Yukio Mishima: "The Last Samurai"

A living enigma

Mishima was more than just a writer. Like any artist he was one of a kind. He stitched together different personalities: the novelist, the playwright, the poet, the actor, the film director, and even the martial arts master.

The search for national identity

One of the obsessions in Mishima's production is precisely the search for Japanese national identity. The author was deeply attached to his country's tradition, particularly samurai culture, and felt the need to defend it from the corruption and decadence of modern society.

In many of his works, Mishima expresses a deep unease with the loss of traditional values and the increasing Westernization of Japan. This conservative and nationalist outlook led him to found the Tatenokai, a private militia inspired by the samurai, with the aim of awakening the warrior spirit of Japanese youth.

An extreme gesture

Mishima's life ended dramatically: in 1970, together with some members of the Tatenokai, he attempted to stage a coup within the Japanese armed forces. Having failed in his attempt, Mishima ritually committed suicide by harakiri, an extreme gesture that once again underscored his deep connection to the samurai tradition.

A lost ideal

Mishima's suicide, which took place via seppuku on November 25, 1970, was more than just a desperate act. It was a political and symbolic act, an extreme attempt to shake up a nation that, in his view, had lost its soul.

Mishima was a fervent Japanese nationalist, concerned about the increasing Westernization of his country and the abandonment of traditional values. Japan's pacifist Constitution, imposed by the United States after World War II, was for him a symbol of weakness and decadence. With his gesture, he wanted to protest this situation and rekindle the warrior spirit of his countrymen.

Mishima was deeply attached to the figure of the samurai, a symbol of honor, courage and loyalty. Seppuku, the ritual suicide of the samurai, was for him the only way to maintain his dignity in the face of the failure of his mission.

The samurai and seppuku

The samurai were the warriors of ancient Japan, a social class that followed a strict code of ethics, bushido. This code emphasized values such as honor, courage, loyalty, and self-discipline.

Seppuku was considered the last resort for a samurai who had violated the code of honor, or was in a no-win situation.

Seppuku was a ceremonial act that required great courage and self-control. The samurai would remove his upper clothes, kneel down and, with a short sword (tantō), inflict a deep wound in his abdomen. Another samurai, often a trusted friend, would then behead the former to end his suffering. The abdomen was considered the center of emotions and desires, and by cutting it, the samurai renounced all that was earthly and mortal.