A Moment of Sorrow: Yukio Mishima, Standing at the End of His Soul (1970)

A Moment of Sorrow: Yukio Mishima, Standing at the End of His Soul (1970)

Historical Background
The late 1960s through 1970, a period of rapid economic growth enveloped Japan. Behind the economic prosperity symbolized by the Tokyo Olympics and the opening of the Shinkansen bullet train, people began to whisper about the loss of traditional culture and spirituality. During this period, the student movement was at its peak, and Yoshitaka Yamamoto, the leader of the University of Tokyo Zenkyoto (All-Campus Joint Struggle), and others cried out against the existing system. Against this backdrop, Yukio Mishima, a writer and thinker, stood alone to defend the "beauty and spirit of Japan.

Background of Ideas and Actions
Yukio Mishima (real name: Kimitake Hiraoka) continued to appeal for the traditional and spiritual beauty of Japan through his literature and actions. The "Tatenokai" he formed was joined by young aspirants such as Masakatsu Morita and Masayoshi Koga, who put their lives on the line for Mishima's ideals. In literature, Mishima pursued the inner beauty and conflicts of human beings in works such as "The Temple of the Golden Pavilion" and "The Sea of Fertility," and in his play "The Marquise de Sade," he explored the challenging theme of the boundary between morality and pleasure.

Final Moments
On November 25, 1970, Yukio Mishima appealed to the Self-Defense Forces at the Ichigaya Garrison in Tokyo for constitutional reform. In his impassioned speech to Masuda Kanetoshi, the Eastern Area Admiral of the Ground Self-Defense Force, he appealed for the restoration of the "bushido spirit," which Japan was then on the verge of losing. However, his words did not reach the JSDF members, and Mishima, along with Morita Hissatsu, took his own life in the traditional form of seppuku (ritual suicide). That moment was the ultimate form of aesthetics that Mishima spent his life pursuing.

Significance and Recognition
Mishima's death sent shockwaves through the literary and ideological worlds. Writer Kawabata Yasunari said, "Mishima embodied the ultimate in beauty," and critic Yoshimoto Takaaki called his work "a scathing critique of postwar democracy. On the other hand, politician Kakuei Tanaka cautioned against his actions as "the embodiment of a dangerous ideology. The question Mishima left behind is the question of where Japan should seek its identity.

A Legacy of Literature and Spirituality
Yukio Mishima's works are still regarded today as treasures of Japanese literature. In particular, "The Temple of the Golden Pavilion," set at the Kinkakuji Temple in Kyoto, questions the nature of destruction and beauty, while his "Sea of Fertility" tetralogy explores the depths of Japanese spirituality with its theme of reincarnation.

Aftermath
One man, Yukio Mishima, continued to look at "loss and recovery" in the midst of Japan's buoyant economic development. His way of life poses a question to us who waver between tradition and modernity. His "aesthetics of a moment" has been passed down through the ages.