Mishima's Sword: Travels in Search of a Samurai Legend
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.81 (774 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0306815133 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 272 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-09-17 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
In between a visceral blow-by-blow account of Mishima's last hours, Ross alternates his detailed, gently meandering narrative with fascinating research into the art of Japanese sword making. In fact, Ross learns that the famous sword Mishima used on himself in Tokyo's Eastern Army Group Headquarters was made by Seki no Magoroku in the 16th century, and has subsequently vanished. From Publishers Weekly Ross (Tunnel Visions) pursues the life and especially the violent suicide by seppuku, or hara-kiri, of the Japanese writer Yukio Mishima, at age 45 in 1970. Ross's journey is wonderfully elucidating, not only of the writer who wanted to ensure he lived forever but of a holistic history and culture of Japan.
It was a country Ross knew well after nearly five years of living there--but nothing could have prepared him for this. While searching for the fabled sword, Ross encounters the rather startling range of those who knew Mishimaa world, or perhaps more accurately a demimonde, of craftsmen and critics, soldiers and swordsmen, boyfriends and biographers (even the man who taught Mishima hara-kiri). The trail Ross follows inspires a travelogue of the most eye-opening--and occasionally bizarre--sort, a window into the real Japan that is never seen by tourists and the occasion for digressions on, among other things, socks and the code of the samurai, nosebleeds and metallurgy even how to dress for suicide. Christopher Ross wondered, What on earth happened to Mishima's sword? And so Ross sets off for Tokyo on a journey into the heart of the Mishima legend---the very heart of Japan. In the decades since, people have asked endless far-ranging questions about this spectacular suicide. Mishima's Sword is a dazzling read--the perfect book for all those intrigued by things Japanese, from gangsters to Genji, from manga to Mishima.. In 1970, the world-famous Japanese writer Yukio Mishima plunged a knife into his belly and was decapitated using his own antique sword
"A book for someone with more background" according to Chuckz5. I haven't finished the book (still in the middle) but just want to argue with those reviewers who complain that the author distracts them with his own story and with "unnecessary" sword stories. But this is not a detective story about finding a sword - it is more about finding your own soul or core. This is not a travelogue but a philosophical journey.Even if you look at the bo. Good subject, poor delivery. Evil Noah This is a pretty fascinating account of Yukio Mishima's life and eventual suicide seppuku style. As far as the amazing real life story of Mishima and the amazing history of Japan goes, this book should have been 5 stars. The reason I only gave it three is the author's self-indulgent, "I'm sooo cool because I know about japanese culture and kendo", attitude and writing style. Yo. "the only book i've thrown across a room in digust at" according to Cirrus. I happen to have read many novels by Mishima in their English translations as well as many other Japanese novelists. I came to this book as someone interested in anything about Mishima having already read the Nathan and Stokes biographies and the Yourcenar book on him. But, regardless of whether one has any interest in Mishima or in Japanese literature or in Japan I think this