Kokoro

Kokoro (こゝろ, or in post-war orthography こころ) is a novel by the Japanese author Natsume Sōseki. It was first published in 1914 in serial form in the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shinbun. While the title literally means "heart", the word contains shades of meaning, and can be translated as "the heart of things" or "feeling". The work deals with the transition from the Japanese Meiji society to the modern era, by exploring the friendship between a young man and an older man he calls "Sensei" (or teacher). It continues the theme of isolation developed in Sōseki's immediately preceding works, here in the context of interwoven strands of egoism and guilt, as opposed to shame. Other important themes in the novel include the changing times (particularly the modernization of Japan in the Meiji era), the changing roles and ideals of women, and intergenerational change in values, the role of family, the importance of the self versus the group, the cost of weakness, and identity.

During the novel's initial serial run, from April 20 to August 11, 1914, it was printed under the title Kokoro: Sensei no Isho (心　先生の遺書, Kokoro: Sensei's Testament). When later published in novel form by Iwanami Shoten, its title was shortened to Kokoro; the rendering of the word "kokoro" itself was also changed from kanji (心) to hiragana (こゝろ).

Kokoro (vegetable)

Kokoro is a variety of Dioscorea rotundata yam that are abundant in Western Nigeria, Benin and Togo. Their common use by ethnic groups such as the Yoruba that put heavy pressure on the cultivated land suggest that they have been cultivated since ancient times, since they are the only type of yam that gives good yields on degraded soil. In modern times, Kokoro yams are gaining in importance as the yam chips trade is expanding. The Kokoro variety is essential for preparing peeled and dried yam.

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Kokoro (snack food)

Kokoro is a common snack food in Nigeria. It is made from a paste of maize flour mixed with sugar and gari (cassava) or yam flour and deep-fried.

In a 1991 study of foods sold to schoolchildren in Lagos, samples of kokoro were bought from the stalls and subjected to microbiological analysis. Ten different types of bacteria were isolated, including bacteria associated with food poisoning and diarrhea, pointing to the need to improve control of hygiene in their preparation, and to look for ways to extend shelf life.

In a study that aimed to find a version with improved nutrition value, it was found that de-fatted soybean or groundnut cake flour could be used, but the taste and texture were not acceptable at more than 10% of the total flour. Another nutritionally improved snack derived from kokoro was developed by extrusion cooking of different mixes of maize, soybean and condiments such as pepper, onion, salt, palm oil, plantain and banana.

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