The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea (1976) as Writer
Short Info
Died
November 25, 1970, Ichigaya, Tokyo
Spouse
Yoko Hiraoka
Fact
Before his first marriage in 1958, he was briefly engaged to Michiko Shoda, the future Empress Michiko.
Yukio Mishima was a Japanese author, poet, and playwright who was considered one of the most important Japanese writers of the 20th century. He was born Kimitake Hiraoka on January 14, 1925, in the Tokyo district of Shibuya. His father was Azusa Hiraoka, a government official, and his mother, Shizue Hiraoka, was a homemaker. Mishima had an older sister, Noriko, and a younger brother, Chiyuki. Mishima’s childhood was largely happy and uneventful. He was a bright student and an avid reader, and he developed a lifelong love of the theater.
Mishima began writing fiction in his teens, and his first story was published when he was just 19 years old. He graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1947 with a degree in law. Mishima’s first novel, Confessions of a Mask, was published in 1949. The book was an instant success, and Mishima became a celebrity. He followed up with a string of critically acclaimed novels, including The Temple of the Golden Pavilion (1956), The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea (1963), and The Sea of Fertility (1965-1970).
In 1968, Mishima founded the Tatenokai (“Shield Society”), a private militia dedicated to the preservation of traditional Japanese values. On November 25, 1970, Mishima and four members of the Tatenokai staged a coup d’état at the Japan Self-Defense Forces headquarters in Tokyo. The group took hostages and demanded that the emperor rescind his order to allow Japanese troops to be sent to fight in Vietnam. When their demands were not met, Mishima committed seppuku (ritual suicide) and was beheaded by one of his followers. His death shocked and horrified the nation.
Mishima’s novels, plays, and essays continue to be widely read and studied. His work is noted for its beautiful prose, its psychological insight, and its examination of the contradictions between traditional Japanese values and Westernization. Mishima’s life and death are as famous as his work, and he remains one of the most enigmatic and controversial figures in Japanese history.
Yomiuri Prize for Literature, Shinchosha Literary Prize
Movies
Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, Patriotism, Black Lizard, Afraid to Die, The School of Flesh, Conflagration, Hitokiri, Spring Snow, Black Rose Mansion, The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea, Temple of the Golden Pavillion, Ken
[on Kon Ichikawa] One of Japan's greatest directors.
Facts
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Fact
1
Before his first marriage in 1958, he was briefly engaged to Michiko Shoda, the future Empress Michiko.
2
The Japanese erotic artist Tsuyoshi Yoshida aka Go Mishima (1924 - 1988) allegedly took his artistic pseudonym from Yukio Mishima. The two were friends from 1955 until the writer's ritual suicide in 1970.
3
One motivation for Mishima's devotion to body-building was his self-consciousness about his height: 5'1". (1.55m). When arranging his marriage (which he did just to appease his traditionally-minded parents), he stipulated that his bride must not be interested in his work and must not be taller than him.
4
His body of work includes 40 novels, 18 plays, 20 books of short stories, at least 20 books of essays and one libretto.
5
He excelled in bodybuilding to the extent that he used to show off at his gym by lying on a weight-lifting bench and moving a coin up and down his abdomen without using his hands.
Movies
Writer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Utsukushii hoshi
2017
based on the novel by completed
Rokumeikan
2008
TV Movie play
Haru no yuki
2005
novel
Sóhajok
2005
play
The School of Flesh
1998
novel
Markisinnan de Sade
1992
TV Movie play
Rokumeikan
1986
play
Shiosai
1985
novel
Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters
1985
novels: "The Temple of the Golden Pavilion", "Kyoko's House" and "Runaway Horses - uncredited
A Marquesa de Sade
1984
TV Movie play
Kinkakuji
1976
novel "Temple of the Golden Pavilion"
The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea
1976
novel "Gogo no eiko"
Shiosai
1975
novel
Ongaku
1972
novel
Shiosai
1971
novel
Black Rose
1969
play
Kuro tokage
1968
stage adaptation
Ai no kawaki
1966
novel
Die hundertste Nacht
1966
TV Movie play
Patriotism
1966
Short
Teatterituokio
1965
TV Series play "Sotoba komachi" - 1 episode
Nikutai no gakko
1965
Kemono no tawamure
1964
novel
Shiosai
1964
novel
Hanjo
1964
TV Movie play
Ken
1964
novel
Kurotokage
1962
stage adaptation
Ojôsan
1961
novel
Fudôtoku kyôiku kôza
1959
based on the book by
Enjô
1958
novel
Bitoku no yoromeki
1957
novel
Nagasugita haru
1957
novel
Shiosai
1954
novel
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Hitokiri
1969
Shinbei Tanaka
Kuro tokage
1968
Human statue
Patriotism
1966
Short
Shinji Takeyama
Afraid to Die
1960
Takeo Asahina
Fudôtoku kyôiku kôza
1959
Director
Title
Year
Status
Character
Patriotism
1966
Short
Producer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Patriotism
1966
Short producer
Production Designer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Patriotism
1966
Short
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
Contrasts
1968
TV Series
Himself
Doyô danwashitsu
1964-1966
TV Series
Himself
Small World
1960
TV Series
Himself
Archive Footage
Title
Year
Status
Character
Nyûsu no shiten
2012
TV Series
Himself
Kyôiku terebi no gyakushû: Yomigaeru kyoshô no kotoba