The Life and Death of Yukio Mishima

by Henry Scott Stokes

The Life and Death of Yukio Mishima This biography begins with the spectacularly tragic last day of the militant Japanese novelist, Yukio Mishima, in 1970 (best known for his masterpiece, "The Sea of Fertility"). The book unravels why he kidnapped a leading military figure, tried to incite rebellion, and committed suicide.
Novelist, playwright, film actor, martial artist, and political commentator, Yukio Mishima (1925-1970) was arguably the most famous person in Japan at the time of his death. Henry Scott Stokes, one of Mishima's closest friends, was the only non-Japanese allowed to attend the trial of the men involved in Mishima's spectacular suicide. In this insightful and empathetic look at the writer, Stokes guides the reader through the milestones of Mishima's meteoric and eclectic career and delves into the artist's major works and themes. This biography skillfully and compassionately illuminates the achievements and disquieting ideas of a brilliant and deeply troubled man, an artist of whom Nobel Laureate Yasunari Kawabata had said, "A writer of Mishima's caliber comes along only once every two or three hundred years."

Genres: Biography, Japan, Nonfiction, History, Japanese Literature, Biography Memoir, Literature

350 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1974

Reviews

[Meike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mishima is one of the few people who get even more interesting the more you know about them. His narcissism paired with his worship for the Emperor and the ideals of Imperial Japan, his fascination with literature and theatre as well as with the martial tradition, the prism of blood-soaked romanticism through which he saw the world and that culminated in his seppuku - this man remains a twisted mystery wrapped in an enigma.

Henry Scott Stokes does a good job trying to outline Mishima's take on life, including his changing attitude over time and the inconsistencies and contradictions that were part of his personality. Additionally, he elaborates on other writers who influenced Mishima (like his friend Kawabata Yasunari who was the first Japanese author to win the Nobel Prize) and points out the importance of certain private and historic events for Mishima's work (e.g. WW II and the Ni Ni Roku Incident).

It is interesting that Stokes frequently admits that he sometimes had a hard time figuring out what Mishima's real intentions were, whether he was serious or not, whether he was acting as a trickster or as an extremist, whether he saw certain aspects of his art as camp or pastiche etc. On the one hand, this can be annoying, on the other hand, this ambiguity is an intrinsic part of Mishima's appeal.

For anyone interested in Mishima's amazing body of work as an author or in the connections between art, politics and the military in post-WW II Japan, this is a rewarding read.

[Mizuki · Rating 5 out of 5]

"My heart always went to death, dark night and blood, unstoppable."

Isn't it just irresistible?

"Real beauty attacks you, overpowers you, robs you and eventually leads you to destruction."

Or, in another translation:

“True beauty is something that attacks, overpowers, robs, and finally destroys.”

The Life and Death of Yukio Mishima is a non-fictional book/biography about Yukio Mishima (1925-1970), an enchanting/controversial Japanese novelist/script-writer/actor/right-wing activist/nationalist/martial artist etc from the 1650s - 1970s.

The author of this book, Henry Scott Stokes, is a reporter who befriended Mishima (real name: Hiraoka Kimitake) and supposedly Stokes is the only Western reporter who got to interview Mishima and the members of the Society of Shield (a small alt-right private army created by the novelist) before Mishima and co. ambushed the Japan Self-Defense Forces and then committed ritual suicide (the scene is just fucking bloody and horrible, mind you).

I appreciate Mr. Stokes' effort to record the highly eventful and dramatic life of Mishima's and how he introduced Mishima's key creations one by one in this book, he also listed what kind of literature had influenced the novelist (Mishima is known to be very familiar with Western literature and heavily influenced by them), I also like how his family background, the Japanese traditional culture, the social environment (the most importantly, WWII) he lived in as a young boy, and the dramatic social and political movements (e.g. the leftist students' movement, and some of the action from the right-wing political groups and parties) during the 1960s shaped the novelist's creations and world view.

However, I don't entirely buy Mr. Stokes' claims about himself being the only Western close friend of Mishima's who knew the latter oh so well. LOL

Another thing that worth noticing is Mishima's friendship with his mentor/long time friend Yasunari Kawabata, the first Japanese novelist to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. Mishima and Kawabata seemingly represent the two different sides of Japanese traditional culture. Kawabata shows you the quiet, delicate beauty and fragile nature of said culture, whilst Mishima shows you the samurai sword, self-destructive, The Chrysanthemum and the Sword side of said culture. At times it feels very much like Mishima had quite a 'live hard die young' rockstar attitude toward life. LOL

It's a rich, layered biography for an enchanting and extremely talented figure. Hey, we are talking about a guy who managed to pen Confessions of a Mask at age 24, finish Forbidden Colours at 26 and The Temple of the Golden Pavilion at age 31. It just shows how terrific he was as a novelist. It's a loss that he killed himself at just age 45, if the guy had lived for 10 or 20 years longer, the Nobel Prize he so coveted could have just simply dropped onto his laps. But at the same time, I got the feeling that Mishima's suicide for political, spiritual and aesthetic reasons is something unavoidable for him, you can get that feeling just by reading his novels.

PS: I am amused that some people in Japan still want to deny Mishima was gay or at least bisexual, hadn't he boldly outed himself as early as Confessions of a Mask?

PSS: I noticed that the guy had always been pretty obvious about his world view, ideal and intention right from the start.

PSS: Black Lizard is a 1968 movie based on the original novel by Edogawa Rampo and the script by Mishima. Ah, it's good to have two of my favorite novelists creating a brainchild together!

My review for The Temple of the Golden Pavilion: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

My review for The University of Anti-Moral Women:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

My review for The Old Capital by Yasunari Kawabata: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

PS: let me tell you one thing: hoping to read more books during self-isolation and work-from-home period during the time of the freaking WuHan virus outbreak probably doesn't work so good, I still have ton of unread and half-finished books to work on. *sighs*

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

He is a little bit annoying about knowing Mishima. Lots of "I was the only foreigner invited to x", "I was the only journalist who met him at y" and he includes a photograph of himself with Mishima. But I forgive him because his account of the Shield Society’s training manoeuvres is very interesting, and he includes some more information on Morita Masakatsu. He spends more time on the theory that Mishima saw Morita as Omi (from "Confessions of a Mask"), they had a sexual relationship, and the end was just a very elaborate love suicide.

[George Ilsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third Mishima biography I've read in recent weeks. It's all starting to blur. Stokes apparently had a fit at a press conference for the movie "Mishima" because he believed the movie was based on his book because it followed the four rivers structure. However, Mishima himself set up that structure with the four rivers exhibition of his life at a department store shortly before his death.

Mishima continues to be a puzzling enigma, and this biography is part of the enigma industry.

[La gata lectora · Rating 5 out of 5]

“La belleza, las cosas bellas, esos son ahora mis más mortales enemigos.”

Henry Scott Stokes fue un periodista inglés de The times que trabajaba en Tokio.

Por trabajo tuvo numerosos encuentros con Yukio Mishima y se encontró a un hombre inteligente, generoso, extravagante y atento con el que tuvo una relación cercana que duró hasta el día de su suicidio.

Este libro es un recorrido por la vida y obra de Mishima, pero también es un homenaje a un amigo, un intento de comprender qué le llevo al escritor a hacerse el harakiri, una búsqueda de las pistas que nos daban ya sus actos y sus escritos sobre su complicada personalidad, sobre su máscara y cómo fue poco a poco planificando la escena final.

Es una biografía muy recomendable desde la perspectiva de una persona occidental que comienza contando los últimos momentos de vida del escritor según los testimonios de los supervivientes y los informes policiales, en la que se habla abiertamente de la homosexualidad del escritor y que además intenta ser realista, sin romantizar nada.

Trae en la parte central fotografías de distintas etapas de la vida de Mishima. Es una pena que esté descatalogado pero se puede encontrar de segunda mano.

Aviso a navegantes: contiene spoilers de muchas de sus novelas más importantes, incluidos los finales acompañados de una interpretación. Al contrario de lo que se podría suponer esto no ha sido algo negativo para mí porque ahora tengo aún más ganas de leer todo lo que tengamos traducido de él.

(5/5) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ¡ha superado mis expectativas! ¡Más que recomendable!

[Ruxandra C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yukio Mishima, a man who found himself at the crossroads between Tradition and Modernity, having witnessed the decay of post-occupation Japan, as Emperor Hirohito was forced to forswear his divine status, was the personification of Bunburyodō, the "Samurai-style simultaneous pursuit of the martial and the literary arts", and perfectly embodied the duality of the Chrysanthemum and the Sword: the sensitive, romantic, reclusive and highly misunderstood aesthete, who transcended his ill-health and insecurity through his devotion to Kendō, bodybuilding, and worship of the Sun.

Henry Scott Stokes was one of the very few foreigners who caught glimpses behind Mishima's self-imposed mask and the only non-Japanese journalist trusted to witness the trainings of Mishima's private army - the Shield Society (Tatenokai), report on his long planned ritual suicide, and attend his private funeral. "The Life and Death of Yukio Mishima" not only offers insight into the events that shaped one of Japan's most controversial figures, but also into his relationships with his contemporaries, from the friendship with the Nobel-winning Yasunari Kawabata, to the enmity forged through his political affiliations, manifold stunts and feuds with the literary cliques.

Mishima's literary work is not overlooked either, Stokes flawlessly analyses his sources of inspiration, ranging from the decadent opulence of Raymond Radiguet and Oscar Wilde, to the ideals of Zen Buddhism and the tales of old, as well as his major themes, strongly influenced by his own inner-conflict and desires, best epitomized by Donald Keene: "Mishima yearned for youth even while he was still quite young - not eternal youth, but youth that ended with the dramatic suddenness of the fall of a cherry blossom".

"The Life and Death of Yukio Mishima" is anything but a dull and scholarly biography, having the power to enrapture even the most reticent reader, also disclosing an emotional side, as the author recounts his friendship with Mishima and the lasting impact of his puzzling death, as he pursued aesthetics and symbolism up to the very end, having turned his life into "a line of poetry written with a splash of blood".

[Tosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is there any writer more 'out' there than Yukio Mishima? It is not just his spectacular and very public suicide - which by the way he wrote in detail about as well as doing a film version of his death, before hand of course - but also his public identity as a writer. Probably one of my favorite writers and as a teenager I couldn't get enough of him. A role model of sorts!

This is a very good biography by a friend of his, and also there is another bio in English by another friend as well..... Hmmmm. Nevertheless I think it maybe impossible to really capture Mishima in one biography due that he had a series of 'public' roles that he kept up. One gathers he compartmentize his life.

The husband with the kids, the gay man with an active sexual life, the devoted writer who without fail starts work everynight in his studio at midnight, the right-wing lunatic with his all young men private army, and so on and so on. Mishima without a doubt is one of the great figures in 20th Century literature.

[BraisBH · Rating 4 out of 5]

Iba a dicir que é unha moi boa labor de investigación sobre a vida de Mishima (porque o é) pero parece ser que o autor ten algunhas opinións "interesantes" sobre Xapón na Segunda Guerra Mundial e ademáis non aprendeu a linguaxe a pesar de pasar anos vivindo alí (inglés, cómo non).

Agora xa me sinto menos mal porque o ebook tivera o arquivo corrupto e me vise obrigado a saltar 30 páxinas que non se vían ben.

[Patrick McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Life And Death Of Yukio Mishima by Henry Scott Stokes is a good companion to John Nathan's biography, which focuses more on Mishima's early life. Stokes spends a lot of time on Mishima's politics and last years. Furthermore, there is more analysis on Mishima's work and how it reflected his life and views. In Paul Schrader's commentary for his film Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, he mentions Stokes accuses them of using his book for the film at a press conference. Schrader publicly states that he has used Nathan's book as the source material for his film. Suspiciously several elements from Stokes book appeared in the film, but this might be due to the fact that both authors relied heavily on Mishima's two most revelatory books: Confessions Of A Mask and Sun And Steel. The other books are also open to interpretation of his mood and character. In the commentary Schrader states that he had wanted to use After The Banquet to reflect Mishima's homosexual side but was blocked by his widow-so he chose to use Kyoko's House, a book that hasn't been translated into English. It's suspicious that Stokes discusses this book at length in his book-the title of Schrader's film and a section from Stokes' book, "The Four Rivers" are also similar. I would guess that Schrader used all the sources that were available to present his vision of Mishima. I think Stokes' book does have something to offer on its own. I found the focus of last section on Mishima's last days a bit tiresome, but appreciated Stokes's analysis of several of his works. It is a useful supplement in trying to understand a complex artist.

[avahardyam · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book has been pretty irritating for me to read, the author is clearly not able to understand Mishima. Mishima's struggle is an inherently masculine one, as he struggles with the neo-japanese society for not only finding his self, but for the revival of emperor - the (balance of) Nippon tradition and how he has to fit his esoterism around it. This struggle very much reflects in his literary work. And how the change of the world and the flow of society is reflected on what his life is made into as of now. Rotten reductionists have made it into a "struggle of a gay man". How well that shifts the light from the beautiful struggle of his life, and the subsequent ending - the climax of his "river of action", as Mishima himself called it. Without his death he would be just another ordinary man. His death is like a shining sun to his life, otherwise covered in darkness.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Henry Scott Stokes’ The Life and Death of Yukio Mishima is one of the few biographies in English of the Japanese novelist, whose 1970 death by seppuku after a failed coup d'etat is just as much a part of his legacy as his works.

Scott Stokes understands how Mishima's death overshadows all else, and he begins the work with a very detailed description of Mishima's failed coup and suicide, before going back to his birth and beginning his life stories. His book is based on few interviews; Scott Stokes feels that everything is already out there in written form and can be compacted for English readers. The description of Mishima's unsuccessful coup, for example, is based on records of the trial of the survivors.

Scott Stokes knew Mishima himself in the late 1960's, and was a keen observer of his political activity. He was even the only journalist to view training exercises of Mishima's private army. Because of this first-hand perspective, the latter portion of Mishima's life is told in great detail. Much less, satisfying, however, is his coverage of Mishima's earlier years, in which a large amount of detail is "reconstructed" from Mishima's semi-autobiographical work CONFESSIONS OF A MASK, a dubious approach. For a better view of Mishima's life prior to 1964, I'd recommend John Nathan's Mishima: A Biography, written by one of his translators who knew him early on, and to which Mishima's family contributed through personal interviews.

There is a wealth of information about Mishima's books, especially about his masterpiece "The Sea of Fertility" for which detailed summaries are given. I found this had a downside in that it spoiled the surprise ending of THE DECAY OF THE ANGEL for me, and I'd recommend reading that entire cycle, as well as other works which interest you, before coming to this biography.

While Scott Stokes autobiography has not been changed since the first edition in 1974, he has contributed an epilogue to the Cooper Square Press reprint which I feel is actually the strongest part of the book. Certainly necessary reading for Mishima fans. It shows how the perspective on Mishima's work has changed in the last quarter-century, and how many still consider him a fine writer, but fewer and fewer would actually consider him a genius. He also explains how the Japanese now perceive him, complaining that it is sad that Japan's post-literary culture of movies and manga has resulted in Mishima and his mentor Kawabata being nearly forgotten.

A curious matter about the life and death of Yukio Mishima is that the more one learns, the more questions one has. And nothing entirely suffices to explain the way he chose to end his life. Still, Scott Stokes does give some helpful clues. I'd recommend The Life and Death of Yukio Mishima to fans of the writer's work, as well as those who just marvel at the novelist's bizarre death. Pick up Nathan's biography at the same time, though.

[Monica. A · Rating 3 out of 5]

La biografia inizia con un breve diario dell'autore che racchiude gli ultimi incontri avuti con Mishima per soffermarsi poi sul suo ultimo grande giorno. Il giorno del seppuku, narrato nei minimi dettagli e reso ancor più vivido dalla visione di un film avvenuta tempo fa, riporta tutto allo stato iniziale, l'infanzia e l'adolescenza, per poi richiudere il cerchio con la sua morte e il periodo politico che l'ha preceduta.
L'ossessione di Mishima per il bello e l'estetica nasce già nel periodo dell'adolescenza ed è chiaramente evidente nel suo primo romanzo Confessioni di una maschera.
Il tormento e l'estasi di fronte al martirio di San Sebastiano non fanno altro che condurlo verso la decisione finale di togliersi la vita, atto estremo di bellezza.
Biografia interessante ma a tratti noiosa, dopo la prima parte che approfondisce il suo rapporto con la madre e la nonna, diventa un continuo citare e riassumere le opere dell'autore.

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

One might admire his writing and samurai spirit, but this was one crazy sumbitch!

[Ryan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The John Nathan biography is better.

Sorry to hear Mishima disliked England except for the Brighton Pavilion. (No sniggering.)

[John Tipper · Rating 2 out of 5]

It seems to me for someone to do a good biography the writer should like and/or respect the subject. Stokes, however, mocks Mishima's Samurai pursuits, like weight lifting and martial arts. When it comes to Mishima's literary works, he doesn't shed much light on them either. Not really a hatchet job, this book describes at length the Japanese writer's political views and last days. The final scenes in which the novelist commits sepuko are pretty hard to take; grisly details are provided as Mishima's gay lover beheads him. There's some good photography throughout, but taken as a whole I was disappointed.

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good biography, slightly spoiled by the numerous "As the only occidental journalist present at the funeral/at the press conference after Mishima's death " and so on.
The opinion of Henry Scott Stokes about Y.Mishima's books is not the most interesting part of this biography. And to realize that after 5 years in Japan, he didn't manage to learn japanese is quite suprising.
Nevertheless, this biography is interesting, with a large part dedicated to the events that led Mishima to his suicide.
The studies of the tetralogy "The Sea of Fertility" is well done.

[Jake · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am now concerned about anyone who likes Mishima a little too much

[Michael Kuehn · Rating 4 out of 5]

'There's a fine line between genius and insanity' -- someone said that. They could have been talking about Yukio Mishima. A more fascinating, eccentric, disturbing, and ultimately fanatical individual would be difficult to find. Brilliant, full of contradictions, Mishima was at once both obsessed with the samurai culture, convinced that Japan had lost its heritage in its too eager embrace of Western values, and thoroughly conversant in the best literature and philosophy of the West. He was a writer, a poet, an intellectual; yet raised his own private army.

All one needs to know about Mishima to become curious about his life is that he committed ritual seppuku [often called in the West, hari kari] the same day he completed the final volume of his tetralogy, 'The Decay of the Angel', and led a failed coup d'etat. This didn't happen in 1937, or even 1950; it happened as recently as November 25, 1970 in Tokyo. It's regrettable that many people know Mishima for nothing but his shocking death, for his writing is some of the best ever to come out of Japan. His work combines a deep understanding of human motivations, and struggles most often with the tensions between ancient and modern Japan. To his credit, author Scott-Stokes includes extensive summaries of and commentaries on much of Mishima's work throughout the biography, presenting Mishima's fiction and nonfiction as helpful insights into his thoughts and character at the time.

There is probably no person more suited to pen this biography of Mishima, at least how he relates to the English-speaking world, than the author, Henry Scott-Stokes, who as a correspondent for the London Times, lived in Tokyo and knew Mishima as a personal friend, as well as a subject for his columns. My only complaint with the book – and it's a small one – is that there are a few extended sections which seem more about Scott-Stokes than about Mishima. That aside, it's a fascinating, entertaining account of a most interesting man, whose life is too big to summarize here. Read about him, but better yet, read his work.

[Krishna Avendaño · Rating 4 out of 5]

El hombre a las puertas de su degradación tiene dos opciones: dejarse consumir o efectuar una salida que podría ser decorosa, triste, silenciosa o patética. Siendo así, toda fuga es por necesidad un comentario estético. En tanto que autor y hombre de acción, Mishima entiende que no es el oficio creativo (la búsqueda vana de permanecer, por vía de la memoria y el legado, en la tierra) sino el morir a tiempo, cuando se llega a la cumbre, lo que entraña la máxima insurrección contra la decadencia a la que está condenado el ser humano. Una suerte de deificación de la voluntad individual, el único método a nuestro alcance para burlarnos de nuestra desgracia. Destruir es ganarse el infinito. Después del seppuku lo que permanecerá no es tanto el cuerpo pútrido del suicida como una herencia de palabras y símbolos. El suicidio se erige así en un triunfo de lo temporal (la vida humana y lo que hace el artista con ella) contra lo eterno e intangible (la muerte).

[Florinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una lettura quasi obbligatoria per chi apprezza lo scrittore o è curioso di approfondire la sua personalità.
Ci sono alti e bassi, parti molto interessanti, altri meno e sopratttutto ho trovato che l'autore abbia abbandato un po' nel riportare degli stralci delle opere di Mishima o che si sia dilungato fin troppo nel farne un riassunto. In fondo se voglio leggere una biografia di un autore, mediamente sono anche stato un suo lettore e conosco le opere principali, non mi serve leggerne un sunto o interi brani.

[Eadweard · Rating 5 out of 5]

All those short stories and novels that the author quotes and talks about, all of them untranslated, what a pity.

"Among these were wads of cotton wool. Morita asked Mishima what they would be used for; the latter smiled and said that the two must pack their anuses with cotton wool, so that they should not evacuate their bowels when committing hara-kiri."

[Heather De armas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Snooze. Too bad, great topic

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good solid biography, although I think I prefer the Nathan bio better.

[Lena · Rating 3 out of 5]

A successful biography enlarges the reader’s understanding of a subject’s inner and outer life while preserving the subject’s complexity and autonomy from the biographer’s judgments. It makes actions, beliefs, and contradictions intelligible in the subject’s own terms, even when those terms are extreme or alien.

By these standards, Henry Scott Stokes’s The Life and Death of Yukio Mishima is a failed biography.

Stokes does provide facts, anecdotes, and privileged access, but repeatedly forecloses understanding through preemptive judgment. Rather than entering Mishima’s intellectual, aesthetic, and symbolic world, Stokes translates unfamiliar motives into psychological pathology, most notably through casual diagnoses of narcissism, theatricality, or irrationality.

Mishima’s desire to “make a poem of his life,” for example, is dismissed as narcissistic rather than examined as an aesthetic ethic grounded in form, discipline, and closure.

More fundamentally, the book is shaped by a liberal, late-colonial British worldview that treats ideological extremity, aesthetic absolutism, and sacrificial ethics with dismissal rather than curiosity. Political commitment is reduced to posturing, symbolic action to neurosis, and cultural difference to moral shorthand. Judgment arrives early and decisively; true inquiry rarely follows. Stokes relieves himself of any obligation to understand positions he finds distasteful.

Compare with other writers on Mishima. Donald Keene approaches Mishima through literary form and recurring symbolic patterns, allowing contradiction to remain constitutive rather than pathological. John Nathan, despite excesses of psychological interpretation, attempts to enter Mishima’s inner world rather than explain it away. Marguerite Yourcenar treats Mishima as a tragic artist whose life obeys an aesthetic logic, not a clinical case. Japanese critics such as Etō Jun and Hasumi Shigehiko situate Mishima within intellectual traditions that Stokes largely ignores.

A final test confirms the book’s limitations: after finishing The Life and Death of Yukio Mishima, I'm left clearer about the author’s opinions than about the Mishima's inner world. The book may succeed as reportage and personal record, but it fails in biography’s central task — to enlarge understanding.

And as noticed by many, the biography is marred by a disproportionate and rather irritating authorial presence. Stokes frequently emphasizes his unique access - his visits, his proximity, his exclusivity, in ways that draw attention away from Mishima and toward the biographer’s own reactions. The final sentence, devoted to the author himself rather than Mishima, is unintentionally honest. It reveals that the book’s true subject was never Mishima’s inner world, but Stokes’s reactions to it.

[Rishi Raj Singh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Obviously, It was absolutely an amazing experience reading about Yukio Mishima. However, I believe that the biography wasn't as good or perhaps I wasn't as interested in content which this biography accentuates majorly (i.e. Political aspect of Mishima's life). It does go over many of Mishima's works but mostly it was just describing the events of the respective story (deliberate spoilers). It can be argued that it was for exploring Mishima's personality as an author, it certainly did to some extent but mostly (imo) it was under the presupposition that the reader must've finished most of Mishima's works and even this was a fail attempt in exploring it. My main reason for reading it -
1) Knowing the underlying motives and concepts in Mishima's works.
2) Getting to know the life events of Mishima's life.

I wasn't entirely satisfied with what I got from the biography, but it was a decent experience (although with a lot of unnecessary elements).

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yukio Mishima, one of the best-known authors in Japan in the post WWII period, committed harikari with one of his youthful followers after taking a Japanese General hostage. Why? The action shocked those in Japan and around the world. Stokes, a friend of Mishima, describes what happened that day in 1970 and in the months leading up to it as well as what Mishima's personal history and numerous literary works might shed light on it. He comes up with no solid answer. Mishima was a narcissist, an attention seeker. His political views seemed to shift from the left to the extreme right before his suicide. He seemed to want to die a beautiful, noble death while he was still young and strong. Narcissists who are somewhat unbalanced: the connections to those in power currently are rather frightening to contemplate. So sad to read of such people. (Nan says this is one of her favorite books!)

[Mark Goodson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had read The Sailor who Fell from Grace with the Sea and was so taken by it that I assumed a biography of its author would discuss the novel at length. It turns out Yukio Mishima is so prolific, that my favorite novel of his was only a snippet of his lifetime body of work. The guy was a true writer, in every form of writing available at his time.
More than that, he lived according to an aesthetic that was present in his work. Mishima eventually gave his life for the preservation of this aesthetic and its tie to the traditional Japanese way of life, a way of life that all but vanished in his lifetime.
It’s not that this book was the most compelling read, but Mishima’s life (and I doubt anyone other than Stokes could tell it better) is absolutely fascinating. For anyone who has devoted their lives to an artform, Mishima is for you, and so is this book.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Didn't like as much as Nathan's but maybe because I read this one second. As a journalist, Scott Stokes is able to offer a different perspective and new information than Nathan. I would say he reads Mishima's text more for what it is while Nathan would put his own readings into it. It's incredible how everyone thought "wow I had no idea he would kill himself" when like all his books are about death and a lot of suicide and all his books are about himself (which maybe people didn't realize back then?) in which there is a lot of suicide and violence but maybe this is an instance of "hindsight is 20/20". I'm more interested in reading a biography about Mishima not by a foreigner/white male as Mishima likely revealed only a certain side of himself to the Westerners he entertained.

[Jim Topping · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have owned this book for over 20 years and have never managed to finish it. I think that maybe I was´nt ready. Now it´s done. I read parallel to this "The Sailor who fell from grace with the sea".This was a personal experiment, that for my taste worked just fine. I find it very hard to describe the effect of this experiment and what it was like to find traces of Yukio Mishima everywhere. I loved it. I found it so enhancing that I am now reading "Lenin´s Tomb by David Remnick along side "Agent 6 by Tom Rob Smith. (Theme Russia)

[Robert Patterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent biography of Mishima thru the lens of British Tokyo based reporter. The personal prologue accounts intriguing glimpse of Mishima's extraordinary life written as a diar the years they shared a friendship. The remainder of the book attempts to answer the question of Mishima's suicide exploring , his politics, his biography, his personal aesthetic and commitment to art and the other mysteries.

Thorough biography. Recommended.