What Is the Difference Between the "Heart" and the "Soul"?
An old Japanese idea that may help us understand who we really are.
In Japanese, we have two words that I find especially interesting:
Kokoro (心) — often translated as heart or mind.
Tamashii (魂) — usually translated as soul.
But these English translations do not quite capture the full meaning.
Perhaps the difference between these two words offers another way to think about who we are beneath the many roles we play in life.
Kokoro — the part of us that moves
The Japanese word kokoro can refer to the heart, mind, emotions, thoughts, and intention.
Kokoro moves.
Our feelings change.
Our thoughts change.
Our desires change.
They are influenced by our experiences, relationships, circumstances, and the season of life we are moving through.
One day we feel confident.
Another day we question ourselves.
There is nothing wrong with this movement.
It is part of being human.
But Japanese thought also gives us another word.
Tamashii.
Tamashii — something deeper within us
Tamashii is usually translated as “soul.”
In Japanese, the word often appears when we speak about something deeply rooted in a person’s character or way of being.
For example:
Yamato-damashii （大和魂）— the Japanese spirit.
Shokunin-damashii （職人魂） — the spirit of the craftsman.
These expressions suggest something deeper than a passing emotion.
They point toward conviction, character, devotion, and an inner quality that remains even when circumstances change.
I like to think of kokoro as the part of us that responds to life, while tamashii points toward something quieter and more enduring within us.
Not something we need to invent.
Something we gradually come to recognize.
An old Japanese idea: Ichirei Shikon
Several years ago, while studying palmistry, mindfulness, and Eastern philosophy, I came across an old Japanese concept called Ichirei Shikon (一霊四魂) — literally, “one spirit, four souls.”
It is an old framework for thinking about human nature.
Within this idea are four different qualities:
Courage — Ara-mitama (荒魂): courage and the strength to act.
Wisdom — Kushi-mitama (奇魂): insight and deep understanding.
Love — Saki-mitama (幸魂): care, compassion, and the ability to nurture.
Harmony — Nigi-mitama (和魂): cooperation, connection, and the ability to create harmony.
Rather than seeing one quality as better than another, I find it more interesting to notice how differently these qualities appear in each of us.
Some people naturally move toward action.
Others create harmony.
Some nurture.
Others seek knowledge and understanding.
Perhaps our work is not to become someone else, but to understand what is already living within us.
Perhaps purpose is something we recognize
When I first wrote about this idea in Japanese several years ago, I was asking myself many questions.
What is my purpose?
What am I really meant to do?
For a long time, I looked outside myself for the answer.
I thought there must be one correct path, one particular role, or one clear definition of success.
I see it differently now.
Our roles change.
Our careers change.
Our circumstances change.
What matters to us at thirty may look very different at fifty or seventy.
But underneath those changing forms, certain qualities often remain.
The desire to create.
To care.
To teach.
To connect.
To understand.
To bring beauty into the world.
Perhaps purpose is not something we suddenly discover.
Perhaps it is something we gradually recognize.
And maybe living with purpose is less about finding the perfect title for our life and more about allowing our deeper nature to take form in whatever season we are in.
So when your kokoro feels unsettled, perhaps there is another question worth asking:
What has remained quietly true about me through all the different seasons of my life?
The answer may not arrive immediately.
That is all right.
Sometimes we simply need to listen a little more carefully to what has been quietly present within us all along. 🌿
With warmth from Tokyo,
Masami / Karen Doshin（香蓮動心）
Life Design Palmist & Doshingaku Coach
If this reflection speaks to something within you, I would be honored to have you subscribe and walk this path with me — slowly, thoughtfully, and in your own rhythm.
And if you would like to explore more deeply how Japanese wisdom can help you understand your own life patterns, timing, and seasons,
my book Unlock Your Unique Life Pattern: The Japanese Art of Life Design Through Doshingaku is a gentle place to begin.
P.S. This letter is public — if it spoke to you, I’d be glad if you shared it with someone who might need these words today. 🌿
There is a deeper part of you, always there, just waiting for you to notice. It was there when you were 4, there when you were 16, there when you were 45, and there now, whatever age you are. During that time, your body changed, your opinions changed, your ambitions changed, but that quiet place, always there, never changed. That is Tamashii (so happy to know that word now!). Everything else is impermanent. Finding this unwavering place and constantly relying on it is what creates joy, happiness, and the deep knowing that everything is okay.
This is a beautiful and clarifying distinction. Kokoro is the part of us that moves. The feelings, thoughts, and desires that shift with circumstance. Tamashii is something deeper. The quiet, enduring quality that remains even when everything else changes.
The Ichirei Shikon framework is a useful map. Courage, wisdom, love, and harmony. Four qualities that appear differently in each of us. The work is not to become someone else, but to understand what is already living within us.
The question that stays is the one that matters most: What has remained quietly true about me through all the different seasons of my life? Not a destination to find, but a recognition to return to.