"I had no taste for defeat — much less victory — without a fight."
Yukio Mishima, Sun and Steel
A Brief Biography
Kimitake Hiraoka was born in Tokyo in 1925, hailing from a distinguished lineage that boasted several samurai ancestors. His writing prowess emerged during his high school years, and by 1941, he had already written and published his first full-length work. After Japan's defeat in the Second World War, Hiraoka adopted the pen name Yukio Mishima.
Following World War II, he concluded his university education and, starting in 1948, dedicated himself wholly to the craft of writing. Over the course of his life he produced a prolific body of work, penning over a hundred publications, including novels, plays, essays, and short stories, showcasing his vast literary range. Mishima broadened his artistic horizons by venturing into acting and directing, spanning both theater and film. Remarkably, he was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature on four separate occasions.
Yukio Mishima's writings frequently reflected his deeply held convictions, eliciting a mix of respect and scrutiny, particularly from Right-Wing audiences.
His notable pieces include Patriotism, which was published under the title Sepukku in the Transylvanian Utunk magazine and later adapted into a film featuring Mishima. Other significant works are Runaway Horses and The Voices of the Heroic Dead. Additionally, plays such as My Friend Hitler and essays like In Defense of Culture and Revolutionary Philosophy stand out for their provocative and militant tones. Sun and Steel is truly captivating; it stands out as my personal favorite among Mishima's works.
In the autumn of 1968, Yukio Mishima founded the Tatenokai (Shield Society), a private militia group of 80 members, for spiritual, martial, and aesthetic purposes.
The modest size of Tatenokai might suggest it was merely a symbolic army, yet therein lay its profound strength and purpose. Yukio Mishima, a maestro of symbolic political gestures, gathered the era's most valiant and distinguished young minds from Japan under his banner. This elite assembly, a luminous beacon in an era seen as drifting from tradition, was predominantly made up of young university students. Donned in distinctive amber-brown uniforms, these members benefited from the military training provided by the Jieitai (Japan Self-Defense Forces). Interestingly, Mishima frequently referred to the group in English as the Shield Society or by its abbreviation SS, a provocative nod to the elite Schutzstaffel of National Socialist Germany.
From the late 1960s onward, a profound contemplation of death pervaded Mishima's thoughts and work, signaling his preparation for life's inevitable finale. His literary focus shifted towards themes of ritualistic suicide, specifically sepukku (a form of ritualized self-disembowelment), yamato-damashii, the historic 1876 Shinpūren Uprising, and the notable 1936 Ni Ni-Roku Incident.
In 1970, Yukio Mishima made a deliberate and conscious decision: he would confront the inevitable nature of mortality upon the completion of his seminal work, The Decay of the Angel. With this grim determination, he embarked on the essential arrangements to elegantly and characteristically conclude his earthly journey. At every juncture, the unwavering presence of his Tatenokai provided steadfast support.
In preparation for his final act, Mishima carefully selected four trusted allies: Morita Masakatsu, Hiroyasu "Furu" Koga, Masahiro Ogawa, and Masayoshi "Chibi" Koga.
On November 25, 1970, the decisive moment arrived when Mishima, alongside the elite of the Tatenokai, took General Kanetoshi Mashita hostage at Tokyo's Ichigaya military base.
After presenting a list of demands to the authorities, Mishima took to the building's central balcony, addressing the assembled troops and championing the military as the last bastion of traditional Japanese values and spirituality.
Propelled by unyielding conviction, Mishima fervently championed the restoration of the Emperor's time-honored authority. He eloquently contended that the warrior elite epitomized the very essence of Japan's honor, accentuating the compelling necessity for the Emperor to regain his absolute power once more. Nevertheless, his poignant speech was met mostly with confusion and rejection from the audience below. Following his public declaration, Mishima retreated to the commander's quarters. In a profoundly symbolic act of loyalty to the Emperor and Japan, both he and Morita solemnly carried out the ancient ritual of seppuku.
Before undertaking the ritual of seppuku, he penned his final statement, which read: "When I go out on stage, I expect the audience to sob. Instead, they burst out laughing.”
🇺🇸 Boston, United States, May 25, 2026: A man dressed as Adolf Hitler openly filmed himself stomping on an Israeli flag at South Station on Atlantic Avenue.