Along with Natsume Sseki, Mori gai is one of the literary giants of the modern age. Not only did gai help create a new literature for the Japanese people as the country endured the pains attending the birth of the modern nation, but he also expounded on a wide spectrum of issues and worked to enlighten the backward consciousness of the Japanese. Although he manifested a pedantic streak as a young man, his concern for the awakening of his country was striking, and it produced significant results in the evolution of modern Japan.

gai, whose real name was Mori Rintar, was the son of the official physician in the domain of Tsuwano, a tiny western province. From his youth he excelled in educational pursuits, and his intelligence led his teachers at the Yrkan, the fief school, to have high hopes for his future. In 1872 the boy accompanied his...