Review- 'The temple of the golden pavilion'.

The Temple of the Golden Pavilion by Yukio Mishima

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I liked this novel a little less than Mishima's other major works, as I thought the pacing was too slow at points, although it was often sumptuously beautiful and an interesting character study of a man unable to find a place in the world.

The protagonist, Mizoguchi, becomes an acolyte at a Buddhist temple (of the title) after his father's death, although he is never reconciled his path in life. Although he is fascinated by the temple's beauty from a young age, Mizoguchi does not seem to enjoy his ascetic lifestyle although it is unclear what he does want to do, if anything. The novel begins at the end of the second world war, and it is clear that Mizoguchi is unfit for military service, both because of his disability (he often stutters heavily), and his resentful and cowardly nature. This is demonstrated with striking symbolism during an incident during his childhood when he defaces the sword of a young soldier.

The life of an acolyte is depicted as requiring deliberative, highly formal behaviour, regularly requiring the careful interpretation of symbols, both in the texts the students study, and the behaviour of those around them. At points in the novel, Mizoguchi tries to get expelled from the temple, but he never considers asking the superior for permission or simply taking action. Living in this symbolic world makes him neurotic and prevents him from taking decisive action (again, in contrast to the soldier he met during his childhood). These scenes are depicted in often startlingly beautiful prose, reflecting the elegiac tone.

Mizoguchi's friendships display a similar dynamic. He values Tsurukawa, a fellow acolyte, for his ability to interpret his actions in the most favourable light. By contrast, he values Kashiwagi, who he meets at university, for his ability to cynically manipulate women to have sex with him out of sympathy for his club feet. These fascinating interactions highlight the inability of a highly formalized sect to acknowledge personal or social problems, let alone do anything about them. As it often the case in Mishima's fiction, these tendences can only be resolved by an act of symbolic violence.

It isn't obvious whether the author intends disability to be explicitly associated with 'degeneracy', such as sneaky and sly behaviour. Mizoguchi and Kashiwagi are often depicted in this way, although the author could also be implying that their behaviour resulted from the supposed loss of values associated with Japan's defeat in the second world war, of which there are several oblique references, such as a (negative) reference to signs appearing in English.

Overall, a highly aesthetic and beautiful novel, concealing scenes of heavily suppressed tension, entirely typical of Mishima's style.



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