Writers have been writing autobiographical works for a long time. In Japanese literature, there is a similar genre named watakushi shōsetsu that differs from the autobiographical novel. It developed in the Meiji period under the influence of the Japanese literary tradition and western realism and naturalism. It’s often read as the writer’s confession, as an authentic record of his experience of an event. The goals of this paper are to present the historical development and characteristics of watakushi shōsetsu, compare it with the autobiographical novel and present the characteristics on the example of Dazai Osamu’s work Dōke no hana. This paper first focuses on the historical overview, starting with influences of the Heian period. The influential figures of the Meiji period and the development of the genre inside Japanese naturalism are also highlighted. This is followed by a presentation of the main characteristics and a comparison with the western autobiographical novel. After a summary of Dazai’s biography, his work Dōke no hana is analysed based on the genre characteristics. Watakushi shōsetsu draws its content from the author’s real life. Crucial for the genre are the vague character through which the writer expresses himself, the reader’s perception of the work as the writer’s sincere confession, and the writer’s assumption of the reader’s prior knowledge about his life. Watakushi shōsetsu differs from the autobiographical novel primarily in the described time and characteristics of the main character. Watakushi shōsetsu usually describes only one event, and the main character is very similar to the writer. The autobiographical novel describes a longer period, and the feelings and thoughts of the main character usually differ from the writer. Watakushi shōsetsu is still being read and written today, even in new forms.
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