In The Sea of Fertility, Penguin, 1987, 247 p. Translated from the Japanese 奔馬 (Homba,) Shinchosha Company, 1960, by Michael Gallagher.

It is the early 1930s, a time of political uncertainty and assassination in Japan. Thirty-eight year old judge Shikeguni Honda comes to believe Isao Iinuma, a promising practitioner of kendo and also the son of a former tutor of Honda’s teenage friend Kiyaoki Matsugae whose unfortunate life was portrayed in Snow Country, is in fact Kiyaoki reincarnated. This is a thought Honda keeps to himself, though.

Nevertheless he takes an interest in the young man, who after one conversation gives him a booklet titled The League of the Divine Wind. This chronicles a failed revolt in the eighteenth century of a group of that name who felt the Western influence on Japan was inimical and ought to be overturned. Unfortunately, they believed only swords were suitably condign weapons to enact the divine will and so fell to defeat. In that revolt’s aftermath one of its leaders is said to have given voice to the spirit of the Samurai: “Were we to have acted like frail women?”

This incident is an illustration of the tension that existed in Japan between the traditional and the modern and which was in many ways Mishima’s overriding concern. At one point a minor character says, “‘That’s just how things are here in Japan. All one has to do is plunge one’s hand in, intent only on a bit of amusement, and there’s a poisonous snake in there waiting.’”Iinuma also hatches a plot, this time to kill the men whom he believes are leading Japan to ruin, or at least to a neglect of the old ways. When this, too, fails due to the authorities getting wind of it (not through one of the co-conspirators though) Honda gives up his judge’s job to defend Iinuma.
The political background appears from time to time in conversations but is never foregrounded but still the forces which would propel Japan into conquest – and ultimate disaster – are in evidence. The adventure in Manchuria, about which some of the characters have misgivings, is about to begin.
Mishima’s sympathies seem to lie with the traditionalists and Iinuma’s desire for purity and unease at the Japan in which he lives perhaps matches the author’s own.

Pedant’s corner:- Translated into USian. “In 1933, the third year of the Genko era” (the third year of the Genko era was in 1333,) a missing comma before a piece of direct speech, “‘one should keep them until lay them reverently on the family altar’” (is missing some words between ‘until’ and ‘lay’,) “the cry of cicadas” (cries of cicadas surely?) “England’s going off the gold standard” (Britain that would be, not England,) hiccough (there’s no such thing. It’s a hiccup,) “it’s being not all likely” (it’s being not at all likely,) “a green finch” (a greenfinch,) “scarlet-leafed forest” (scarlet-leaved.) Benzine (petrol,) “somewhat tasteless” (somewhat distasteful,) “having spent the New Year’s in a police cell” (having spent the New Year in a police cell.) “The whistle of a freight passing through Ichigaya Station” (of a freight train – though in British English that’s ‘goods train’,) “the groans … had nothing of kendo about it” (the groans … had nothing of kendo about them,) “but these was limited to” (these were limited to,) “none of those … were” (none … was,) “with his fingertips of his left hand” (with the fingertips of his left hand.)

Pocket, 1973, 376 p. Translated from the Japanese, 春の雪 (Haru no Yuki,) by Michael Gallagher.

I suppose any tale of star-cross’d lovers invites comparisons to Romeo and Juliet. I doubt, though, that most of them will contain references to the Russo-Japanese War, which is still in the recent memory of this novel’s protagonist, Kiyoaki Matsugae. That the book starts with his recollection of a photograph of the memorial services for the war dead is an indicator that the outcome of the novel is not likely to be joyful.

Kiyoaki had been entrusted by his father Marquis Matsugae to be raised in the noble but now relatively impoverished Ayakura family so as to acquire a touch of elegance and hope of advancement. The Ayakuras’ daughter, Satoko, had lavished affection on him and at the book’s start Kiyoaki knows she is in love with him but he is for the most part indifferent  hence it takes a while for the love story to gather momentum. Early parts of the book deal with Kiyoaki’s relationship with his friend Shikeguni Honda and two Siamese princes who are on a diplomatic visit of sorts and attend their school.

An exchange of letters between Satoko and Kiyoaki in which she reveals her feelings for him become central to the plot but his request for Satoko not to read his last one (where he eventually acknowledges his for her) comes too late. At first he does not know this and when he finds out she did read it he is angered and cuts off contact.

In the meantime Satoko, at twenty years old getting close to being on the shelf, is all but forced by her family into a betrothal to Prince Harunori of the Imperial family. Kiyoaki expresses to his father indifference to the engagement but, threatening to expose Satoko’s last letter to him, demands a meeting with her through the agency of her maid Tadeshina. This leads to the consummation of their relationship and further clandestine meetings. An odd aspect of the story is that Count Ayakura had years before instructed Tadeshina that Satoko should lose her virginity before any bridegroom chosen by the Marquis should touch her. Revelation of the affair would therefore reflect badly on him. Satoko’s resultant pregnancy presages disaster. Drastic attempts to avert it are not entirely availing.

While not absolutely following the template of Romeo and Juliet the parallels are unavoidable. Star-cross’d love is a universal theme, in Japan as elsewhere.

Pedant’s corner:- “wracked with sobs” (racked,) “cyprus wood” (cypress wood,) “wracked by her feelings” (racked,) “his amusement was tingled with disgust” (tinged is the usual verb here,) “the lay of the land” (the lie of the land.) “Count Ayakura was a hopeless coward in the face to the Countess at once, and when she in turn handed it quite a disturbance on the morning that Tadeshina did not get up.” (Make of those two sentences what you will. I confess I couldn’t.) There was over to her husband, he opened it at fingertips’ length, as if it were germ-ridden” (needs clarifying,) “from lack to sleep” (lack of sleep,) “the Masugaes” (Matsugaes.)

King Penguin, 1987, 141 p. Translated from the Japanese 午後の曳航 (Gogo no Eikō) byJohn Nathan.

Mishima, seemingly at the height of his literary powers and success, cut short his own life by committing seppuku in 1970, apparently in protest at the erosion of Japan’s values due to Western influence.

In this short novel, the first of his I have read, Fusako Kuroda has been widowed for five years. Unknown to her, her son Noboru has discovered a hole in the wainscotting between their bedrooms through which he can witness her bedtime routines. After a visit with Noboru to a tramp merchant steamer she takes up with the sailor, Ryuji Tzukazaki, who was attentive to Noboru but who it is revealed considers sex as a secret yearning for death. Their relationship is then consummated under the eyes of a not best pleased Noboru. Noboru is also number three in a group of schoolboys who enact nefarious rituals in their secret den. Boys have always tended to the wanton; as Shakespeare well knew.

Here is set the scene for an odd tale of love, alienation, dehumanisation and revenge. Things come to a head when after a final voyage away Ryuji decides to give up sailing and marry Fusako. Noboru presents his list of charges against Ryuji to his gang’s chief.

The tension between Japan’s past and present, which Mishima felt all too keenly, is reflected in the different attitudes of the characters. Fusako, with her job in a luxury goods shop, represents modernity, Ryuji a connection to Japan’s former seafaring glories, the boys a reminder of the insular past.

Pedant’s corner:- louvered swinging doors (louvred,) an unneeded indent of one space at one new line with a larger line spacing than usual below it.