Ogai Mori

Born in 1862 in modern-day Simane prefecture, Mori was born to a family of doctors to the Feudal lord in the area. With the Meiji Revolution, the family relocated to Tokyo, where Ogai was to study medicine and the German language. He enlisted in the army and spent four years in Germany. Upon returning to Japan he started his own literary journal and medical journal, both of which were highly influential. Considered, along with Soseki Natsume, the preeminent Meiji-era writer of Japan, Mori's romantic, dense style exerted a powerful influence over following generations of writers.