Yukio Mishima, novelist and poet, was born in Tokyo, Japan. His real name was Hiraoka Kimitake. Read this brief biography, with dates from history.
BIOGRAPHY
Yukio Mishima, novelist and poet, was born in Tokyo, Japan. His real name was Hiraoka Kimitake. He was the son of a government official and was primarily reared by his grandmother. He served in a factory during World War II. After the war he was educated at Tokyo University where he studied law. He worked briefly as a civil servant before become a full-time writer.
Mishima published his first book, HANASAKARI NO MORI, when he was 19. His second work, KAMEN NO KOKUHAKU (CONFESSIONS OF A MASK), is one of his best known.
After seizing control of a military headquarters in Tokyo in an attempt to create pre-war nationalist ideals, Yukio Mishima committed a ritual disembowelment with his sword in 1970. This practice is known as SEPPUKU in Japan.
CHRONOLOGY
1925 He was born in Tokyo, Japan.
1944 HANASAKARI NO MORI
1946 He met Kawabata Yasunari.
1948 He worked for the Japanese Ministry of Finance.
1949 KAMEN NO KOKUHAKU (CONFESSIONS OF A MASK)
1950 AI NO KAWAKI (THIRST FOR LOVE); AO NO JIDAI
1951 KINJIKI (FORBIDDEN COLOURS)
1952 MANATSU NO SHI (DEATH IN MIDSUMMER); HIGYO
1953 YORU NO HIMAWARI (TWILIGHT SUNFLOWER)
1954 FUGUSHU (REVENGE); SHIOSAI (THE SOUND OF WAVES)
1955 SHIZUMERU TAKI; He began body building.
1956 SHIROARI NO SU; KINDAI NOGAKU SHU (FIVE MODERN PLAYS); SHI WO KAKU SHONEN (THE BOY WHO WROTE POETRY); KINKAKUJI (THE TEMPLE OF THE GOLDEN PAVILION); ROKUMEI KAN
1957 BITOKU NO YOROMEKI
1958 BARA TO KAIZOKU
1959 RATAI TO ISHO; KYOKO NO IE
1960 YUKOKU (PATRIOTISM); YOROBOSHI (YOROBOSHI: THE BLIND YOUNG MAN); UTAGE NO ATO (AFTER THE BANQUET)
1961 TOKA NO KIKU; KEMO NO TAWAMURE
1962 UTSUKUSHII HOSHI
1963 GOGO NO EIKO (THE SAILOR WHO FELL FORM THE GRACE WITH THE SEA); KEN
1964 WATAKUSHI NO HENREKI JODAI; KINU TO MEISATU
1965 MIKUMANO MODE; SADO KOSHAKU FUJIN (MADAME DE SADE); He founded Tate no Kai (Shield Society).
1966 EREI NO KOE
1967 SUSAKU-KE NO METSUBO (THE FALL OF THE HOUSE SUSAKU); HAGAKURE NYUMON (THE AWY OF SAMURAI)
1968 YOROBOSHI; HARU NO YUKI (SPRING SNOW); WA GA TOMO HITTORA (MY FRIEND HITLER); TAIYO TO TETSU (SUN AND STEEL)
1969 HOMMA (RUNAWAY HORSES); BUNKA BOEI RON
1970 AKATSUKI NO TERA (THE TEMPLE OF DAWN); He died by ritual disembowelment.
1971 TENNIN GOSUI (THE DECAY OF THE ANGEL)
