A gem found in my late grandfather’s bookshelf

In my most recent trip home, I found a few books in my late grandfather’s shelf that were irresistible. One of them was Essays on Soseki-sensei by Kazutoshi Hando.

I felt a connection to this book in many different ways, which made the book all the more entertaining. The most immediate one was obviously a connection to my grandfather. He loved books (or perhaps more accurately, loved “buying” books lol), and I found it so cool that a book that once caught his eyes in a bookstore decades ago was now catching my eye on his shelf.

Another element that pulled me in was the author, Kazutoshi Hando. This was because Showa-shi, the first book that I read by Hando, was a book that fueled my love for history tremendously. Showa-shi was also somewhat a chance encounter, and I find it so fascinating that these small encounters in life could have such a large impact on one’s interests later on.

To add a fun fact, I’ve also read a book co-authored by Hando and Hayao Miyazaki (the mastermind behind all your favorite Studio Ghibli films), and Miyazaki mentions in that book that Essays on Soseki-sensei is his absolute favorite out of all of Hando’s works!

The honest and warm storytelling

In this book, Hando consults many written records and stories to consider (and sometimes speculate on) the life lived by the renowned and beloved Japanese writer, Soseki Natsume. Hando’s detective work is truly astonishing - he studies not only every little bit of Soseki’s works and essays, but also references any records of letters to his friends and family, scribbles he left on his books, and detailed historical context to tell interesting and sometimes humorous tales of Soseki.

What I love about this book is the warmh-hearted way that Hando tells stories about Soseki. This is a truly remarkable quality of Hando, in my opinion. Even though some of the recorded episodes are quite humorous and sometimes even silly, Hando never imposes any judgement. The stories are told in an entertaining manner, but in a way that effortlessly bring the reader into the world as seen by Soseki.