The Gate

nihongo|"The Gate"|門|Mon is a Japanese novel written in 1910 by Natsume Sōseki, author of "I Am a Cat". It was a commercial success when published in Japan and has been translated into English by Francis Mathy.

"The Gate" concerns a middle-aged married couple, Oyone and Sosuke, who married for love in their student days. The couple first suffered exclusion from society due to their ill-advised marriage; as the novel opens, they languish in ennui because they no longer feel passion for one another. However, Oyone's ill health and a visit from Sosuke's younger brother provoke a marital crisis which becomes the central diegesis.

Thematically and by the author's own reckoning, "The Gate" is the third in a trilogy of novels begun by "Sanshiro" (1908) and nihongo|"And Then"|それから|Sorekara (1909). All three novels deal with the themes of self-knowledge and responsibility - on the one hand, accountability to society, and on the other, responsibility to one's own emotions. However, the three novels do not share characters.