was also changed from kanji (心) to hiragana (こころ). During the novel's initial serial run, from April 20 to August 11, 1914, it was printed under the title Kokoro: Sensei no Isho ( 心先生の遺書, Kokoro: Sensei's Testament). The word contains shades of meaning-notions of the heart and also of mind-and can be translated as 'affection', 'spirit', 'resolve', 'courage', 'sentiment', or 'the heart of things'. The title translated literally means 'heart'. It was first published in 1914 in serial form in the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun. One must always be on one's guard.Kokoro ( こゝろ, or in post-war orthography こころ) is a novel by the Japanese author Natsume Sōseki. That is what is so frightening about men. But tempt them, and they may suddenly change. Under normal conditions, everybody is more or less good, or, at least, ordinary. To quote the Sensei: 'There is no such thing as a stereotype bad man in this world.

The fact that this novel has been translated in English and is still being read, even after all that time, only proves this is a fundamental truth regarding human nature. It's been more than one hundred years since the Meiji period of Japan. Though they might live in the same place at the same time, they cannot share one heart, one kokoro. Though they have set off the right flags and won love, even so, their thirst cannot be quenched. For example, take the narrator, Sensei, K, and Okusan. Through this story, Natsume is communicating that humans are fundamentally lonely creatures and have no choice but to reflect on how they will live cast out from the collective, understood by no one. Perhaps you could also describe this as the establishment of individualism. We accept it as very much a matter of course. But we, who live in the modern world, are already used to such loneliness. Natsume calls this helpless feeling loneliness. Neither love nor friendship will cure your isolation. You may find someone who understands you, but that person will never be your friend. You may set off all the right flags, but you will never get your happy ending. This is a story that depicts individuals isolating themselves from the world, a story of the truth that there is nothing the world can do to help you.

The central theme of this work is most certainly not the romantic entanglements that compose the love triangle, but a rather poignant story about distrust.

Kokoro by natsume sōseki