Patriotism

Yukio Mishima: Patriotism

From a British book stall at Expo 70 in Osaka, Japan, I picked up a stack of books by Japanese authors, some written in English and some translated. Since then I have become totally fascinated by Japanese culture, stories and writers.

‘Yukoku’ – Patriotism is a rare short story, beautifully translated by Geoffrey W. Sargent.

This haunting tale of a young married couple dizzyingly in love portrays tradition and culture that value love, honour, duty. To these three qualities is added death. It is the character of the young wife that struck me most. Reiko’s loyalty, love for her husband and bravery grips the readers, keeps them focused in this extraordinary tale of a culture too difficult and complex to understand by anyone steeped in modern or western standards.

The couple is acutely aware of each other. Reiko of her husband’s manliness and strength and love for her. He is the sun around which her world revolves. Lieutenant Shinji Takeyama deeply and passionately loves his beautiful, chaste and devoted wife to whose warmth he returns each night from training as a soldier.

Right from the beginning the story is overwhelming.

Only a few months into their marriage the lieutenant learns of the failed coup in which some of his close friends are involved. It would require him to carry out the assassination of his comrades and he himself would carry the dishonour of being branded as member of the mutiny team. Reiko learns the news on the radio and waiting alone at home knows finality has come. Her noble husband will perform ritual seppuku. From their first day together she knows as soldier’s wife she must be prepared for death of her husband at any time. She calmly readies herself, gets things in order. She will accompany him in death. With quiet deliberation she packs her best kimonos, labels them for her friends, packs up the few trinkets she owns, addresses them and sets them aside, and waits for her husband to return.

When he eventually arrives home he tells her what has happened and what he must do. He will commit seppuku that night. She asks permission to follow him. They prepare themselves. They share ‘sake’ and experience one last passionate, seductive, and sensual love making, they find their awareness of each other is even more acute.

Trusting her implicitly he asks her to witness, and to help and hasten his death. This she does. She sits watching her husband’s pain of dying, and when his sword slashing his stomach does not kill him he, accompanied by feverish death throes, tries to cut his throat. She helps him loosen his collar. After her husband is dead she calmly sets about preparing her own demise.

What follows is a most touching scene of human bravery and dedication. She leaves her husband’s body and descends sensuously to the ground floor in ‘her socks slippery with blood’, her white kimono now boldly patterned by blood, her husband’s blood. She switches off the gas, pours water on the brazier of half-burnt coals, and unbolts the door leaving it slightly ajar. She applies make up and goes to sit beside her husband with the dagger her mother had given her at marriage. She kills herself.

A breathtakingly beautiful read.

The author, Yukio Mishima committed seppuku on November 25, 1970 at the age of 45.