Shoma Morita (Masatake Morita) (January 18, 1874 – April 12, 1938)
Born in Kochi Prefecture, Japan, he received a strict education from his father, an elementary school teacher, and grew up with a nervous personality. During his student years, he suffered from palpitations and neurasthenia.
While attending Tokyo Imperial University, he studied intensely without receiving financial support from his parents, taking neither medication nor rest. Surprisingly, his symptoms disappeared, and he passed his exams with excellent grades. From this experience, he gained the insight that “instead of fighting the symptoms, one should accept them as they are and do what needs to be done.”
After graduating in 1902, he worked as a psychiatrist and established “Morita Therapy,” based on his own experiences, around 1920.
He subsequently guided many patients through outpatient and inpatient treatment. He dedicated himself to the treatment of neuroses until his death from pneumonia at the age of 64 in 1938.
How to pronounce Shoma Morita’s name
The given name of Dr. Shoma Morita is pronounced both “Masatake” and “Shoma.” “Masatake” seems to be the original pronunciation, but he himself acknowledged using “Shoma,” and it appears that using multiple pronunciations like this was common at the time.
Outside of Japan, “Shoma” (Shoma Morita) seems to be the established pronunciation.
Works by Masatake Morita (Shoma Morita)
While the complete works of Masatake Morita (Hakuyosha) appear to be out of print, the following works were found to be available for sale on Amazon.co.jp (as of June 21, 2026):
The Nature and Therapy of Neurosis: An Essential Text for Understanding Morita Therapy (Hakuyosha)
Link to Amazon.co.jp
English translation:
Morita Therapy and the True Nature of Anxiety-Based Disorders (Shinkeishitsu) by Shoma Morita (Author), Peg LeVine (Editor), Akihisa Kondo (Translator)
Link to Amazon.com
The Path to Self-Awareness and Enlightenment: For Those Suffering from Nervousness (Hakuyosha)
Link to Amazon.co.jp
A Radical Cure for Neurasthenia and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: An Essential Text for Understanding Morita Therapy (Hakuyosha)
Link to Amazon.co.jp
Neurological Questions and Answers: The Path to Self-Awareness and Enlightenment 2 (Hakuyosha)
Link to Amazon.co.jp
How to overcome social anxiety (Hakuyosha)
Link to Amazon.co.jp
The Desire for Life: Discovering Your Way of Life (Hakuyosha)
Link to Amazon.co.jp