Sohei Morita

Novelist and translator. Born March 19, 1881 in Gifu City. His real name was Yonematsu. He graduated from the Department of English Literature at Tokyo Imperial University. He became a disciple of Natsume Soseki. After his attempted suicide with Hiratsuka Raicho, he was given the patronage of Soseki, and in 1909 (Meiji 42), he was given the opportunity to publish his autobiographical novel "Soot" in the Tokyo Asahi Shimbun, which earned him a place in the literary world. While editing the Asahi Literary Column, which was presided over by Soseki, together with Komiya Toyotaka, he completed the sequel to "Soot", "Autobiography" (1911), and began to actively write novels, writing the short story "First Love" (1911) and the full-length novel "Jujigai" (1912), but there were few works worth reading, so he gradually made translation his main job. With his masterpiece Rinne (1923-25) in 1925, he resolved the issue of his personal history that had been weighing on his mind since his youth, and thereafter opened up new fields in historical novels with works such as The People of the Kira Family (1929), Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1941-42), and Lady Hosokawa Gracia (1950). He considered himself Soseki's "eternal disciple" throughout his life, and his critical biography Natsume Soseki: Shoshu (1942-43) is of immortal value as a fundamental document for Soseki research. After the Second World War, he joined the Japanese Communist Party, which caused quite a stir. He died on December 14, 1949.

[Ishizaki Hitoshi]

"Selected Works of Morita Sohei, three volumes (1956, Rironsha)" ▽ "Complete Works of Meiji Literature 75, Meiji Anti-Naturalist Literature Collection 2" (1968, Chikuma Shobo) ▽ "Modern Japanese Literature Series 29, Morita Sohei and Other Works" (1971, Chikuma Shobo) ▽ "The Literature of Morita Sohei, by Negishi Masazumi (1976, Ohfusha)"

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

小説家、翻訳家。明治14年3月19日、岐阜市生まれ。本名米松。東京帝国大学英文科卒業。夏目漱石(そうせき)の門に入る。平塚らいてうとの情死未遂事件後、漱石の庇護(ひご)を受け、1909年（明治42）自伝小説『煤煙(ばいえん)』を『東京朝日新聞』に発表する機会を与えられ文壇的地位を得る。小宮豊隆(とよたか)とともに漱石主宰の「朝日文芸欄」を編集しつつ、『煤煙』の続編『自叙伝』（1911）を完成、活発な創作活動に入り、短編『初恋』（1911）、長編『十字街』（1912）などを書くが、みるべき作が少なく、しだいに翻訳を本業とするようになる。25年（大正14）大作『輪廻(りんね)』（1923～25）により、青年期から引きずっていた自己史の問題に決着をつけ、以後『吉良家(きらけ)の人々』（1929）、『豊臣(とよとみ)秀吉』（1941～42）、『細川ガラシヤ夫人』（1950）など歴史小説に新分野を開いた。終生、漱石に対して「永遠の弟子」意識をもち、その評伝『夏目漱石』正続（1942～43）は漱石研究の基本文献として不朽の価値をもつ。第二次世界大戦後、日本共産党に入党し話題をよんだ。昭和24年12月14日没。

［石崎　等］

『『森田草平選集』三冊（1956・理論社）』▽『『明治文学全集75　明治反自然派文学集　二』（1968・筑摩書房）』▽『『現代日本文学大系29　森田草平他集』（1971・筑摩書房）』▽『根岸正純著『森田草平の文学』（1976・桜楓社）』

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