It was on this day 42 years ago on November 25th 1970 that visionary author & playwright Kimitake Hiraoka better known as Yukio Mishima and four members of the Tatenokai (The Shield Society – Mishima's own private Army) entered the Tokyo Headquarters of the Eastern Command of the Ground Self Defense Forces where he staged a failed coup d'etat. For 42 years since his ritual Seppuku that both shocked and mystified Japan and the larger world, Mishima's influence continues on to this day. We would be remiss to not say his actions as his life were not without controversy. Just ask any Isei over 50 and you will get some form of reaction to his name that helped inspire this blog. In commemoration of his death, we at American Mishima would like to offer this small tribute to his memory and great works of literature that earned him three nominations of the Nobel Prize in Literature. He was considered the Ernest Hemingway of Japan. Albeit there is no way we could easily summarize his complex life or his works in a few short paragraphs. Rather we leave you with this visual essay from the Paul Schrader film Mishima – A Life in Four Chapters. Please enjoy!
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