From Page to Screen: Comparing Natsume Kyouko's Memoir 漱石の思い出 with its TV Adaptation

Memories of Sōseki (漱石の思い出) is Natsume Kyōko's memoir about her husband Natsume Sōseki, one of the greatest novelists in Japan. This book was first published in 1929. In it, Kyōko shared her memories of Sōseki, from the time of their arranged marriage until after his death. Their son-in-law Matsuoka Yuzuru recorded and compiled Kyōko's comments into this book. In 2016, to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Sōseki’s death, NHK produced a four-episode TV drama "Sōseki Natsume And His Wife" (“夏目漱石の妻”) based on Kyōko's memoir.

While studying Sōseki through John Nathan's biography, Sōseki: Modern Japan's Greatest Novelist, during a course I took on Sōseki, I was consistently drawn to his wife Kyōko and learnt about Memories of Sōseki (漱石の思い出), the book Nathan also references. Sōseki often criticized her in his writings and letters, calling her a "bad wife" for her habit of sleeping until noon; on the other hand, she continued to support Sōseki during his struggles with mental illness, despite his sometimes-abominable treatment of her.

What kind of person was Kyōko really? This question drove me to read more of Memories of Sōseki (漱石の思い出). Additionally, I learned about the TV drama based on this book. Although I have only read half of the book and watched the corresponding two episodes of the drama covering half, I noticed some differences in focus and strengths between these two forms of expression. The book primarily describes Sōseki's daily life and relates interesting anecdotes behind his novels, while the TV drama emphasizes the relationship between Sōseki and Kyōko in a romantic way. In this post, I analyze the strengths of these two approaches using specific examples.

The book records various events from Kyōko's perspective. In chapter 8, Kyōko explains the source material of Kusamakura, a novel that Sōseki published in 1906. Kusamakura tells the story of a young artist who travels into the mountain and encounters a beautiful woman named Nami at a hot spring inn. According to Kyōko, the Nakoi (那古井) spring in Kusamakura was based on the villa of a local noble named Maeda a town near Kumamoto called Oama (小天). Additionally, the famous scene where Nami mistakenly enters the men's spring was based on a real incident involving Maeda's sister. And in chapter 13, Kyōko talks about the dog that once lived in the family.

Such intriguing stories of Sōseki’s life and that ended up in his novels were not included in the TV drama. Instead, the TV drama focused on the marital relationship between Kyōko and Sōseki through selected events. I briefly summarize some major events covered in the first episode of the TV drama and then analyze some modifications made by the TV show.

The first episode covers the period from Sōseki and Kyōko's arranged marriage meeting (お見合い) through their marriage, new life together, and the miscarriage of their first child. I noticed two significant modifications in the TV adaptation. First, in the TV show, Kyōko and her sisters are sitting in the rickshaw when they happen to see Sōseki passing by in another rickshaw. Then, Kyōko says a very strong line to her sisters: "I will definitely marry that man." In the original memoir, there is no such line, and Kyōko does not explicitly express that she likes Sōseki. This addition caught my attention, since marriages at that time were typically arranged, and the concept of free love was still a new concept at that time. The marriage between Sōseki and Kyōko was clearly arranged by Kyōko's father, who, as described in chapter 2 of the memoir, had thoroughly researched Sōseki's background. This modification seems to conflict with the original context and the historical background, but I believe this is not a bad choice under the current modern society context. For audiences who are not familiar with the social norms of Sōseki's era, it is not easy to accept the fact that marriage had so little to do with love. By incorporating contemporary values about marriage and giving Kyōko this powerful line, the TV show makes the relationship more accessible to modern viewers and portrays Kyōko as an independent female character whom contemporary audiences can relate to and admire.

The other major modification has to do with Kyōko’s miscarriage of her first child. This tragic event happened one year after their marriage during their return to Tokyo, due to the strain of the journey. In the original memoir, there is only one short paragraph related to this event, simply stating that the miscarriage occurred, and Kyōko went to Kamakura to recover. She does not describe how she felt and says nothing about Sōseki's reactions to this accident. However, the TV show modified this part a lot by adding a series of romantic scenes. First, we see Kyōko on the beach in Kamakura during her recovery, watching a couple with their child with mixed emotions while Sōseki observes her from a distance. The second scene is in a bamboo forest near Sōseki's house. Sōseki scolds Kyōko for her impetuous attitude and expresses his desire for a child, leading to tension in their relationship. In the third scene, Kyōko visits Sōseki at his school but he ignores her and, she later attempts suicide by jumping into the river. After returning home, Sōseki and Kyōko have a heartfelt conversation. Sōseki confesses that with an unhappy family background he finds it difficult to trust people. He is always alone but he starts to feel the significance of Kyōko being at his side with him. Through this romantic scene, we witness the couple overcoming their emotional deadlock through the expression of love. This intimate moment reveals Sōseki not as a distant literary figure, but as a complex human with his own past wounds and grows to learn how to lover others. The TV drama used nearly the last 20 minutes on those new added scenes to shape the marital relationship and push this episode to an emotional climax.

The TV drama added many new elements to the original story, and no one knows if these events actually happened. However, as a romantic drama, these additions align well with people's common understanding of marital relationships and successfully engage both audiences who are familiar with Sōseki and those who aren't. Only by first capturing the audience's attention can the show inspire them to become interested in Sōseki and motivate them to learn more about him on their own. In these aspects, I believe the TV drama is very successful.

In conclusion, the original memoir provides rich details about Natsume Sōseki's personal life and fascinating anecdotes behind his literary works, which is undoubtedly a treat for readers who are already familiar with and appreciate Sōseki's literature. The memoir also serves as a valuable historical document about Sōseki. While the TV drama takes some creative liberties that deviate from both the original text and historical facts, it successfully builds a bridge to Sōseki's world for newcomers by presenting marital relationships in a way that resonates with modern audiences. More significantly, the TV drama succeeds in humanizing Sōseki by revealing the complexities of his characteristics - not just as a famous novelist, but as a more easily approachable man struggling with his past trauma while learning to open his heart to love. I believe that as long as the drama succeeds in introducing more people to Sōseki and sparking their interest in him, it has fulfilled its purpose. For those who are not yet familiar with Sōseki, I recommend starting with the TV drama as an entry point. Meanwhile, those who have already read many of Sōseki's literary works should not miss this insightful memoir, and they can enjoy this well-made TV drama as leisurely entertainment.