Yukio Mishima (三島 由紀夫 Mishima Yukio) is the pen name of Kimitake Hiraoka (平岡 公威 Hiraoka Kimitake, who was born on January 14, 1925, in Tokyo, Japan. He was
a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor, model and film director. He
is considered one of the most important Japanese authors of the 20th
century. He was considered for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1968, instead the award went to Yasunari Kawabata.
His works include the novels Confessions of a Mask and The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, and the autobiographical essay Sun and Steel. His avant-garde
work displayed a blending of modern and traditional aesthetics that
broke cultural boundaries, with a focus on sexuality, death, and
political change. He executed the ultimate ideology/art performance, ritual suicide by seppuku.
I had never heard of Mishima until I saw the dazzling 1985 film, Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, directed by Paul Schrader who also directed American Gigolo, Cat People (link below)
and many other films. After I saw the film, I did a tremendous amount
of research on Mishima; this was early computer days for me and knew little about researching on the Net, so, that
says something about the power of this film.
The film is based on the life and work of Mishima (portrayed by Ken Ogata), interweaving episodes from his life with dramatizations of segments from his books The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, Kyoko's House, and Runaway Horses. Francis Ford Coppola (link below) and George Lucas (link below) were executive producers of the film. There are surreal segments with vivid colors in the film.
Mishima was scored by Philip Glass (link below) which ranges from full orchestra to string trio to instrumental rock; it is brilliantly dramatic at times while softly romantic at others; for me it is his best work ever. I used some of the music from the soundtrack for several Obiko fashion shows (link below).
According to Damian Flanagan, of Nippon.com (link below), Mishima was highly influenced to perform seppuku by the images of St Sebastian and the dramatic play, Salomé, originally written by Oscar Wilde in French, and in particular the illustrations for the production by Aubrey Beardsley.
George Lucas
Obiko ~ Craft of the Costume art-to-wear fashion show
Tamotsu Yato ~ Young Samurai: Bodybuilders of Japan
Culture Trip ~ Mishima: Turbulent Life Of A Conflicted Martyr
History ~ Mishima commits ritual suicide
The Japanese Times ~ Yukio Mishima
Little White Lies ~ The tragic life and death of Yukio Mishima
Nippon.com ~ The Importance of Being Mishima (Salomé)
NY Times ~ The Life and Death of Yukio Mishima
O Magazine ~ Yukio Mishima ~ "Sun and Steel" book review
The Paris Review ~ Yukio Mishima’s Haiku
WXQR ~ Mishima discusses The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea
YouTube links:
The film is based on the life and work of Mishima (portrayed by Ken Ogata), interweaving episodes from his life with dramatizations of segments from his books The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, Kyoko's House, and Runaway Horses. Francis Ford Coppola (link below) and George Lucas (link below) were executive producers of the film. There are surreal segments with vivid colors in the film.
Mishima was scored by Philip Glass (link below) which ranges from full orchestra to string trio to instrumental rock; it is brilliantly dramatic at times while softly romantic at others; for me it is his best work ever. I used some of the music from the soundtrack for several Obiko fashion shows (link below).
According to Damian Flanagan, of Nippon.com (link below), Mishima was highly influenced to perform seppuku by the images of St Sebastian and the dramatic play, Salomé, originally written by Oscar Wilde in French, and in particular the illustrations for the production by Aubrey Beardsley.
Yukio Mishima was active as a nationalist who founded his own right-wing militia, the Tatenokai. On November 25, 1970, he and four other members of his militia attempted a coup d'état
when they seized control of a Japanese military base, took the
commander hostage, then tried but failed to inspire a coup. With a
prepared manifesto and a banner listing their demands, Mishima
stepped onto the balcony to address the soldiers gathered below (YouTube link below). His
speech was intended to inspire a coup d'état
to restore the power of the emperor. He succeeded only in irritating
the soldiers, and was mocked and jeered. Mishima then committed ritual suicide by seppuku. The coup attempt became known as the "Mishima Incident".
Mishima delivering his speech in the failed coup attempt just prior to performing seppuku
(November 25, 1970)
photographer unknown
Viewfinder links:
Philip Glass George Lucas
Obiko ~ Craft of the Costume art-to-wear fashion show
Tamotsu Yato ~ Young Samurai: Bodybuilders of Japan
Net links:
History ~ Mishima commits ritual suicide
The Japanese Times ~ Yukio Mishima
Little White Lies ~ The tragic life and death of Yukio Mishima
Nippon.com ~ The Importance of Being Mishima (Salomé)
NY Times ~ The Life and Death of Yukio Mishima
O Magazine ~ Yukio Mishima ~ "Sun and Steel" book review
The Paris Review ~ Yukio Mishima’s Haiku
WXQR ~ Mishima discusses The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea
YouTube links:
Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985) original movie trailer
Philip Glass ~ Mishima (complete Soundtrack) (46 min., 46 sec.)
Temple of the Golden Pavilion-"Kinkakuji" (9 min., 50 sec.)
The Strange Case of Yukio Mishima (55 min.)
Yukio Mishima 1969 Interview In English
"What transforms this world is — knowledge."
~ Yukio Mishima
