While Mishima was doing his antics, the real men of Japan who actually pulled the country out of desperate poverty were knuckling down and reinventing themselves as inventors, engineers, and small business owners, all responsible for their own little piece of society (in Japan, people live and work, work, work for EACH OTHER). Westerners are distracted by Mishima because he jabbered a lot and got translated. Source: I lived in Japan for eight years.
Interesting take, and important to inject some realism into the discussion, so I appreciate it. But Mishima was a truly fantastic literary talent, and a prolific author - an essential role of a different kind in society.
It might have been, but standing in front of a train to protest its current heading is about as gruesome and effective of a spectacle.
I do not doubt this is the logical conclusion of his philosophy and spirit, I doubt the effectiveness of that philosophy in perpetuating itself. Martyrdom implies continuity, renewal, something brought forward. This act seems more of a punctuation point in the story of noble death worship. Fitting, yet vain to its intent. Noble, but of a morality that can not be easily agreed with.
I'm sure his predecessors would have a heated debate about his final action and its necessity. If in the long run he plays a part in a return of societal purpose, he becomes a shinto saint/kami of rebirth through death. If not, he remains merely a footnote of history.
A better question would be if a martyr needs to leave a story, and if that story 'must' be viewed positively. I wonder how many would count as saints in the bow wave of Islamic expansion? How many left no tale, or whose tales were only told by jeering Arabs?
A suicide may be many things but a martyr does not seem to be one of them. He died for despair, not for a cause. If he wished to see a societal change of direction, how much better to have shown the way by example.
Perhaps he didn't see a way forward for himself. I don't know. Maybe his death was to inspire people who came after him. The fact that we're talking about him means that at least he did something right or he was a good writer. Who knows?
A martyr is, by definition, a witness. Their death gives testimony to some thing or some one. If you hold Mishima's death up to that standard, what do we find? And Perpetua?
On the other side of that Gate of Death, Perpetua experienced LIFE as she never could here, truly. Can the same be said for Mishima?
At first, I am tempted to condemn Mishima for killing himself without cause; almost selfishly, as though to prove he could. He chose to die rather than fight on for a traditional Japan that he knew he would never again see in his lifetime.
I think a comparable figure is Ernst Junger. I don't know the extent of Mishima's military experience, but Junger knew war, killing, and death. Even as he saw the fall of German civilization, even deep into the late 20th century (he died in the '90s, I believe) he still fought in the most sensible way he could: by writing works that we now, today, still read and are inspired by.
I suppose that Mishima could be considered a martyr in this regard, as we give his ideas attention in large part because of his suicide, but the Christian martyrs that we might compare him to did not choose to die, and would have continued to preach and evangelize had they not been killed.
I think we would do well to characterize this kind of ritual suicide as the antithesis of the Western warrior spirit. Its better to be killed for wholesale refusal or resistance than to kill oneself.
Yes, his philosophy, as with so much traditional Japanese philosophy, is quite alien to the Western mind. I am concerned that without studying him and his context for much longer it is very hard to do him justice.
My mother was of the samurai class. She lived through the war. She eventually became an American citizen. Late in her life she embraced Catholicism, the Roman Rite. My father ( they divorced when I was 9) became a Buddhist. He embraced all of the hip modernist’s philosophies. ( He and his family are very pro jab).
The antidote to Mishima’s flawed samurai sensibilities is the catholic samurai’s martyrdom and especially the noble life and death of Dr. Nagai. Dr. Nagai came from the samurai warrior class. His is the true martyrdom. Mishima’s fanaticism and useless death was because he had no belief other than and beyond the samurai way. The samurai way is very attractive but without a transcendent belief - it is ultimately useless.
International gangsters, a plush mouse in conversation at dinner, female vampire and poison. Beauty is indeed the enemy and the article constructed is worthy of veneration. High praise.
But Mishima’s possession by Hagakure brought with it a problem: what was he to be fanatical about? What was left to die for?
This is an important question for us too. In the past, we had channels for male restlessness -- go to sea, go west, etc. All of these are sealed up now. Intellectual exploration is still possible, but this isn't for everyone. Today, the most bold and daring thing a man of average or below average intelligence can do is shoot up an elementary school.
Yukio Mishima was a fascist sympathizer who hated his country's embrace of Western democracy and civilized modernity. He and other samurais were a medieval death cult, with all the trappings of religious fanaticism.
After seeing the result of what "western democracy and civilized modernity" have ultimately brought, (communists, psychopaths in power, economic collapse, celebrating all forms of degeneracy etc.) a samurai "death cult" and the "trappings of religious fanaticism" (whatever that is) don't look half bad.
"The key to all fanatical beliefs is that they are self-confirming....(some beliefs are) fanatical not because they are false, but because they are expressed in such a way that they can never be shown to be false." (Neil Postman, 1976)
First, you (probably) live in a Western democracy. This means you benefit from Western technology, enjoy the West’s high standards of living, and are free to exercise Western rights (such as free speech). You wouldn’t have any such privileges under the fascist regime of Imperial Japan. So isn’t it hypocritical to prefer Japanese fascism over the West?
Second, Imperial Japan was extremely cruel and barbaric. The Japanese troops were savage animals who engaged in torture, mass rape, and indiscriminate murder of civilians (including the stabbing of Chinese babies). Look up the “Rape of Nanking.”
Third, the term “religious fanaticism” means that the Japanese were so stubborn, so obstinate, so unreasonable, so willing to die rather than compromise—that they were just like Christian or Islamic martyrs. Just like the “suicide waves” of Iranians during the war against Iraq in the 1980s. Such psychopathic people are dangerous and unhinged. Why would you endorse such blind faith and credulity?
Case in the point: The West is good, Imperial Japan is very bad.
But thanks for your comment. I enjoy these kinds of discussions, especially when I disagree with somebody a lot.
Remember when liberals (of all stripes) used to talk about free speech, and questioning authority, and all that?
Yeah, that was b.s.
By all means speak freely and question authority when these people aren't in charge -- but once they are, you'd better shut up and obey.
Because they really, really don't like it when you speak your mind, and when the things you say fall outside the talking points that our lizard-people establishment keeps trying to ram into our brains.
Most recent case in point is the creepy Francis Fukuyama, the political scientist you have no doubt heard of for his thoughts on the so-called "end of history."
I don't have to look up the rape of Nanking, I know very well about the Japanese and the various wars and the treatment of people The point that I didn't make very well is that there is good about the ideas of duty, honor, courage, fidelity, and telling the truth The samurai were just an example. An example that can be criticized and found fault with, just like everything. The point was there is nothing of this in western civilization.
If I endorsed blind faith and credulity I would celebrate trannies, D.I.E. affirmative action, cuckservatism and the destruction of the U.S.A. by mass alien invasion.
Yes, I live in a country where Western democracy is the politically correct term. The lizards running the world like and encourage the use of that term. I have also spent a good deal of time in third and (dare I say) fourth world countries. When I was an expat I never thought to engage in the internal politics of the country. I never thought I had or should ever have the right to vote in that country.
There is no free speech in general for the masses. Speech is controlled and if someone actually exercises enough free speech to get the attention of the lizards they are destroyed
There is no free speech. There is only what is determined to be acceptable speech. If there were free speech there would be no cancel culture. There would be no government actions against a Julian Assange. Or an Edward Snowden.
I am not one of those who say everything is great because Hey, look at North Korea ( and many other countries past and present, like Imperial Japan) see how much better off we are.?
Those countries and times aren't my metric for comparison. Mine goes back to 1775 and before.
While Mishima was doing his antics, the real men of Japan who actually pulled the country out of desperate poverty were knuckling down and reinventing themselves as inventors, engineers, and small business owners, all responsible for their own little piece of society (in Japan, people live and work, work, work for EACH OTHER). Westerners are distracted by Mishima because he jabbered a lot and got translated. Source: I lived in Japan for eight years.
Interesting take, and important to inject some realism into the discussion, so I appreciate it. But Mishima was a truly fantastic literary talent, and a prolific author - an essential role of a different kind in society.
Not the last of the literary talents to lose contact with reality and lose the vision for living.
Pretty good take Id say
The last wilting perennial chrysanthemum in a garden being sown with annuals.
His was a chosen end, seeing the sun had set, but I fault him for not taking the harder path of creating purpose in this modern darkness.
Is it possible that his spectacular death was a necessary part of a call to society to re-create its purpose?
It might have been, but standing in front of a train to protest its current heading is about as gruesome and effective of a spectacle.
I do not doubt this is the logical conclusion of his philosophy and spirit, I doubt the effectiveness of that philosophy in perpetuating itself. Martyrdom implies continuity, renewal, something brought forward. This act seems more of a punctuation point in the story of noble death worship. Fitting, yet vain to its intent. Noble, but of a morality that can not be easily agreed with.
I'm sure his predecessors would have a heated debate about his final action and its necessity. If in the long run he plays a part in a return of societal purpose, he becomes a shinto saint/kami of rebirth through death. If not, he remains merely a footnote of history.
A better question would be if a martyr needs to leave a story, and if that story 'must' be viewed positively. I wonder how many would count as saints in the bow wave of Islamic expansion? How many left no tale, or whose tales were only told by jeering Arabs?
A suicide may be many things but a martyr does not seem to be one of them. He died for despair, not for a cause. If he wished to see a societal change of direction, how much better to have shown the way by example.
Perhaps he didn't see a way forward for himself. I don't know. Maybe his death was to inspire people who came after him. The fact that we're talking about him means that at least he did something right or he was a good writer. Who knows?
If there is no way forward, there can be no inspiration.
Agreed.
A martyr is, by definition, a witness. Their death gives testimony to some thing or some one. If you hold Mishima's death up to that standard, what do we find? And Perpetua?
On the other side of that Gate of Death, Perpetua experienced LIFE as she never could here, truly. Can the same be said for Mishima?
To what, or whom, we dedicate our lives is the most consequential decision we will ever make. Choose wisely.
At first, I am tempted to condemn Mishima for killing himself without cause; almost selfishly, as though to prove he could. He chose to die rather than fight on for a traditional Japan that he knew he would never again see in his lifetime.
I think a comparable figure is Ernst Junger. I don't know the extent of Mishima's military experience, but Junger knew war, killing, and death. Even as he saw the fall of German civilization, even deep into the late 20th century (he died in the '90s, I believe) he still fought in the most sensible way he could: by writing works that we now, today, still read and are inspired by.
I suppose that Mishima could be considered a martyr in this regard, as we give his ideas attention in large part because of his suicide, but the Christian martyrs that we might compare him to did not choose to die, and would have continued to preach and evangelize had they not been killed.
I think we would do well to characterize this kind of ritual suicide as the antithesis of the Western warrior spirit. Its better to be killed for wholesale refusal or resistance than to kill oneself.
Yes, his philosophy, as with so much traditional Japanese philosophy, is quite alien to the Western mind. I am concerned that without studying him and his context for much longer it is very hard to do him justice.
My mother was of the samurai class. She lived through the war. She eventually became an American citizen. Late in her life she embraced Catholicism, the Roman Rite. My father ( they divorced when I was 9) became a Buddhist. He embraced all of the hip modernist’s philosophies. ( He and his family are very pro jab).
The antidote to Mishima’s flawed samurai sensibilities is the catholic samurai’s martyrdom and especially the noble life and death of Dr. Nagai. Dr. Nagai came from the samurai warrior class. His is the true martyrdom. Mishima’s fanaticism and useless death was because he had no belief other than and beyond the samurai way. The samurai way is very attractive but without a transcendent belief - it is ultimately useless.
Fantastic comment - thank you
This^ Better to be killed for something worth dying for.
International gangsters, a plush mouse in conversation at dinner, female vampire and poison. Beauty is indeed the enemy and the article constructed is worthy of veneration. High praise.
Great article, i navigate my life as a samurai in a suburban society and it helps alot.
Thanks
Oss
This was a very moving and powerful article. Thanks for writing it.
Thank you for your comment.
But Mishima’s possession by Hagakure brought with it a problem: what was he to be fanatical about? What was left to die for?
This is an important question for us too. In the past, we had channels for male restlessness -- go to sea, go west, etc. All of these are sealed up now. Intellectual exploration is still possible, but this isn't for everyone. Today, the most bold and daring thing a man of average or below average intelligence can do is shoot up an elementary school.
Good thing no-one with an IQ under 130 reads Becoming Noble
Yukio Mishima was a fascist sympathizer who hated his country's embrace of Western democracy and civilized modernity. He and other samurais were a medieval death cult, with all the trappings of religious fanaticism.
After seeing the result of what "western democracy and civilized modernity" have ultimately brought, (communists, psychopaths in power, economic collapse, celebrating all forms of degeneracy etc.) a samurai "death cult" and the "trappings of religious fanaticism" (whatever that is) don't look half bad.
Religious fanatic is a compliment
"The key to all fanatical beliefs is that they are self-confirming....(some beliefs are) fanatical not because they are false, but because they are expressed in such a way that they can never be shown to be false." (Neil Postman, 1976)
A few thoughts (I enjoy these discussions):
First, you (probably) live in a Western democracy. This means you benefit from Western technology, enjoy the West’s high standards of living, and are free to exercise Western rights (such as free speech). You wouldn’t have any such privileges under the fascist regime of Imperial Japan. So isn’t it hypocritical to prefer Japanese fascism over the West?
Second, Imperial Japan was extremely cruel and barbaric. The Japanese troops were savage animals who engaged in torture, mass rape, and indiscriminate murder of civilians (including the stabbing of Chinese babies). Look up the “Rape of Nanking.”
Third, the term “religious fanaticism” means that the Japanese were so stubborn, so obstinate, so unreasonable, so willing to die rather than compromise—that they were just like Christian or Islamic martyrs. Just like the “suicide waves” of Iranians during the war against Iraq in the 1980s. Such psychopathic people are dangerous and unhinged. Why would you endorse such blind faith and credulity?
Case in the point: The West is good, Imperial Japan is very bad.
But thanks for your comment. I enjoy these kinds of discussions, especially when I disagree with somebody a lot.
right after I finished my last comment, I ran across this:
https://mailchi.mp/tomwoods/fukuyama?e=b45759a5c2
Remember when liberals (of all stripes) used to talk about free speech, and questioning authority, and all that?
Yeah, that was b.s.
By all means speak freely and question authority when these people aren't in charge -- but once they are, you'd better shut up and obey.
Because they really, really don't like it when you speak your mind, and when the things you say fall outside the talking points that our lizard-people establishment keeps trying to ram into our brains.
Most recent case in point is the creepy Francis Fukuyama, the political scientist you have no doubt heard of for his thoughts on the so-called "end of history."
I don't have to look up the rape of Nanking, I know very well about the Japanese and the various wars and the treatment of people The point that I didn't make very well is that there is good about the ideas of duty, honor, courage, fidelity, and telling the truth The samurai were just an example. An example that can be criticized and found fault with, just like everything. The point was there is nothing of this in western civilization.
If I endorsed blind faith and credulity I would celebrate trannies, D.I.E. affirmative action, cuckservatism and the destruction of the U.S.A. by mass alien invasion.
Yes, I live in a country where Western democracy is the politically correct term. The lizards running the world like and encourage the use of that term. I have also spent a good deal of time in third and (dare I say) fourth world countries. When I was an expat I never thought to engage in the internal politics of the country. I never thought I had or should ever have the right to vote in that country.
There is no free speech in general for the masses. Speech is controlled and if someone actually exercises enough free speech to get the attention of the lizards they are destroyed
There is no free speech. There is only what is determined to be acceptable speech. If there were free speech there would be no cancel culture. There would be no government actions against a Julian Assange. Or an Edward Snowden.
I am not one of those who say everything is great because Hey, look at North Korea ( and many other countries past and present, like Imperial Japan) see how much better off we are.?
Those countries and times aren't my metric for comparison. Mine goes back to 1775 and before.
And I very much appreciate the upgraded subscription - thank you!
Gah. Corrected. Thank you!