Mishima, Yukio, << mih shee muh or mee shee mah, yoo kee oh >> (1925-1970), was a Japanese novelist, playwright, and essayist. He was one of Japan’s most famous literary personalities and shocked the nation by committing ritual suicide in public view in Tokyo. Mishima was a critic of modern democratic values and was concerned about what he saw as Japan’s spiritual emptiness following the end of World War II in 1945. His writings celebrate the code of loyalty and ethics of Japan’s traditional military class called samurai.
Mishima was born in Tokyo. His real name was Kimitake Hiraoka. He trained to be a lawyer in Tokyo. Mishima had his first story published in 1944. He later worked as a civil servant. In 1949, he completed his first novel, Confessions of a Mask, a work about a man who struggles to deal with his homosexuality. The novel made Mishima famous. His later novels typically feature characters who lead unhappy lives because of some physical or psychological defect. These novels include Thirst for Love (1950), Forbidden Colors (1954), The Sound of Waves (1954), and The Temple of the Golden Pavilion (1956). He also wrote plays, essays, and short stories.
In 1968, Mishima founded the Shield Society, which was dedicated to the spirit of the samurai. He became an expert in the martial arts of karate and kendo. His final and perhaps most lasting work was the four-volume epic novel The Sea of Fertility (1965-1970).
