On the afternoon of November 13, 2025, the “Distinguished Lecture” series of the School of Foreign Languages (SFL) at Northwest University specially invited Professor Huo Shifu from Xi'an Jiaotong University to deliver an academic lecture titled “Martyrdom for Transcending the ‘Meiji Spirit’: An Interpretation of Natsume Soseki's Kokoro (Heart)”. Presided over by Su Rui, Associate Dean of SFL, the lecture was attended by many teachers and students of the school.
At the beginning of the lecture, Professor Huo Shifu pointed out that a distinctive feature of Meiji literature is that while exploring the meaning of the “self” in life, it also incorporates the fates of the individual and society, as well as the individual and the nation, into its scope of concern. Natsume Soseki's novel Kokoro, published in 1914, is an outstanding representative of this feature. On the surface, the work describes the martyrdom of General Maresuke Nogi and the “Sensei” (Teacher) from different generations; in essence, however, it aims to reveal, through the tragic fates of individuals, the hidden hidden dangers concerning the nation's future that lurked behind the slogans of “civilization and enlightenment”, “enriching the country and strengthening the military”, and “leaving Asia for Europe” during the Meiji Restoration period.
Professor Huo further analyzed and pointed out that the authoritative view in the early Japanese academic circle held that Kokoro, “in a sense, has always taken the form of the unity of officials and the people, and set the dichotomous structure of oppositions such as morality and self, love and friendship, trust and distrust as the paradigm for 'correct' interpretation.” Influenced by this view, Cao Ruitao pointed out: “In the heart of the ‘Sensei’, what truly matters is the ‘Meiji Spirit’ embodied in Emperor Meiji, which carries his most precious hopes and aspirations. As long as Emperor Meiji was alive, there was a glimmer of hope for their realization, no matter how slim that hope was. But Emperor Meiji eventually passed away, and the ‘Meiji Spirit’ perished with him. Continuing to live no longer had any meaning for the ‘Sensei’, so only the path of martyrdom for the ‘Meiji Spirit’ remained.” Professor Huo emphasized that such insights have obviously remained stuck in the existing obsolete views in Japan and have not achieved new breakthroughs so far. He clearly proposed that the “Sensei” 's martyrdom is a negation and subversion of General Nogi's martyrdom, and it is a martyrdom for transcending the “Meiji Spirit”.
During the interactive session of the lecture, Professor Huo Shifu conducted in-depth discussions with on-site teachers and students on topics related to Natsume Soseki's literature. The on-site discussion atmosphere was enthusiastic, and sparks of intellectual exchange continued to fly. This lecture provided teachers and students of the school with an important opportunity to re-examine the connotation of Natsume Soseki's literature and the essence of the Meiji Spirit, and deepened their understanding of the interactive relationship between modern and contemporary Japanese literature and social thoughts.
Professor Huo Shifu Gives a Lecture
Associate Dean Su Rui Hosts the Lecture
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