Photo: Ken Domon / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Yukio Mishima remains, for me, the most unresolvable figure in modern Japanese letters. The prose itself is beyond argument — The Temple of the Golden Pavilion and the Sea of Fertility tetralogy contain sentences of almost frightening precision and beauty. What I keep turning over is how completely he tried to fuse life and art: the bodybuilding, the theatricality, the shocking final act in 1970. I do not romanticize how his story ended, but I cannot deny that no other writer staked everything so absolutely on aesthetics. Reading him is like handling a polished blade — you admire the craftsmanship while staying aware that it can cut.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Yukio Mishima
- Name (Japanese)
- 三島由紀夫
- Born
- January 14, 1925 – November 25, 1970
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Capricorn / Ox
- Origin
- Tokyo, Japan
- Height
- 163 cm
- Occupation
- writer / prose writer / novelist / playwright / screenwriter
2. Background
- University
- University of Tokyo, Faculty of Law, Graduate Schools for Law and Politics
Awards & achievements
- 1954 Shinchosha literature award
- 1955 Kishida Theatre Award
- 1956 Yomiuri Prize
- 1964 Mainichi art award
- 1965 ACA National Arts Festival
- Golden Arrow Award
- star on Playwrights' Sidewalk
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | The Temple of the Golden Pavilion | — | |
| Notable work | Confessions of a Mask | — | |
| Notable work | The Sea of Fertility | — | |
| Notable work | The Sound of Waves | — | |
| Notable work | The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea | — | |
| Notable work | Kyōko no Ie | — |
6. Links
- Wikipedia (Japanese)https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%B8%89%E5%B3%B6%E7%94%B1%E7%B4%80%E5%A4%AB
Frequently asked questions
When was Yukio Mishima born?
January 14, 1925 – November 25, 1970.
Where is Yukio Mishima from?
Yukio Mishima is from Tokyo, Japan.
What does Yukio Mishima do?
Yukio Mishima works as writer, prose writer, novelist, playwright, screenwriter.
How tall is Yukio Mishima?
Yukio Mishima is 163 cm.
What is Yukio Mishima known for?
Notable works include The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, Confessions of a Mask, The Sea of Fertility.
Writer — see all → · Prose writer — see all → · More people from Japan →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-11
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.