Born in Babashita-yokocho, Ushigome Ward, Edo (Tokyo), Natsume Soseki's real name was Natsume Kinnosuke. He was immediately given up for adoption and had a complex childhood. After graduating from the English Literature Department of Tokyo Imperial University, he taught English at Matsuyama Middle School and the Fifth Higher School. In 1900 he went to England on a government scholarship but suffered a nervous breakdown and returned home after two years. After returning, he made his literary debut with "I Am a Cat" (1905), which was received with great enthusiasm. In 1907 he became a full-time writer for the Asahi Shimbun and wrote numerous masterpieces including "Sanshiro," "And Then," "The Gate," "To the Spring Equinox and Beyond," "The Wayfarer," and "Kokoro." In his later works he sought the state of "sokuten kyoshi" — transcending the self by following the laws of heaven. Carving out a unique literary world in opposition to naturalism, he stands at the pinnacle of modern Japanese literature. He died suddenly in 1916 at age 49 from massive bleeding caused by a gastric ulcer. Long beloved as the face of the 1,000 yen note, his works continue to be translated and read worldwide. The anecdote of him translating "I love you" as "The moon is beautiful tonight" is also famous.