"Tennin Gosui" (The Decay of the Angel, 1970 - 1971) by Yukio Mishima

The final book of the tetralogy "The Decay of the Angel 天人五衰" was formally completed on 25th November, 1970, the morning of Mishima's dramatic coup and death (also the anniversary of Hirohito becoming regent in 1921). The "Angel" in the title refers to mortal angels Devas in Buddhism who will show (five) signs of decay before death and reincarnation. Shigekuni is now a widowed 76-year-old retiree and is still fixated on his childhood friend and his supposed reincarnation(s). He encounters a 16-year-old observation tower signalman (harking back to "The Sound of Waves") whom he believes to be the one and goes on to adopt him. The adoption became a disaster, his predictions with regards to reincarnation did not come to reality, his relationships with his friends and wider society all ended in failure with all bridges burnt and, suffering from declining health, the former judge ended up getting arrested for a lewd activity. The tetralogy ended by asking some big questions - did it all happen? Was it all blind faith? Does it matter? Given this is Mishima's final testament, the unsettling and unresolved conclusion leaves readers wondering for decades if this is his own vision of Japan, of the world and of modern life in general - one of pessimism and nihilism. One of mental satisfaction too - by destroying every bit of detail in the tetralogy, it reaches a point of transcendence and confines beauty to memory - harking back to his opus magnum "The Temple of the Golden Pavilion". This tetralogy is the ultimate culmination of Mishima's aesthetics, philosophy and literary skills. Nothing came before it and very little will likely come after.

"Akatsuki no Tera" (The Temple of Dawn, 1968 - 1970) by Yukio Mishima

After failing to save Isao from death, Shigekuni, the symbol of logic and reason and now a 58-year-old wealthy private lawyer, begins to reflect on his own irrationality in "The Temple of Dawn 暁の寺", in which he travels around Thailand and India to explore the concept of reincarnation, how reincarnation is believed in ancient Greece, Buddhism and Hinduism. It even touches upon the philosophy of Nietzsche. His obsession led him to a Thai princess, whom he believes to be the reincarnation of Kiyoaki and Isao but does not have the key evidence to support it - three moles on the side of the body that appeared on the other two. The focus of the tetralogy now shifts to Shigekuni, who is revealed to be a voyeur and has passions of his own - a sharp development from the previous two titles. The novel covers the period of 1941 - 1952, so it contrasts the social climate before and after WWII, and notes the decline of the aristocracy from the first book. Recurrence and fatalism of reincarnation are manifested by returning objects and characters, but the overall tone is one of decline and decay and total breakdown of morals and values - driven by passion and obsession, Shigekuni had to commit a crime to establish the evidence of reincarnation. After a shocking revelation, the third book concludes with a puzzling deus ex machina ending that makes the reader questions every aspect of the story, which will be the major objective of the final volume to come.

"Honba" (Runaway Horses, 1967 - 1968) by Yukio Mishima

The second volume of the tetralogy, "Runaway Horses 奔馬", is intense from the beginning to end. The tone of the narration changes from the coming-of-age innocence of the previous title to one of highly-charged, ultra-conservative, political extremism. The focus of the story is the 18-year-old Isao, who is portrayed as an athletic, patriotic, stubborn, pure-minded fanatic who is heavily influenced by the ideologies of the Shinpuuren rebellion 神風連の乱 of 1876, in which an extremist Shinto organisation previously of the bushi 武士 class, against the backdrop of Meiji Restoration, launched a surprise attack on the army and government officials of Kumamoto, killing dozens of people, and eventually each surviving member committed the ritualistic seppuku 切腹 to "return the glory to the Emperor". Mishima dedicated a full section chronicling the event in its entirety. Isao religiously inherits the same anti-westernisation sentiments and plots to assassinate key government figures with his peers. Shigekuni, now a 38-year-old judge, believes Isao to be the reincarnation of Kiyoaki. He tries to reason with Isao but finds himself sympathising with him and eventually quits being a judge to become his defending lawyer before the story collapses to its inevitable tragic ending. It is shocking to read considering Mishima's own death, which he actually thoroughly argues against in the book but goes on to do it anyway. It provides the religious and mental "purity" dimensions of the actions but also shows the nihilistic nature of the author's thinking. It is an explosive book and indispensable work in Mishima's oeuvre.

"Haru no Yuki" (Spring Snow, 1965 - 1967) by Yukio Mishima

"Spring Snow 春の雪" sets the scene for the tetralogy and is loaded with events and information that are irrelevant until the later books. The epic story starts at the end of the Meiji period and concerns families of the kazoku 華族 aristocracy. The subject of reincarnation, Kiyoaki, is an 18-year-old son of a family of the koushaku (marquis) 侯爵 rank. He falls in love with a childhood friend from a declining hakushaku (count) 伯爵 family, which is lower in the social hierarchy, but out of vanity refuses to admit it, until it is too late when the girl is betrothed to a royal prince. Shigekuni, the tetralogy's main observer, is the son of an esteemed judge and classmate of Kiyoaki. He acts as a logical and impartial witness to events of burning passion, struggles among classes and unsolicited westernisation, and also the knowledgeable character who initiates discussions on dreams, foretelling, (Buddhist belief of) reincarnation and political ideologies with characters such as Thai princes and the families' tutor and maids who will be key recurring characters in later volumes. It has plenty of "exotic", classical cultural and religious elements which would interest "foreign" readers on its own if one chooses to see it as a pure romance novel (the title comes from a love scene representing the pure heart and innocence), but ultimately everything is deliberately left unresolved and the story of decline, decay and nihilism truly begins at the end when Kiyoaki's death kickstarts the cycle of reincarnation and the logical Shigekuni becomes increasingly obsessed with the notion, much like spring snow eventually becomes dirty and melts away.

"Houjou no Umi" (The Sea of Fertility, 1965 - 1971) by Yukio Mishima

The next four posts will be about the epic tetralogy "The Sea of Fertility 豊饒の海" Mishima wrote towards the end of his life, with the last volume formally completed on the day he committed seppuku at the age of 45. This series of novels covers over 70 years of history from the Meiji period to the post-war era and is centred around two characters - a "logical" independent observer, Shigekuni Honda, and a variable subject who is, or reincarnates as, a different person in each of the four novels. It contains the universe in much the same way a Mahler symphony does and discusses everything from conservative societal practices to local and foreign religious beliefs, especially on the subject of reincarnation. Each novel needs to be appreciated on its own merits but also as part of a set. The perspectives and density of the narration evolve over the four books and all the fictional events are contrasted against the complex real-life historical context. The sheer scale of this tetralogy makes it a huge challenge to read. As the literal last words of Mishima, there is an overwhelming amount of information to unpack and the literary world is still trying to interpret the politics and philosophy of the author behind this enormous undertaking. It is mind-blowing even just scratching the surface. To the best of my knowledge, there is nothing quite like this in all of modern Asian literature. I am very glad to complete it over five months last year. Hopefully these posts will manage to cover enough and do some justice.

"Kinkaku-ji" (The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, 1956) by Yukio Mishima

What is beauty? Why is something beautiful? "The Temple of the Golden Pavilion 金閣寺" is well-known to be an extraordinary masterpiece. It is based on the real-life event of a young monk burning down Kyoto's Rokuon-ji in 1950. It is not just a fictionalised account of a historical event, but Mishima framed it as a full discourse on beauty itself. Beauty as a subject of contrast (against ugliness), the relative against the absolute, beauty as a personal mental entity versus a universal physical manifestation, beauty of the ephemeral versus beauty of the permanent (if such thing exists), the transcendence by destruction, the necessity of immorality to reach transcendence (by negation and contrast again), the embrace of the imperfect (the notion of wabi-sabi 侘び寂び) - all of these are not extrapolations but explicitly discussed in the text, and all reach the same nihilistic and pessimistic conclusions, while simultaneously channelling the wider post-WWII sentiments at the time. This masterpiece is a shock to the senses, expertly paced and constructed in ten chapters. Essential reading in all of literature. There is nothing quite like it.








【IG 日本語作文練習】（４）ーー文学作品を読むことについて

練習として、今回は、原文と中国語の翻訳本を同時に読んだ。日本語のを読んでから、同じ段落をもう一度翻訳で読み、こんなふうに本を一章ずつ読んでしまった。実際に、原文は、仏教の専用名詞を除いて、思ったほど読みにくなかった、せめて翻訳本より読みやすかった。唐月梅氏の翻訳は精確のだが、改めて多くの日本語の文法が中国語で表現できないので、訳文が、特に三島の詳しすぎる心理描写や分析、あまりに複雑で読みにくかったのだ。それに、小説の衝撃や緊張感や暗示の言葉（関西弁も）が日本語でしか表現できない。例えば、第三章の NTR シーンには、蚊帳の「不自然な動き」という段落が日本語で滑らかに流れ一方、中国語では無意味そうで少し可笑しい。作家の作風に慣れた後、もう翻訳の必要がなくなった。日本語を読むことに自信が強くなったと思う。時間がかかったことのだが、役に立つ練習を済ましてよかった。


As a language learning exercise, this time I read the Japanese original and the Chinese translation simultaneously. I first read a passage in the original, then re-read it in translation, and in this way completed the book one chapter at a time. I have come to realise that the original was not as difficult as I thought, at least it was easier to read than the translation - unfortunately, a lot of Japanese grammar does not work in Chinese so any translation sounds rather clumsy, especially when it comes to Mishima's overly detailed psychological descriptions and analyses. Moreover, some impact or tension can only be subtly implied in Japanese. For example, in the NTR scene in Chapter 3, there is a lengthy description of some "unnatural movement" of a mosquito net which works smoothly in Japanese but sounds rather meaningless and weird in Chinese. Once you have gotten used to the author's style and language, a translation is no longer needed. I think I am getting more confident in reading Japanese now. It was a great, and essential, exercise.

"Shiosai" (The Sound of Waves, 1954) by Yukio Mishima

Mishima is known for his extreme politics and obsession with immorality and death, yet "The Sound of Waves 潮騒" is a notable abnormality. It is a rare case in Japanese literature that contains no suicide, no immorality, and no discussions of any ideology. The author wrote this short novel after a trip to Greece. He was inspired by the classical story of Daphnis and Chloe in which two (heterosexual) lovers, a shepherd and a goatherd, overcome much difficulties to become a couple. In Mishima's version, it is set on a rural island, where a young couple meets, overcomes some Shakespearean misunderstanding and eventually gets everyone's approval to become a couple. It celebrates the rustic, faithfulness, celibacy, youth, determination, the beauty of nature and, indeed, the sound of waves. Also rare for Mishima, the prose is very easy to read. It sets the standard for many love dramas of the day. Put simply, it is a very happy and beautiful story. It makes you warm inside.

"Kinjiki" (Forbidden Colors, 1951 - 1953) by Yukio Mishima

"Forbidden Colours 禁色" was published two years after "Confessions of a Mask" and, like its predecessor, it is now also an LBGTQ+ classic, though it takes a considerably different approach. It is known for its all-encompassing description of the Tokyo underground gay scene of the 1950s, but not so much an explicit psycho-analysis like that of the previous title. At the epic length of 600 pages, it comes across as being an immoral retelling of Mann's "Death in Venice" and Dicken's "Great Expectations" - after a chance encounter at a shore with a poor, "beautiful" young man who is "unable to love women", a wealthy, "ugly" old man manipulates him and his beauty to seduce and break the hearts of women, in particular the women who offended the old man in his youth. In the story, everyone, men or women, eventually falls in love with the young man one way or another, almost becoming a farcical (gay) harem towards the end. It is a controversial work and a challenge to read, not just because of the sheer length, density and subject matter, but primarily because of the emotional ambivalence and lack of resolution which, in retrospect, are hallmarks of Mishima's aesthetics. Not being a member of the LBGTQ+ community, I am unable to comment on the context or accuracy of the events or physical and social challenges of the characters. In 2025, some progress have been made in more liberal societies to make this book a historical document, but sadly it remains gruesomely relevant in other parts of the world. No colours should be forbidden. Let people love, that's what I will say.

"Kamen no Kokuhaku" (Confessions of a Mask, 1949) by Yukio Mishima

One of Mishima's earliest novels, written when he was 24, "Confessions of a Mask 仮面の告白" is a so-called watakushi-shousetsu 私小説, in which the author makes real-life confessions in the form of a fiction. These works often blur the boundaries between fiction and reality and it is a fascinating genre in Japanese literature. It was the first Mishima work that I read and eventually I had to revisit it after going through his later works. It is now hailed as an LBGTQ+ classic. Indeed, on first read, it is an acute psycho-analysis on a youth's realisation and acceptance of his homosexuality, depicting in great detail the thought process as well as various physical manifestations. There is always too much to unpack from the excessively verbose prose. Re-reading it at the end, one marvels at how prophetic it is on the author's life. All the features of Mishima's oeuvre are here right at the beginning - ancient Greek aesthetics, infatuation towards physical and conceptual beauty, extreme political views, ultra-conservative patriotism, thirst of blood and death, religious obsession with bushidou 武士道 and the ritual of seppuku 切腹 - either hinted at or fleshed out completely. Whether or not one agrees with any of these sentiments, it is immediately obvious that we are looking at a highly complex and conflicted individual who requires some serious attention from readers looking for an intellectual challenge. More earth-shattering works are to come, but this early short fiction has stood the test of time and deservedly holds a special place in all of literature.

Yukio Mishima Special: Foreword

Today is the centenary of the birth of Yukio Mishima, the prolific and controversial Japanese author who (in)famously staged a coup and committed the ritual of seppuku in the name of patriotism in 1970. An author of extremes, his works stimulate the senses, challenge the intellect and are political explosive. His proses are often encyclopaedically overwritten, covering anything from underground social activities to ancient religious beliefs, reflecting on Western civilisation while emphasising on the Oriental, leaving the readers much food for thought but little room for debate. Like I did with his mentor and friend Yasunari Kawabata in 2017, over the next few posts, I will be sharing with you a selection of novels written by this fascinating, highly knowledgeable and surprisingly ultra-conservative individual. One does not need to agree with everything he writes, but his writings certainly give a shock to the system. Working with IG/FB word limits, I won't have the resources for deep analysis, but descriptions of the books should be more than sufficient. Fasten the seatbelt.


Mishima 100 website:
https://mishima100.jp/