Yukio Mishima performs Mae

[Kokoro777]

Interesting footage of controversial Japanese author performing Seitei's Mae

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsmICsWbuMs

Has anyone else read his interesting discussion of Hagakure?

[Lloromannic]

ah, Mr Mishima, so good with a pen; not so good at much else.

[b8amack]

Wasn't he ikkyu or something when that was taken?

[Kokoro777]

I wonder if he'd pass an ikkyu grading now?

[b8amack]

Hard to do that with no head.

[Theodore]

I saw his Madame de Sade at the Wyndams Theatre in London last year. It was terrible, not withstanding the fact that Dame Judi Dench was one of the principals. The reviewers were right, it stunk.

[chidokan]

He makes the sword look really heavy....

I met his instructor once, he was doing an enbu at our local budo event back in the 80's. He wrecked an iaito of a friend of mine and dented the edge on a koto wakizashi I loaned him for the enbu. The demo was excellent apart from that.....nice guy, and had an 'interesting' viewpoint on Mishima....I got a very 'japanese' answer to a simple question as to what he was like as a student...

[Kim Taylor]

Shodan 1967, died 1970 so presumably somewhere in there. It does seem to be a massively heavy sword but aside from that, it's an OK Shohatto to my eyes, for that level of practice. He sure got his left hand cranked over (5dan kendo I guess).

Gotta love the uniform http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrTxN...eature=related

Kim.

[Kokoro777]

Ha ha ha-no head! Sorry, I shouldn't laugh!

[AndrewA]

Yukio Mishima has always interested me, I've not had the pleasure of seeing any of his work. But what I've found I sort of admire is the fact that he tried to do something. He believed that Japan needed to change and actually tried to do it, for what ever reason right or wrong, the fact that he tried is something to admire. How many people do you know who say things like "oh well if I were in charge I'd do this/that" or "I hate how the country is run but there is nothing I can do about it I am just one person"?

Not saying we should all go charging into the closest army base we can find and try to start a Coup d'état but you get what I mean right? If you think something is wrong at least try to fix it, isn't that the point of a free society?

I may be wrong (more than likely), but this is what reading Kendo world while you're completely alone at work with no human contact for 6+ hours a day for the last week and a half does to you :P

[Ruu]

I'm not sure he really was trying to change anything. From studying him in my Japanese literature classes it seems that he was only creating the stage for his own suicide, which he fantasized about. He never really expected to be able to rally the troops.

[rfoxmich]

Suppose the same could be said for Hitler... for whom I have no admiration.

Yukio Mishima has always interested me, I've not had the pleasure of seeing any of his work. But what I've found I sort of admire is the fact that he tried to do something. He believed that Japan needed to change and actually tried to do it, for what ever reason right or wrong, the fact that he tried is something to admire. How many people do you know who say things like "oh well if I were in charge I'd do this/that" or "I hate how the country is run but there is nothing I can do about it I am just one person"?

Not saying we should all go charging into the closest army base we can find and try to start a Coup d'état but you get what I mean right? If you think something is wrong at least try to fix it, isn't that the point of a free society?

I may be wrong (more than likely), but this is what reading Kendo world while you're completely alone at work with no human contact for 6+ hours a day for the last week and a half does to you :P

[Kansai Ronin]

All said and done, His life story is a very interesting one.

or should I say was.....

[AndrewA]

Suppose the same could be said for Hitler... for whom I have no admiration.

Well neither do I, not sure of the connection you're making here.

[AndrewA]

I'm not sure he really was trying to change anything. From studying him in my Japanese literature classes it seems that he was only creating the stage for his own suicide, which he fantasized about. He never really expected to be able to rally the troops.

Yeah I've read that as well, which I agree is more likely the case and that he was not trying to actually "rally the troops" into changing Japan. What I said before about him trying to make a change do you not find it interesting how many people say they want to change (big or small change) but never actually act on it? Even if its something simple as they way they come into work.