Yukio Mishima

[Hans Sepp]

Among Yukio Mishima's late plays is The Terrace of the Leper King (『癩王のテラス』).

Mishima wrote it during his final years, when he was already deeply entrenched in his own personal mythology and the philosophy of the "beautiful death."

I hesitate to use a label like "masterpiece" to describe it. Rather than being a flawless work, it possesses a bizarre, deeply unsettling quality. The Japanese wiki provides a pretty good summary of the narrative.

The ending is the most bizarre part. It culminates in a literal dialogue between the mind and the decaying body of the protagonist, King Jayavarman VII.

Body: You are dying.
Mind: Oh... Ba... yo... n...
Body: What's wrong?
Mind:...
Body: What's wrong? No answer. Are you dead?
Mind:...
Body: You must be dead.
(The birds suddenly start chattering loudly)
Body: (proudly raises one hand)
Look. The mind is dead. Oh, dazzling blue sky! Oh, fishtail palms! Oh, betel nut trees! Oh, birds of beautiful wings! Oh, Bayon, protected by them all! I reign over this country again. Youth is immortal, the body is undying... I have won. Because I am Bayon.

Thus, the mind falls silent, the body remains, and the body's immortality is proclaimed - this is the ending of The Terrace of the Leper King.

[Amlux]

This sounds amazing. It reminds me a lot of the more strange parts of The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, which is my favorite novel by Mishima I've read so far. Though I haven't read as many as I would like to.

There is a Substack called masakijinzaburoo, which posted translations of many of Mishima's more obscure non-fiction essays, along with some other random Japanese right-wing thinkers. That said, it used to have far more entries and be larger but now seems to have restarted and only has a few and lots seems to be paywalled.

A gem from a Schopenhauer-esque essay called "Discourse on Misogyny:"

The meaningless vestiges of the chivalric spirit earn frowns from Japanese travelers everywhere in the West, but that such tendencies are spreading in Japan as well spurs on the sincerity of my patriotic concern for Japan’s future. Even I open doors for women, allow them to enter cars first, and lend them an arm when crossing the street as a compromise with the world, but inside I am telling them to eat shit. In general, even going by average life expectancy, women necessarily live longer than men, and it is strange that short-lived human beings must take care of long-lived human beings.

Montherlant mocked and insulted women, and this young nobleman was surely full of indignation at the chivalric spirit. However, since he did not attempt a revolt against the Christian spirit, which formed the womb of the chivalric spirit, his novels are exceedingly tepid, and they are comical for a Japanese to read. My misogyny surely has deep roots in anti-Christianity. Thus, I view Christianity as the most harmful thing that modern Japan has adopted from Western civilization.

[Hans Sepp]

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This sounds amazing. It reminds me a lot of the more strange parts of The Temple of the Golden Pavilion

I actually find The Terrace of the Leper King closer in spirit to The Temple of the Dawn. Interestingly, Mishima was writing both simultaneously in his final years, which suggests they are two registers of the same problem rather than separate works.
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Though I haven't read as many as I would like to.

Normally, I suggest people read Confessions of a Mask first. That is the foundational Mishima work. If you don't like it, you shouldn't bother with the rest.
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There is a Substack called masakijinzaburoo, which posted translations of many of Mishima's more obscure non-fiction essays,

I know that guy; I think he's stupid for other reasons. I have my own Substack as well, but I prefer to keep it separate from this persona, at least until I publish more Mishima articles. My approach is completely different.
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but now seems to have restarted and only has a few and lots seems to be paywalled

I really don't understand why people paywall their translations. Literature should be free for everyone to read.

[Amlux]

Normally, I suggest people read Confessions of a Mask first. That is the foundational Mishima work. If you don't like it, you shouldn't bother with the rest.

It's decently high on my to-read next poll [/shill]. So far I've read Patriotism, The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With the Sea, The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, and Sun and Steel. I loved all of them for different reasons. I've also seen the film version of Patriotism that he directed (everyone should watch it if they haven't... it's only like 30 minutes). I've also wanted to read The Sea of Fertility series, but it's more of an investment. But honestly I never get sick of reading Mishima.