The previous articles traced how the cats speak. This article turns to two linguistic phenomena surrounding the human side — “Wagahai“‘s owner, the schoolteacher Kushami-sensei: a verbal tic, and a nickname.
“You fool” — the master’s verbal tic
Absorbed in painting, Kushami-sensei is using “Wagahai” as his model; when the cat can’t help yawning and moving, he shouts:
The master’s voice, thick with a mix of disappointment and rage, bellowed from the room: “You fool!” (working translation)
And “Wagahai” notes that this is the master’s habit:
Whenever this man abuses someone, he invariably says “you fool.” He knows no other way to insult anyone, it seems, so it can’t be helped, but… (working translation)
“Invariably,” “knows no other way to insult anyone” — the cat observes, with a certain exasperation, that the master’s entire vocabulary of invective is limited to this one phrase. This tic functions very similarly to “berabo-me,” the recurring insult from “I,” the narrator of Botchan. Both are set phrases that come out reflexively when emotion runs high. That said, “you fool” is a more generic insult, not confined to any one dialect, and carries little regional color.
“Professor Privy” — the man who practices Noh chanting in the outhouse
Another interesting linguistic phenomenon clings to the master: a nickname given to him by the neighborhood.
He practices Noh chanting in the outhouse and remains completely unbothered that the neighbors have nicknamed him “Professor Privy” for it, repeating the same line over and over — “I am Taira no Munemori, at your service” — until everyone bursts out laughing and says, oh, there he goes, Munemori again. (working translation)
Kōka, “the back frame,” is an old term for an outhouse. The master’s habit of practicing Noh chanting (a recitation of texts from Noh theater) inside the privy was noticed by his sharp-eared neighbors, who dubbed him “Professor Privy.” This is exactly the same naming mechanism seen in the Botchan feature’s article on nicknames — Badger, Red Shirt — a nickname born not from inner character, but from a single, once-witnessed, peculiar habit.
A technique linking two novels
Sōseki uses this same naming technique in both I Am a Cat and Botchan.
| I Am a Cat | Botchan | |
|---|---|---|
| Nickname | Professor Privy | Badger, Red Shirt, Porcupine, and others |
| Origin | The habit of practicing Noh chanting in the outhouse | Facial features, the color of a garment, bearing |
| Who gave it | The neighbors (not directly depicted within the story) | The narrator, “I,” himself |
| Function | A single witnessed habit becomes the name outright | The same |
There is a difference, too. Botchan’s nicknames are explicitly narrated as things the narrator “I” invented himself. I Am a Cat’s “Professor Privy,” by contrast, is introduced from the outside, as something that arose spontaneously among the neighbors. This shows that the naming technique produces a different effect depending on whose point of view the act of naming is depicted from.
Worth checking as you read
First, the text does not specify exactly who among the neighbors coined the nickname “Professor Privy,” or when. Only the vague agent “the neighborhood” is given.
Second, since Botchan and I Am a Cat were published close together (1905 to 1906), this shared technique may reflect a device Sōseki was particularly fond of during this period. This article, however, has not examined the use of nicknames or verbal tics across Sōseki’s other works.
Summary
| Point | Content |
|---|---|
| Verbal tic | “You fool” — the master’s reflexive phrase when angry |
| Nickname | “Professor Privy” — born of the habit of practicing Noh chanting in the outhouse |
| Shared ground with Botchan | A nickname arises from a single witnessed habit, not from inner character |
| Difference | The two novels differ in who is shown giving the nickname — the narrator, or outside neighbors |
In short — I Am a Cat’s “you fool” and “Professor Privy” share a technique in common with Botchan, while producing a different effect through the difference in point of view.