Japan's Interesting People:Yukio Mishima

Hello and welcome to another page of *Japan's Interesting People*. This page will cover a man named *Yukio Mishima.*

Yukio Mishima is known as an Author with nearly 30 Books to his credit. He also did some playwright work as we wrote as well as portrayed characters in Japanese Plays. He was also known as an activist and a pro-imperialist who once had the idea of restoring Japan to its glory of World War 2 and even tried to order for a rebellion which would overthrow the Japanese Diet Government and suspend Japan's Pacifist Constitution, and because he would fail to do so he would also be known as one of the fewer known modern Japanese people to commit *Seppuku* (or *Harakiri*) which is the old ritual suicide which was done by the Samurai.

But how was his life like, this is what this page will try to cover.

## Birth and Early Life

Yukio Mishima was born on January 14, 1925 (as Himitake Hiraoka) in what is now known as the Shinjuku District in the Japanese capital of Tokyo, the oldest in his family he also had a brother and a sister (which the latter died from Typhus only at the age of 17). Not too long after Mishima was born, his parents have sent him to live with his Grandmother: Natsuko who was known to have sudden outbursts of violence and other mental episodes.  She forbids Mishima to go outside and play with the other boys in Tokyo, and so he spent most of his time indoors alone or with his cousins.

At the age of 12, Mishima was sent back to his original parents, this is when he discovers that his father is a strict disciplinary who would often harshly punish Mishima if he were to misbehave. It was also around that time where he developed an uncanny knack for literature and would write many manuscripts (which his father would often go into his bedroom and even tear up his writings, calling them to be "*effeminate".*)

Mishima's School life was something of a mixed bag. A lot of teachers liked a lot of his early literary work (especially when he wrote a short story called *"Hanazakari no Mori"* ("Forest in Full Bloom") which was a narrative story which the main character believed that his ancestors lived with him so the teachers would also suggest that the story to be in a Japanese magazine which was called *Bungei-Bunka*, and this is where the teachers began to call him *Yukio Mishima* and he would take it as his official pen-name. But, he was also bullied by the other students due to his reclusive personality (thanks in large part to his grandmother).

## World War 2 and his rejection

By the 1930s, Japan would begin its aggressive campaign for the Far East. They invade the Chinese province of Manchuria, and then 6 years later would go on and invade the Chinese capital of Beijing, thus beginning the Pacific Theater of World War 2.

Mishima would eventually be drafted into the Japanese Imperial Army. In hopes of not just do his father proud but also his native country, he tries to seize the opportunity.

Unfortunately for Mishima, he would contract a cold before he was to go for medical examination, and the doctor who detected his illness would think of it (and mistaken it) for Tuberculosis, and thus Mishima was rejected from the Imperial Army.

Apart from doing some part-time work at a factory during the war, he would also attend the University of Tokyo and would also continue to write stories which he would keep a secret from his father who still disapproved of this particular hobby, but his mother would fully support this as he would present a new story to his mother. While going to University, Mishima would also learn to be diverse in many different languages which included English which he would eventually be able to speak fluently.

When Japan surrendered in 1945, Emperor Hirohito would announce to the Japanese Public that he renounced his "Divine" or "God-Like" status. Which Mishima would later denounce the Emperor later for.

In 1947, he would graduate from the University of Tokyo and then got a job at the Finance Ministry. Though, he was tired and then quite the position so he can commit full time to writing.

## Literary Works and Playwrights

Mishima would begin to write stories in the years following World War 2, in 1946 he would write his first novel titled "*Tozoku"* ("Thieves") which is about 2 people of the Aristocracy who would eventually commit suicide and would be published in 1948. He would also write another novel titled "*Kamen no Kokuhaku"* ("Confessions of a Mask") which is about a gay man that had to "Mask" his sexual orientation in order to fit into society, this novel would catapult Mishima to national popularity.

He would also begin writing for many Japanese Plays like *Nohs* (A type of Japanese play which has the actors wear masks as well as do huge gestures and based on supernatural stories) as well as *Kabukis* (A Japanese play where some actors wear makeup on their faces and wear big red-colored wigs and perform many acts of dances). Mishma's works for writing plays would be *"Kemono no Tawamure"*("The Frolic of the Beasts") which is Mishima's own version of the same Noh play written somewhere in the 14th Century.

Mishima would eventually reach international fame (such as in the USA and Europe) as his stories would eventually be translated into many different languages. In fact, Mishima who always loved Greece eventually visited the nation in 1952, his visit to Greece would also inspire him to write another novel titled "*Shiosai"* ("Sound of the Waves") which would reflect the elements of his visit to Greece as well as drawing inspiration from the Greek novel *"Daphnis and Chloe"*, Shiosai would be published in 1954.

Along with him being an author, he also became an actor by 1960. His first starring role was titled "*Afraid to Die"* he also would write the song for the movie "*Karrakaze Yaro"*. For the next 6 years, he would have 3 more acting roles to his credit as well as directing a movie titled *"Yukoku"* ("Patriotism").

He became so famous that  Mishima would be nominated for the *Nobel Literature Prize* 3 times, though he was passed over by (ironically) his mentor *Kawabata*.

## Japanese Patriot and Activism

Along with his literary, playwright and acting works, Mishima was also a Staunch Imperial Nationalist who in interviews would voice his distaste for both Democracy and Communism, and it also didn't help that Japan was also the "Monkey in the Middle" during the Cold War.

He would also denounce the Emperor for renouncing his divine and ruling status and thus was also no fan of the Westernization or "Americanization" of Japan after World War 2.

As the 1960s wore on, he became more and more obsessed with being fed up of Japan just being a small insignificant nation surrounded by the superpowers of the USA and the USSR and even saw the need of wanting to restore Japan's former glory as in strong Japanese Patriotism and even going as far as bringing back *"Bushido"* (the old code of the Samurai) In 1967, Mishima joined Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force in order to gain the training and discipline that he needed to form his own rebellion, a year later he would then form what would be known as the *"Tatenokai"* ("The Shield Society") which would  be against the "Americanization" of Japan and against the dismissal of old Japanese ideals, and (ironically) protect the Japanese Emperor from foreign enemies.

During his time with the Tatenokai, he would train his followers in many forms of Japanese and Okinawan Martial Arts such as *Karate* and *Judo* and even old-fashioned Samurai discipline and even training with the Katana.

But, he would continue his literary work. In 1965, Mishima would begin his tetralogy of novels which were initially titled *"Hojo no Umi"*("The Sea of Fertility").

## Coup attempt and Suicide

On November 25, 1970, Mishima and 4 other members of the Tatenokai would venture into the *Ichigaya* Self-Defense Force Base (before that, the third chapter of his tetralogy *"Akatsuki no Tera''*"*"The Temple of Dawn"* was published).

While there, they were presented with an audience by the general of the base. After about an hour of conversation, the Tatenokai showed their true colors and took the General hostage and barricaded themselves in the general's own office. Several soldiers at the base and the Military Police even tried to break through the barricade, Mishima held them back with his Katana and manage to significantly injure their hands and wrists with it, soon he demanded for every soldier stationed at the base to come to the General's Office Building, or he would murder the General.

After a few minutes, every soldier stationed at the base then came to the General's Office Building where Mishima came out onto the Balcony. Mishima asks the soldiers to join him for at an attempt for a Coup D'etat against the Japanese Diet Government, suspend Japan's Pacifist Constitution and restore Japan to its former glory during World War 2.

Unfortunately, Mishima would \*NOT\* get the reception he hoped for. The soldiers would reject his offer and say that he was crazy and an "idiot".

After a few minutes, he heads back inside to the General's office and prepares for the old Samurai's suicide of Seppuku. He presents his death poem and gets out his Tanto (Japanese Short Sword) and disembowels himself with his second *Morita Masakatsu* would attempt to chop off his head, but Morita was too squeamish to cut off Mishima's head and would instead hit him several times in the back. This is where another Tatenokai member *Koga Hiroyasu* took the Katana and sliced off Mishima's head in one stroke. A few minutes later, Morita took it upon himself to perform the suicide too as he disembowels himself and Koga would also decapitate him.

When several soldiers and the Military Police finally entered the Office, they were startled at what they saw, both Mishima's and Morita's heads were found laying straight up on the floor, blood all over the place and the bodies of Mishima and Morita covered in cloths. The surviving members of the Tatenokai in the office were arrested.

## Aftermath

Mishima's failed attempt at a Coup against the Japanese Government was covered in Japan's mass media, and the news of Mishima's act would quickly spread and would spread all over Japan like wildfire. At first, the Japanese people found this hard to believe that a famous author and playwright would attempt this particular act. It wasn't until a few weeks after the incident at Ichigaya that a newspaper showed the gruesome scene with Mishima's severed head.

In the years following Mishima's suicide, a lot of Japanese people and Japanese Historians speculate on what exactly motivated Mishima to commit suicide as before Mishima, a Japanese person in modern times committing an old Samurai ritual suicide was almost unheard of, and there could be evidence that the motivation is that he had somewhat of a hard childhood by spending half of it with a grandmother who suffered from violent mood swings, and didn't help much that he had a strict father who was obsessed with military discipline, not to mention that most of Mishima's literary and playwright works involved characters also comitting Seppuku which Mishima became obsessed with the ritual suicide, and it could also be that in the last years of Mishima's life, he became disgruntled with his beloved home nation being small and in the middle of a distrust of Democracy and Communism and how Japan as changed since it's loss to the USA in World War 2, and so it well could be what motivated him to commit suicide, and the Coup attempt could just a part of Mishima's plan to commit suicide as he did not make this known to the Tatenokai until the actual event.

Want to know more about the Samurai? Just click here to read about it. Don't forget to check my Games and Movies wikis too. Until next time, this is JohnnyOTGS signing out.