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The Mishima Incident (三島事件, Mishima Jiken) was an incident that occurred on November 25, 1970 (Japanese era name, Shōwa 45), where the Japanese author Yukio Mishima committed seppuku after calling on the Japan Self-Defense Forces to stage a coup d'état to revise Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution. This incident is sometimes called the Tatenokai Incident (楯の会事件, Tatenokai Jiken) after the name of the private militia, Tatenokai, of which Mishima was the captain, as members of that organization also participated in the incident.

This incident not only sent shock waves through Japanese society, but also became breaking news outside of Japan, where people expressed surprise at the unprecedented actions of an internationally renowned author.

Mishima's shocking death sent huge ripples through Japanese society, giving rise to the New Right, and having a major impact on the country's political and literary world.

Details of the incident

Visit and restraint of commander

At around 10:58 a.m. on November 25, 1970, Yukio Mishima (age 45) and four other members of the Tatenokai, Masakatsu Morita (age 25), Masayoshi Koga (小賀正義) (age 22), Masahiro Ogawa (小川正洋) (age 22), Hiroyasu Koga (age 23), passed through the main gate (Yotsuya Gate) of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Camp Ichigaya (市ヶ谷駐屯地, Ichigaya Chutonchi) at Ichigaya Honmura-cho (市谷本村町), Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, by their car, and arrived at the main entrance leading to the Commandant General's office on the second floor of the Eastern Army Headquarters. They were guided up the front stairs by Major Yasuharu Sawamoto (沢本泰治), who had greeted them, and then shown to the Commandant General's office by Colonel Isamu Hara (原勇) (age 50), head of the Commandant General's Office of Operations.

This visit had been booked for November 21st, and Sergeant Ryoichi Nakao (中尾良一) of the Operations Office had contacted the guard post via internal line, saying, "Mr. Yukio Mishima will be arriving by car around 11 o'clock, so please give him a free pass." The gatekeeper, Sergeant Akira Suzuki (鈴木偣), simply exchanged salutes with Mishima in the passenger seat and he was allowed through.

Mishima was invited to sit down on the reception set, where he introduced Masakatsu Morita and the three others to the Commander-in-Chief, Lieutenant General Kanetoshi Mashita (益田兼利) (age 57), by name, one by one, while they stood upright, as "outstanding members" who would be honored at the regular meeting. He then explained the reason he had brought the four along, saying, "The reason I brought these guys today is because, during their trial enlistment in November, they sacrificially carried the injured man down the mountain on their backs, so I wanted to honor them at the regular meeting at Ichigaya Hall (市ヶ谷会館, Ichigaya Kaikan) today, and I brought them along so that I could meet the Commander-in-Chief at a glance. Today is a regular meeting, so we came in formal uniform."

While the Commander, Lieutenant General Mashita and Mishima were sitting across from each other on the sofa talking, the topic turned to the Japanese sword "Seki Magoroku (関孫六)" that Mishima had brought with him. The General asked, "Is it real?" and "Won't you be scolded by the police for carrying such a sword?" Mishima replied, "This sword is a "Seki Magoroku" that has been remade into a military sword. Would you like to see the certificate?" and showed him the certificate, which read "Seki Kanemoto (関兼元)."

Mishima unsheathed his sword and asked Masayoshi Koga (小賀正義) (nickname "chibi Koga") for a tenugui (traditional Japanese handkerchief) to wipe off the oil, saying, "Koga, handkerchief," which was a prearranged signal to begin action. However, the Commander Mashita made an unexpected move by heading toward his desk and saying, "How about washi tissue paper (ちり紙, chirigami)?" Chibi Koga lost sight of his purpose and had no choice but to approach Mishima and hand him a tenugui. Unable to find a suitable chirigami tissue, the General Mashita returned to the sofa and sat down next to Mishima to look at the sword.

Mishima wiped the blade with a tenugui and handed it over to the Commander Mashita. After seeing the hamon (edge pattern), the Commander Mashita nodded and said, "It's a fine sword. This sword crest is indeed the Three Cidar Trees (三本杉, Sanbonsugi)," and returned it to Mishima before returning to his seat. It was now about 11:05 a.m. Mishima wiped the blade again, handed the tenugui he had used to chibi Koga, who had stood nearby, and then, giving instructions with his eyes, he put the sword back into its scabbard with a loud click of the tsuba.

Taking that as a signal, chibi Koga, who was pretending to return to his seat, quickly went behind the Commander Mashita and covered the Commander Mashita's mouth with the tenugui he was holding, after which Masahiro Ogawa (小川正洋) and Hiroyasu Koga (nickname "furu Koga") next tied the Commander Mashita to a chair with thin rope and restrained him. Chibi Koga, who was given another tenugui by furu Koga, gagged the Commander Mashita, who refused, saying, "I won't gag you to stop breathing," and pointed a tantō (short blade) at him.

The Commander Mashita, thinking that everyone was joking about how strong they had become during ranger training or something, said, "Mr. Mishima, stop joking," but Mishima, with his sword still drawn, glared at the Commander Mashita with a serious expression, so the Commander Mashita realized that something was not right. Meanwhile, Masakatsu Morita had barricaded the main entrance to the Commandant General's office, and the three entrances to the Chief of Staff's office and the Vice Chief of Staff's office (all of which had double doors) with desks, chairs, flower pots, etc.

Fight with the staff officers

Major Yasuharu Sawamoto, who was waiting for the right time to serve tea, noticed a noise coming from the Commandant General's room, and Colonel Isamu Hara, who received the report, went out into the hallway and peeked into the room through the frosted glass window at the front entrance (a strip of cellophane tape had been applied to make it slightly more transparent), where he saw members of the Tatenokai standing behind the Commander Mashita. The General looked as if he was receiving a massage, but his movements were unnatural, so when Hara tried to enter, he found the door locked.

Colonel Hara threw himself against the door, creating a gap of about 20 to 30 centimeters. "Don't come in! Don't come in!" cried Masakatsu Morita from inside the room, and a request letter was handed from under the door. After reading it, Colonel Hara and his staff immediately reported to Vice Chief of Administration Major General Akira Yamazaki (山崎皎) (age 53) and Vice Chief of Defense Colonel Hidenobu Yoshimatsu (吉松秀信) (age 50) that "Mishima and his members have occupied the Commandant General's office and have confined the Commander Mashita." An emergency call (非常呼集, Hijō Koshu) was made to the staff, and a subordinate of Major Sawamoto contacted the military police (警務隊, Keimutai).

Lieutenant Colonel Haruo Kawabe (川辺晴夫) (age 46) and Lieutenant Colonel Sumiremasa Nakamura (中村菫正) (age 45) were the first to rush in after using their back to break down the barricade protecting the door to the Chief of Staff's office which led to the left of the Commandant General's office. Mishima immediately drew his military sword, Seki Magoroku, and slashed at their backs and other parts of their bodies. He then fought back against Colonel Hara, Sergeant Toshikazu Kasama (笠間寿一) (age 36), Sergeant Junzō Isobe (磯部順蔵), and others who charged in with bokkens, shouting "Come out, come out" and "Read the demand!" When fighting back, Mishima lowered his hips and drew his sword closer to him, and instead of swinging it down from above, he slashed with the tip of the blade. The melee left a sword cut near the door handle. The time was about 11:20 a.m.

While the five men were retreating, seven more men, Colonel Fujio Kiyono (清野不二雄) (age 50), Lieutenant Colonel Kiyoshi Takahashi (高橋清) (age 43), Major Katsumi Terao (寺尾克美) (age 41), Captain Eijiro Mizuta (水田栄二郎), Non-commissioned officer Yoshifumi Kikuchi (菊地義文), Colonel Hidenobu Yoshimatsu (吉松秀信), and Major General Akira Yamazaki (山崎皎), rushed in one after another from the side of the Vice Chief of Staff's office. Vice Chief of Defense Colonel Yoshimatsu said, "What are you doing? Let's talk it out," but the fight continued. Hiroyasu Koga threw small tables and chairs at the men, and Masahiro Ogawa fought back with a special baton (特殊警棒, tokushu keibo).

Morita fought back with his tantō, but Major Terao ripped it away from him. Mishima quickly joined in, slashing at Terao and Lieutenant Colonel Takahashi, who had dragged Morita to the ground. When Colonel Kiyono threw an ashtray at Masayoshi Koga (chibi Koga), who was watching the Commander Mashita, Mishima attacked with his sword. Colonel Kiyono fought back by throwing a globe, but stumbled and fell. Major General Yamazaki was also slashed, and the JSDF staff officers decided to retreat for the time being, out of concern for the Commander Mashita's safety. Eight JSDF staff officers were injured in the brawl.

At 11:22 a.m., a 110 call was made from the Eastern Army Headquarters to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's Command Center, and at 11:25 a.m., the TMPD Public Security Bureau's First Public Security Division (originally the left-wing extremism Countermeasures Division) used the National Police Agency Security Bureau Chief's office as a temporary headquarters, contacted relevant agencies, and dispatched 120 Riot Police Unit members to JGSDF Camp Ichigaya.

The staff members who had retreated outside broke the window of the Commandant General's office from the hallway at around 11:30 a.m. in order to discuss with Mishima. First Lieutenant Colonel Kuno Matsuo (功刀松男) was the first to pop his head out of the window, and was cut on the forehead by Mishima's sword. Then Lieutenant Colonel Yoshimatsu tried to persuade Mishima through the window, but Mishima said, "If you accept this request, we will spare Commander Mashita's life," and threw the request letter, which had the same contents as the one Morita had originally handed out from under the door into the hallway, through the broken window into the hallway.

The request mainly contained the following statements:

(1) All JSDF personnel from Camp Ichigaya will assemble in front of the main building by 11:30 a.m.

(2) Listen carefully to the speech as set forth below.

(a) Mishima's speech (distribution of the written appeal (檄, Geki)

(b) Participating students announce their names.

(c) Mishima's address to the remaining members of the Tatenokai

(3) The remaining members of the Tatenokai (who are unrelated to this incident) must be quickly summoned from the Ichigaya Hall to attend. (4) For the two-hour period from 11:30 a.m. to 13:10 p.m., there will be no obstruction of any kind. As long as no obstruction of any kind is done, we will not launch any attacks. (5) Once the above conditions have been fully complied with and two hours have elapsed, the Commandant General will be handed over to him in safety. He will be escorted by two or more guards and handed over to us at the main entrance of the main building while still restrained (to prevent him from committing suicide).

(6) If the above conditions are not met, or there is any risk that they will not be met, Mishima will immediately kill the Commandant General and commit suicide.

— Yukio Mishima, Request

The senior staff officers decided to accept Mishima's Request, and at around 11:34 a.m., Lieutenant Colonel Yoshimatsu told Mishima, "We have decided to assemble the JSDF personnel." Mishima asked him, "Who are you? What authority do you have?" When Colonel Yoshimatsu introduced himself as "the Vice Chief of Defense and the highest authority on the scene," Mishima looked a little relieved, looked at his watch, and said, "Assemble all the JSDF personnel by 12:00 p.m."

While waiting for the JSDF personnel to assemble, Mishima ordered Morita to read the written request to Commander Mashita as well. Commander Mashita, whose hands were numb, asked the rope to be loosened a little. He then tried to persuade Mishima by saying, "Why are you doing this? Do you hate the JSDF or me? Depending on the content, I may give the speech on your behalf." Mishima told Commander Mashita the same content as in Geki, and said, "I don't hate either the JSDF or you. As long as they don't interfere, I won't kill you." He then said, "I have come today to give the JSDF the greatest stimulation and rousing themself."

It is not known whether Mishima smoked the cigarettes in the Commandant General's office, but he said, "There will be enough time to smoke at the scene," and handed the Onshi no Tabako, the gift of cigarettes which was given out at the Imperial garden party (園遊会, Enyukai) (Mishima had been invited to the Imperial garden party in the autumn of 1966), to a member of the Tatenokai two days before the incident, to be placed in his briefcase along with his other luggage.

At 11:40 a.m., an announcement was made over the microphones within the Camp Ichigaya, saying, "Those who are not disrupting operations should assemble in front of the main building entrance." This announcement was then repeated.

At 11:46 a.m., the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department gave the order to arrest Mishima and all the others. Police cars and white jeeps of the military police force entered Camp Ichigaya one after another at high speed. By this time, the first reports of the incident had already been broadcast on television and radio.

Speech on the balcony

About 800 to 1000 JSDF personnel who had heard the announcement within the unit began to gather in the front yard in front of the main entrance of the main building. Some of them had already started eating lunch in the dining hall, but stopped to join. Confusing information was exchanged among them, with some reporting that "a mob had broken in and someone had been slashed," "the Commandant General had been taken hostage," "the Red Army Faction of Communist League (赤軍派, Sekigunn ha) must have come," and "Is Yukio Mishima there too?"

At about 11:55 a.m., Masakatsu Morita and Masahiro Ogawa (小川正洋), wearing hachimakis and white gloves, distributed numerous written appeal (檄, Geki) and hung a banner with their demands drawn with Ink brush strokes from the balcony in front of the Commandant General's office. Two JSDF personnel jumped to try to pull the banner down, but were unable to reach it. Riot Police Unit members carrying duralumin shields, and the vehicles belonging to newspaper and television reporters were also gathered in the front yard.

On that day, 30 members of the Tatenokai had come to the Ichigaya Hall in Camp Ichigaya, located only about 50 meters from the building of Eastern Army Headquarters, for their regular meeting, but the JSDF senior staff officers did not accept Mishima's demands and instead confined them inside the hall, placing them under police guard and not summoning them to assemble in front of the main entrance of the main building.

A skirmish broke out between 30 members of the Tatenokai, who were upset by the ominous situation, and police or the JSDF, and the members of Tatenokai were subdued with pistols.

A siren announcing noon rang out in the sky above Camp Ichigaya, and Mishima stood on the balcony, holding up in his right hand the unsheathed Japanese sword "Seki Magoroku," shining in the sunlight. The sword was only visible for a moment. Mishima wore a white hachimaki headband with a red hinomaru circle in the center bearing the kanji for "To be reborn seven times to serve the country" (七生報國, Shichishō hōkoku)(meaning to destroy the enemy of the state and repay the country, even if reborn seven times). Behind him to the right, Morita, wearing the same hachimaki, stood powerfully like a Nio king, gazing straight ahead.

Amidst voices of "It's Mishima," "What's that?" and "You idiot," Mishima began his speech, raising his white-gloved fist and screaming so that the assembled JSDF personnel could hear. It was a speech urging a revolt to amend the constitution, calling for a return to the "original purpose of the military's founding" to "protect Japan," and the gist of it was almost the same as the Geki that had been distributed beforehand. In the sky above, several media helicopters, having already heard the strange incident, were circling, making a lot of noise.

Listen, guys. Be quiet. Be quiet. Listen. A man is risking his life to appeal to you all. Listen. If the Japanese people don't stand up here now, if the Japan Self-Defense Forces don't stand up, there will be no constitutional reform. You will forever become just the military for America. You and Japan... commands will only come from America. It's called civilian control... civilian control... that's it. Civilian control, you see, is not what we will endure under the new constitution.
So, I have waited for four years. For the day when the Japan Self-Defense Forces will rise up. ... I have waited for four years ... I am waiting ... for the last 30 minutes. You are all samurai, aren't you? If you are samurai, why would you protect a "constitution that denies you"? Why would you bow down to a "constitution that denies you" for the sake of a "constitution that denies you"? As long as this exists, you will never be saved.

Many of the JSDF personnel shouted at Mishima angrily, saying, "We can't hear you," "Stay away," "Come down and talk," "What do you know?" and "You idiot." When a heckler shouted, "Why did you hurt our comrades?", Mishima immediately responded with fierce force, saying, "It's because they resisted our demands."

Sergeant K (his name is withheld in the original text), who was present at the scene, clicked his tongue at the noisy hecklers and later said, "I wanted to listen properly to what Yukio Mishima was screaming at the top of his lungs." "There were parts where I couldn't hear what he was saying because of the heckling, but emotionally I understood that Mishima might have had a point," he said, suggesting that once the command had been given to gather the troops, they should have lined up properly by unit and listened. Sergeant K recalled his feelings at the time as follows:

I felt a deep sadness. We, the JSDF personnel, have been looked down upon by the public as stranger s under the current constitution for a long time, and we should have more or less grievances among ourselves about the existence of the JSDF, whose mission is to defend our homeland. It was like a student political demonstration march confronting Riot Police Unit. At the very least, the JSDF personnel had gathered here following orders from the command center. (Omitted) We are soldiers who have gathered here, at least in accordance with the command. (Omitted) The superior officer should have lined up the troops by unit and listened to Mishima's story. Even if it was a mob, once an order was given to assemble, proper procedures should have been followed. I thought it was presumptuous that the JSDF, in this state, could be called an army to protect Japan.

— Sergeant K, Recollections of Sergeant K

Mishima shouted, "Is there not even one man among you who will rise up with me?" and waited in silence for about 10 seconds, but the JSDF personnel continued to yell abuse at him, calling him a "Crazy man" and "There's no way someone like that exists." The unexpected intensity of the shouts and the noise from the helicopters meant that the speech was cut short after just 10 minutes, much shorter than planned. It has also been speculated that Mishima cut his speech short because he saw the Riot Police Unit storm into the first floor.

After wrapping up his speech, Mishima and Morita headed towards the Imperial Palace and chanted "Long live the Emperor!" (天皇陛下万歳, Tennō heika banzai) three times. Even then, the jeers of "Drag him down" and "Shoot him" made it nearly inaudible. On that day, the 32nd Infantry Regiment (第32普通科連隊, Dai 32 futsu-ka rentai) under the 1st Division had gone to the East Fuji Maneuver Area, leaving behind about 100 troops, while its 900 elite troops were absent. Based on Morita's information, Mishima mistakenly thought that only the regimental commander was absent. The JSDF personnel gathered in front of the balcony were in charge of communications, materials, supplies, and other duties, and as such were not the "samurai" that Mishima had envisioned and expected. The writer Yaeko Nogami, who watched Mishima's speech on television, recalled how she felt at the time, saying that if she were his mother, she would have "wanted to run over there and deliver the microphone to him."

Mishima did not use a microphone because he placed an emphasis on getting as close as possible to the spirituality of the Shinpūren rebellion by the God-honoring party (敬神党, Keishintō), one of the parties formed by samurai with the philosophy of Sonnō jōi. He insisted on using his own voice to roar, without using a microphone or loudspeaker. In his dialogue with Fusao Hayashi, Dialogue: Japanese Theory (1966), Mishima spoke passionately about how the Shinpūren (Keishintō) samurai placed white fans on their heads when passing under electric wires in order to oppose Western civilization, and about the meaning of their yamato-damashii in fighting with only Japanese swords.

Regarding the reason why the JSDF personnel did not listen carefully to Mishima's speeches, the manga artist Shigeru Mizuki reflected in 1989, some 20 years later, saying, "The reason why Mishima was not taken seriously by the JSDF personnel, even though he emphasized Bushido, was probably because the JSDF personnel at the time had also become inclined toward individualism and hedonism in economically prosperous Japan."

The Weekly magazine Sunday Mainichi (サンデー毎日) reporter Takao Tokuoka (徳岡孝夫) and NHK reporter Munekatsu Date (伊達宗克) had been contacted in advance by Mishima and were scheduled to come to Ichigaya Hall at 11:00 a.m. on the morning of the day. When Tokuoka and Date arrived at the hall, they were each given an envelope containing Mishima's letter, Geki, and the last commemorative photo of the five men, via Tatenokai member Kenichi Tanaka (田中健一), who was a close friend of Morita. Mishima had entrusted it to them in case the Geki was confiscated by the police and the incident wa s covered up. Tokuoka hid it inside his sock and ran to the balcony to listen to the speech.

Television station personnel who rushed to the front yard testified that they could barely hear Mishima's speech because of the heckling and noise, but Tokuoka said, "If only they had been willing to listen, they could have heard it," "Why didn't they calm their minds a little more and listen?" and "We magazine reporters were able to hear the speech relatively well, perhaps our ears are different to those of the television personnel."

Nippon Cultural Broadcasting was the only station to record the entire speech. By tying a microphone to a tree branch, they managed to capture a clear recording of Mishima's voice shouting angrily at the JSDF personnel, "Are you still samurai?" amid the roar of insults and the noise of news helicopters, and this became a scoop.

Committing seppuku

At around 12:10 p.m., Mishima returned to the Commandant General's office with Morita from the balcony and muttered to himself, " I probably spoke for about 20 minutes. It seems my message didn't get across." He then stood in front of General Masuta and said, "We have no grudge against you. We did it to return the JSDF to the Emperor. I had no choice but to do this," and unbuttoned his uniform.

Mishima received the tantō that Masayoshi Koga (小賀正義) (chibi Koga) was pointed at the Commander Mashita through Morita, and handed Morita his own unsheathed Japanese sword, "Seki Magoroku", in return. Then, on the red carpet about three meters away from the Commander Mashita, with his upper body naked, sat seiza-style facing the balcony and holding the tantō in both hands, tried to dissuade Morita from committing suicide by telling him, words: "Morita, you must live, not die.", "You stop dying."

The plan was to write the character "Martial (武, Bu)" on a piece of square drawing paper (色紙, sikishi) with the blood of seppuku, so Koga (chibi Koga) handed the paper over to Mishima, who replied, "I don't have to do that anymore," with a sad smile, and handed him the expensive watch he was wearing on his right arm, saying, "Koga, I'll give this to you." Mishima then said, "Hmm," putting his energy into the process, and then said, "Yaaaaa" thrust the tantō into his left side with both hands, and committed seppuku in a straight line manner (真一文字作法, maichimonnji sahō) to the right.

Morita, the kaishakunin standing behind Mishima to the left, was about to commit seppuku himself after Mishima, or perhaps he was hesitant in regards to his respected teacher, but he swung his sword down on Mishima's neck twice, but only managed to cut it halfway through, and Mishima quietly leaned forward. Seeing that Mishima was still alive, Koga (chibi Koga) and Hiroyasu Koga (furu Koga) called out, "Morita, one more blow," and "Finish him off," and Morita swung his sword down for the third time. The Commander Mashita was trying to stop their actions, shouting, "Stop it," "Don't kaishaku him, don't finish him off."

Morita, whose kaishaku did not go well, said, "I'll leave it to you, Hiro-chan," and handed the sword to Koga (furu Koga). Koga decapitated Mishima in one stroke, following the ancient tradition of leaving only a thin layer of skin on the neck. Then, Koga (chibi Koga) used the tantō that Mishima had been holding to cut off the skin of Mishima's neck from his body. During this process, Masahiro Ogawa (小川正洋) kept watch near the main entrance of the office to make sure that the JSDF staff officers would not interfere with Mishima's seppuku.

Next, Morita also took off his uniform jacket, sat seiza-style next to Mishima's body, and committed seppuku, signaling "Not yet" and "Okay," and upon receiving the signal, Koga (furu Koga), the kaishakunin, decapitated Morita in one stroke. Afterwards, Koga (chibi Koga), Ogawa, and Koga (furu Koga) turned the bodies of Mishima and Morita over onto their backs, covered them with their uniforms, and lined up their heads.　The Commander Mashita called out to the three, "How about you all worship them?" and "How about you turn yourself in police?"

The three men removed the ropes from the Commander Mashita's feet and said, "By order of Master Mishima, we will escort you until you are handed over to the JSDF staff officers." When the Commander Mashita asked, "I won't move. Are you going to put me out in front of the people with my hands tied?", the three men obediently released the him from all restraints. Seeing the three men join their hands in prayer toward Mishima and Morita's necks and shed tears in silence, the Commander Mashita said, "Cry as much as you can..." and sat seiza-style, closed his eyes and joined his hands in prayer, saying, "Let me also pray for their souls as well."

A little after 12:20 p.m., Ogawa and Koga (furu Koga) came out from the front entrance of the Commandant General's office, supporting the Commander Mashita from either side, and Koga (chibi Koga) came out into the hallway carrying the Japanese sword, "Seki Magoroku". The three handed the Commander Mashita to Colonel Yoshimatsu, handed over the Japanese sword, and were arrested on the spot by officers from Ushigome Police Station (牛込警察署, Ushigome Keisatsusho).

Perhaps out of kindness, the police officers did not handcuff the three. As they were being taken away in a patrol car from the main entrance where a crowd of reporters was waiting, some JSDF officers punched the three on the head, so the police officer stopped them, shouting, "You idiots! What are you doing?"

At 12:23 p.m., the police chief entered the Commandant General's office and confirmed the two deaths. "You were close to Yukio Mishima, weren't you? Go there immediately and persuade him to stop," Security Chief Kuniyasu Tsuchida (土田國保) instructed Atsuyuki Sassa (佐々淳行), counselor of the Police Affairs Department (警務部, Keimu bu) and chief of the First Personnel Division, who rushed to the scene from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, but was too late in time to stop Mishima from committing suicide. Sassa recalled what happened when he entered the Commandant General's office to see Mishima's body: "The carpet under my feet made a squelching sound. I looked and saw a sea of blood. The carpet was red, so at first, I couldn't tell it was blood. I can still remember that eerie feeling."

The Commander Mashita, who was made a hostage, later said, "I didn't feel hate towards the defendants even at that time." He added, "Thinking about the country of Japan, thinking about the JSDF, the pure hearts of thinking about our country that did that kind of thing, I want to buy it as an individual. "

Among their belongings found at the scene were six short pieces of paper (短冊, tanzaku) with death poems written on them: two by Mishima, one by Morita, and one each by the remaining members. Mishima's and Morita's death poems are as follows:

益荒男が　たばさむ太刀の　鞘鳴りに　幾とせ耐へて　今日の初霜

(Masurao ga　Tabasamu tachi no　Sayanari ni　Ikutose taete　Kyō no hatsushimo)

The sheaths of swords rattle / As after years of endurance / Brave men set out / To tread upon the first frost of the year.

— 三島由紀夫 (Mishima Yukio), 辞世の句 (death poem)

散るをいとふ　世にも人にも　さきがけて　散るこそ花と　吹く小夜嵐

(Chiru wo itou　Yo ni mo Hito ni mo　Sakigakete　Chiru koso Hana to　Fuku Sayoarashi)

A small night storm blows / Saying 'falling is the essence of a flower' / Preceding those who hesitate.

— 三島由紀夫 (Mishima Yukio), 辞世の句 (death poem)

今日にかけて　かねて誓ひし　我が胸の　思ひを知るは　野分のみかは

(Kyō ni kakete　Kanete chikaishi　Waga mune no　Omoi wo shiruwa　Nowake nomi kana)

I have been betting on today / And have made a vow for a long time to today / I wonder if only the autumn storm will know (maybe someone will know) / The feelings in my heart.

— 森田必勝 (Morita Masakatsu), 辞世の句 (death poem)

Yukio Mishima died at the age of 45. Masakatsu Morita died at the age of 25, and Morita preferred to pronounce his name "Sure victory (必勝, Hisshō)" in on'yomi rather than "Masakatsu" in kun'yomi.

Aftermath of the day

Among the 30 members of the Tatenokai who were under guard by police and riot police in the Ichigaya Hall, those in Morita's group were upset when they heard about the incident, and violently resisted, demanding to be allowed to go to the scene, leading to three of them being arrested for obstruction of justice (公務執行妨害, komu shikko bogai). The members who remained in the hall were asked to voluntarily accompany (任意同行, nini doko) them, and after lining up and singing the national anthem "Kimigayo", they were taken to Yotsuya Police Station (四谷警察署, Yotsuya keisatsu sho).

Mishima's father, Azusa Hiraoka (平岡梓), learned of the incident on the noon news on television and was watching the screen intently. He misread the characters "kaishaku (介錯)" and "death" in the news flash captions, "介錯" (kaishaku) for "care (介抱, kaihō)", and was upset and resented the doctor, wondering why Mishima had died despite being given aid. Meanwhile, Mishima's mother, Shizue (倭文重), and his wife, Yōko (瑤子), who had heard about the situation while out, rushed home, and the family was thrown into chaos as if it were a bolt from the blue. Yōko was so shocked that she took to bed.

A little after 12:30 p.m., at the press conference held inside the Eastern Army Headquarters, an excited exchange began between the Metropolitan Police Department official who first announced that the two men had committed suicide and the newspaper reporters who were rapidly asking about whether they were alive or dead. Groans and murmurs spread among the reporters who had learned for the first time that the two men had been decapitated.

Colonel Yoshimatsu also explained the whole story to the reporters. The reporters repeatedly asked questions about the unbelievable circumstances of seppuku and kaishaku. When one of them shouted out a question, "So the head and the body were separated?" Colonel Yoshimatsu echoed back the question. With that answer, the reporters had nothing more to ask and quickly dispersed outside to report the news.

The shocking news of the call for a coup and subsequent suicide by seppuku by the famous author, who was active in many fields and was also known as a candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature, was broadcast simultaneously as breaking news on television and radio both in Japan and abroad, and the special editions were distributed in the streets. The programs were quickly changed to special programs, and telephone discussions between intellectuals and other knowledgeable people were also held. Over nine right-wing groups flocked to the front of the Camp Ichigaya.

At a press conference held at the Defense Agency from 12:30 p.m., Minister of Defense Yasuhiro Nakasone called the incident "a very regrettable incident" and criticized Mishima's actions as "an enormous nuisance" and "destructive to democratic order." Prime Minister Eisaku Satō, who heard the news at the Prime Minister's Office, was also surrounded by reporters and commented, "I can only think that he has gone mad. This is out of the ordinary." Until then, Nakasone and Satō had viewed Mishima's trial enlistment in the JGSDF favorably as a positive PR opportunity for the JSDF, but after the incident they made critical remarks in their positions as politicians.

Besides, in his diary for that day, Prime Minister Satō wrote, "I was shocked to hear that these people (who committed the crime) were the Tatenokai, Yukio Mishima and others. I can only think that they have gone mad. After receiving the detailed report, there are even more things I do not understand." He also wrote, "It was an honorable way to die, but the place and method were unacceptable. We lost a great man, but violence is absolutely unacceptable." On the other hand, about 20 years later, Nakasone commented on his feelings at the time, "I thought that this was not an aesthetic incident or artistic martyrdom, but a death in rage against the times, a death as an ideological remonstrance. However, as the Caigentan says, 'Control should be strict, but not violent,' and it was not the time to indulge in personal emotion."

After being released, Commander Mashita appeared before the JSDF personnel and greeted them, waving his left hand high and saying, "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but as you can see, I'm doing fine. Please don't worry." The personnel responded with cheers of "That's great, that's great" and "All right, you did well" and then a burst of applause. A Tokyo Shimbun reporter who was covering the scene said he found the scene unbearable, and wrote a newspaper column about his discomfort with the group's behavior, which was not like that of a "military" group.

It was, of course, not a memorial for Mishima's suicide. It was not a condemnation of the actions of Mishima and others who challenged democracy, nor was it a round of applause indicative of a determination to remain committed to the military of a peaceful nation. It was, so to speak, a sign of gratitude for the "president" who had escaped from the captivity of thugs, and a sign of the team spirit of salarymen. Instructions were given over the microphone to the remaining members of the Self-Defense Forces. "Everyone, please go to work. Please do so," the voice said in a pleading tone, and the members showed no signs of leaving. (Omitted) The salaryman-like unity and chaos of the Self-Defense Forces was inadvertently exposed.

— Tokyo Shimbun Column (November 25, 1970), '

At around 1:20 p.m., Yasunari Kawabata, who was close to Mishima, received the news while out and rushed to the Eastern Army Headquarters, but was unable to approach the Commandant General's office as the police were investigating the scene. Surrounded by reporters, Kawabata, looking stunned and exhausted, said, "I am simply shocked. I never imagined something like this would happen - It was a shame he died such a waste." Shintaro Ishihara, who was a member of the House of Councillors at the time, also visited the Eastern Army Headquarters but did not enter the office. Ishihara commented to the assembled press corps, "It can only be described as modern-day madness," and "It was a very fruitless act that risked young lives."

At 2:00 p.m., the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department]] set up the "Special Investigation Headquarters for the Tatenokai's Infiltration of the JSDF, Illegal Confinement, and Seppuku Suicide Incident" within Ushigome Police Station (牛込警察署, Ushigome Keisatsusho).

One of the JSDF highest-ranking officers concluded his impressions of that day by saying, "The reaction of the JSDF personnel after learning of Mishima's suicide changed completely. Everyone was vague in their words, remained silent with complicated expressions, and seemed stunned. They probably never expected that he would commit suicide. The shock seems to be great."

Sergeant K, who had seen Mishima's speech, spoke briefly, "When I heard that he had committed seppuku, I stood there for about an hour, losing myself in my thoughts." Staff Office Major T also spoke, "I never thought he would die! It was a terrible shock. I had been listening to the speech the whole time, but I could hardly hear it because of the heckling from the younger soldiers. If he was risking his life for words, we should have listened quietly."

At 5:15 p.m., Mishima and Morita's heads were placed in plastic bags one by one for autopsy, and their bodies were placed in caskets and transported from Camp Ichigaya to Ushigome Police Station, where the bodies were placed. Nationalist students and other right-wing groups came to the Police Station to pay their respects, and a temporary altar was set up, but it was soon removed.

Shortly after 10 p.m., the Metropolitan Police Department began searches of Mishima's residence and Morita's apartment. Mishima's house was searched until around 4 a.m. the following day, November 26th. A large number of reporters were crowded on the street in front of the closed gate of Mishima's residence, and behind them, female students who were Mishima fans could be seen crying and embracing each other's shoulders, and a group of nationalist students in stand-up collared school uniforms stood for a long time, upright and motionless, cheeks wet with tears, trying to hold back sobs.

Autopsy, physical evidence, and arrest charges

On the following day, November 26th, Professor Ginjiro Saitō (斎藤銀次郎) performed an autopsy on Mishima's body and Professor Tadataka Funao (船尾忠孝) performed an autopsy on Morita's body in the forensic autopsy room of Keio University Hospital (慶應義塾大学病院, Keiō gijuku daigaku byōin) from 11:20 am to 1:25 p.m. The autopsies determined that the cause of death for both men was "Disconnection of the neck due to a split wound," with the following findings:

Yukio Mishima:

His neck was cut three times, with incisions measuring 7cm, 6cm, 4cm and 3cm. There is an 11.5cm cut on his right shoulder where the sword appears to have missed, and a small chipped blade under his left jaw. His abdomen was cut 5.5cm to the right and 8.5cm to the left, centered on his navel, and was 4cm deep. The left cut reached his small intestine, and ran in a straight line from left to right. Height 163cm. 45 years old, but has the developed youthful muscles of a 30-something. Brain weighs 1,440g. Blood type A.

Masakatsu Morita: The area between the third and fourth cervical vertebrae was cut off with a single slash. The wound on his abdomen was horizontal from left to right, 7cm to the left of his navel, 4cm deep, then a shallow cut 5.4cm to the right, and a cut 5cm to the right of his navel. A small 0.5cm cut on his right shoulder.

Height 167cm. A young, beautiful body.

— Ginjiro Saitō & Tadataka Funao, Autopsy report (November 26, 1970)

Mishima committed seppuku in such a dignified manner that about 50 centimeters of his small intestine was exposed. In addition, a sword from Kaisaku hit his jaw, shattering his molars, and there were traces of him trying to bite off his tongue.

According to a police inspection, the Japanese sword Seki Magoroku used in the kaishaku was bent in an S-shape from the middle to the tip due to the impact of the kaishaku. Also, a former Imperial Japanese Army Sergeant Hiroshi Funasaka (舩坂弘), the president of Shibuya's Taiseidō Bookstore (大盛堂書店, Taiseidō shoten) and the donor of "Seki Magoroku", saw during questioning at Ushigome Police Station that both ends of the rivet of the sword hilt (目釘, mekugi) had been crushed to prevent the blade from being pulled out.

Sword appraisal expert Magoki Watanabe (渡部真吾樹) determined that the sword crest on Mishima's sword is not "Three Cedar Trees (三本杉, Sanbonsugi)", but "Mutual Confusion (互の目乱れ, Gunome-midare)," and that the base of the sword is quite soft, different from the method used by "Seki Magoroku". In addition to Watanabe, other experts have asserted that the sword is not a genuine "Seki Magoroku", and there have also been investigations into the sword's provenance, leading to a persistent belief that Mishima had been tricked into buying a fake.

The belongings of Masayoshi Koga (小賀正義), Masahiro Ogawa (小川正洋), and Hiroyasu Koga included the order that Mishima had given each of them, 30,000 yen each in cash (for attorney's fees), one special baton (特殊警棒, tokushu keibo) each, a climbing knife, etc. The order to Masayoshi Koga mainly contained the following words:

Your mission is to escort the hostages together with comrade Hiroyasu Koga, and after safely delivering them, be arrested as a criminal and make an honorable statement in court about the spirit of the Tatenokai.

This incident was planned, devised, and ordered by Mishima, the captain of the Tatenokai, and student leader Masakatsu Morita participated in it. Mishima's suicide with a sword (自刃, jijin) was only natural given his responsibilities as captain, but Masakatsu Morita's jijin was a brave and solemn act that should make the fierce god (鬼神, oni-gami) weep, in which he voluntarily represented all members of the Tatenokai and the current patriotically motivated young people of Japan, setting an example and demonstrating the spirit of youth.

Regardless of Mishima, you should spread Morita's spirit to later generations.

— Yukio Mishima, Order

The three suspects, Masayoshi Koga, Masahiro Ogawa, and Hiroyasu Koga, were indicted on November 27th on suspicion of six offenses: Participation in Assisted Suicide; Consensual Homicide (嘱託殺人, Shokutaku satsujin), Unlawful Capture and Confinement (不法監禁, Fuhou Kankin), Criminal Injury (傷害, Shōgai), Assault, Breaking into a Residence (建造物侵入, Kenzōbutsu shinyu), Possession of Firearms or Swords and Other Such Weapons. On December 17th, they were indicted on five offenses: Participation in Assisted Suicide; Consensual Homicide, Criminal Injury, Unlawful Capture and Confinement Causing in Injury (監禁致傷, Kankin-chishō), Assault, Obstructing or Compelling Performance of Public Duty (職務強要, Shokumu kyoyō).

After the incident

Reactions

Newspaper and Magazine articles

The tone of the Japanese major newspapers on the Mishima incident - the Yomiuri Shimbun, the Asahi Shimbun, and the Mainichi Shimbun - was almost uniformly consistent with the comments made by Minister of Defense Yasuhiro Nakasone and Prime Minister Eisaku Satō on the day, describing Mishima's actions as an act of madness and that anti-democratic behavior was absolutely unacceptable.

An editorial in the Asahi Shimbun stated that what governed Mishima's actions was "his intense and unique aesthetic sense, rather than any political thinking," and criticized him, saying, "Even if we can understand his philosophy, his actions should never be condoned."

An editorial in the Mainichi Shimbun called the incident "nothing short of sheer madness," and concluded, "No matter how pure (Mishima's) ideas were and how valuable they may have been, anti-democratic behavior that does not follow legitimate rules is absolutely unacceptable." Telegraphs reporting reactions from cities outside Japan, as reported by the Mainichi Shimbun, included "fears of a revival of militarism" from Washington, "concerns that it will provoke right-wingers" from London, and "shock at the actions of a well-known figure" from Paris.

An editorial in the American The Christian Science Monitor argued, "It is difficult to see Mishima's suicide as a sign of the revival of Japanese militarism. Nevertheless, the significance of Mishima's suicide is significant enough to merit careful consideration."

The British Financial Times stated, "Whether mad or sane, the example he set will have a powerful influence on a small minority of Japan's young people, now and for the future."

The German Die Welt reported that "he committed hara-kiri which martyring for the purity of his poetic spirit." French L'Express reported that "He committed seppuku, calling for Japan's current worrying state to be restored to its former state." Le Monde argued that "Mishima's suicide was an indictment of hypocrisy."

The Australian Australian Financial Review argued that "To link Mishima's death to the ultra-nationalism and the organized crime groups (yakuza) (暴力団, boryokudan) that are prevalent in Japan is not just a misunderstanding of Mishima, but a misunderstanding of modern Japan as well," and that "the tragedy that led to his death, in which he pursued true beauty in the structural conflict between traditional Japanese culture and modern society, is constructed to a level of perfection, just like his own works."

JSDF and Ministry of Defense

On November 26th, the day after the incident, a bouquet of chrysanthemums was quietly placed in front of the Commandant General's office, but within an hour it was removed by senior officers. After the incident, a survey (randomly selected 1,000 people) was conducted among the Ground Self-Defense Forces in Tokyo and its suburbs, and the majority of personnel answered that they "sympathized with the ideas in the written appeal (檄, Geki)." Some also answered that they "strongly sympathized with it," causing a stir at the Ministry of Defense.

When the police questioned young senior officers of the JGSDF who had been on friendly terms with Mishima, they found that more of them than expected sympathized with Mishima and were seriously thinking about Japan's defense issues. Colonel Kiyokatsu Yamamoto (山本舜勝), who had lectured Mishima and the members of Tatenokai on guerrilla tactics, was also questioned, but because the police authorities decided to treat the incident as simply a case of mob intrusion, Yamamoto was not called to court.

On December 22nd, the Lieutenant General Kanetoshi Mashita (益田兼利), Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern Army, took full responsibility for the incident and resigned from his post. When this decision was made, Commander Mashita and the Minister of Defense Yasuhiro Nakasone negotiated. The tape recording of that time shows Nakasone saying, "I have a future. The Commander-in-Chief has reached the pinnacle of rank, so if you take full responsibility, the matter will be closed," and "I'll raise the Commander-in-Chief of the Eastern Army's salary by two pay grades..." (meaning to increase the base amount for calculating retirement benefits and increase retirement benefits).

One years after the incident, at the Camp Takigahara of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Fuji School (陸上自衛隊富士学校, Rikujō jieitai Fuji gakkō) in Camp Fuji, where the Mishima and the Tatenokai enlisted for a trial period, a memorial monument to Mishima was quietly erected in front of the 2nd company corps. Inscribed on the monument is a tanka poem by Mishima:

深き夜に　暁告ぐる　くたかけの　若きを率てぞ　越ゆる峯々

(Fukaki yo ni　Akatsuki tuguru　Kutakake no　Wakaki wo hikite zo　Koyuru Menemene)

In the deep night, / A rooster cry out / To announce of dawn, / I lead my young men / Across the mountains.

— 公威 (Kimitake)

Two years after the incident, Masamichi Inoki (猪木正道), the third president of the National Defense Academy of Japan, who had dialogue about the Anpo problem with Mishima in 1969, criticized Mishima's Geki, saying, "It is an unruly ideology that transforms a security operation to protect public order into a coup d'état to destroy public order, and there is no other way of thinking that is more insulting to the JSDF."

In the fall of 1973, three years after the incident, the Ministry of Defense's Internal Bureau (内局, naikyoku) added the phrase "comply with the Constitution of Japan and laws and regulations." to the oath of office for JSDF personnel.

Until then, this phrase had only been included in the oath of office for general national civil servants (国家公務員, kokka komuin) (police officers, etc.), and there had been hesitation to include "comply with the Constitution of Japan" in the oath of office for the JSDF personnel (because a straightforward reading of Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution would make it possible to interpret the existence of the JSDF as "Unconstitutional"). However, the Mishima incident made it clear that the JSDF were a completely safe organization that harmless to humans and animals, and it was judged that not a single officer would rebel if this wording was included, so it was decided to insert it.

New Left

A New Left group Zenkyōtō of Tokyo University, which had held a debate with Mishima in May 1969 (Debate: Yukio Mishima vs. Zenkyōtō of Tokyo University: Beauty, Community, and the Tokyo University Struggle (討論 三島由紀夫vs.東大全共闘―美と共同体と東大闘争, Tōron: Mishima Yukio vs. Zenkyōtō of Tokyo University: Bi to Kyōdōtai to Todai Ronsō)), expressed their condolences with a banner reading "In Memory of Yukio Mishima" at the Komaba campus, and Kyoto University and other schools also paid tribute with banners reading "In Memory of Yukio Mishima's Seppuku."

Osamu Takita (滝田修), leader of the Kyoto University Partisan group (京大パルチザン, Kyoto paruchizan), commented, "It was an ideological defeat for us leftists. We didn't have a single person who was willing to put his body on the line like that. It was a shock. The New Left needs to create many more 'Mishimas'."

An executive staff of a leading New Left faction emphasized the difference between Mishima and himself, saying, "We go with the 'philosophy of life' as opposed to Mishima's 'aesthetics of death.' It's not that you can accomplish anything by dying. But it's not that we avoid dying. When we die, we die by being killed."

Writers and Cultural figures

Mishima's close friends and writers and critics who shared the same ideological lineage interpreted the Mishima Incident as a "committing suicide to remonstrate the government (諫死, Kanshi)." Writers with different ideological leanings from Mishima also felt a deep respect for Mishima's ability to provide fair literary criticism that transcended ideological differences, and many of them, like Yasunari Kawabata's comments at the scene, expressed pure lamentation over the loss of Mishima's rare talent.

On the other hand, there were also critics such as Munemutsu Yamada (山田宗睦) person, who based on their ideological opposition and anti-Emperor stance, criticized Mishima's actions as an "Anachronistic folly". There were also many critical comments reflecting the general opinion of "Postwar cultural figures (戦後文化人, sengo bunkajin)" at the time, such as Hiroshi Noma, who was wary of Japan becoming militarized.

Ryōtarō Shiba feared that "dingy imitators" would emerge who would copy Mishima's actions, and was opposed to giving Mishima's death any political significance, arguing that it should remain within the category of literary theory. He also considered the mass sense of the JSDF personnel who heckled Mishima to be normal and healthy.

Shō Shibata (柴田翔), who had shown respect to Mishima while he was alive and had approached him calling him "Teacher Mishima" (三島先生, Mishima sensei), said after the incident, "I intuitively sensed his narcissism and it made me angry," and "I would like to ask young people, especially those of the New Left, not to be shaken up. It is time for each of us to take a step back and think carefully about which principle we owe it to: is self-destruction through the philosophy of death more important, or is it more important to continue living as a human being?"

Takeshi Muramatsu (村松剛), a scholar of French literature who was close to Mishima, said that Mishima, who had achieved status as a writer and been blessed with a good family, and who would have had a great chance of winning the Nobel Prize in Literature if he had lived, decided to cut all that off and act in this way as "a warning to the flourishing mid-Shōwa period (昭和元禄, Shōwa-Genroku) with his death."

Fusao Hayashi said that Mishima's death was a warning to the JSDF, calling for them to return to their original role as an "honorable national army," and that his death was a "death of remonstration" in which he "used his death to encourage them to self-reflection."

Mari Mori was outraged by the remarks made by Prime Minister Eisaku Satō and Minister of Defense Yasuhiro Nakasone, commenting, "The Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense are saying that Yukio Mishima's suicide was an act of madness, but I would like to ask who is the madman," and pointed out the current Japan, in which Japan is effectively a vassal state of the United States, unable to maintain its dignity, not treated as a "full-fledged nation," and not "treated with respect" in any negotiations, and said the following:

Who is insane: someone who is outraged and upset by this ridiculous state of the Japanese, or someone who accepts this ridiculous state of the Japanese with insensitive nerves and smiles peacefully? I cannot imagine that the nerves of a normal person can remain calm about the current state of Japan.

— Mari Mori, Who's the madman?

Shigeharu Nakano said, "Both Eisaku Satō and Yasuhiro Nakasone have seized the fortune by the forelock in this incident," and criticized Satō and Nakasone, and others for turning the Mishima incident into "madness," and then using it as an opportunity for politicians to promote the impression in society that the JSDF is a rational and rational, non-violent group that does not violate common sense among citizens.

Hideo Kobayashi said, "Right-wing partisanship has absolutely no connection to the spirit of him (Mishima), yet the incident tempts such words. Because the incident is viewed as a material thing, like an accident, the words attached to it are also treated as material things," and added that it is not easy for people who make various "explanations" about and criticize the incident to "perceive and understand the incident as an abstract event."

In fact, I think that they all unconsciously treat the incident as if it were an accident, materialistically. It goes without saying that the incident is deeply related to issues such as our country's history and traditions, but even so, the symbolism of this incident is the product of the individual historical experience of this literary figure (Mishima), who alone bore historical responsibility. If this were not the case, how could it have the power to move me, who is certainly a stranger and a loner?

— Hideo Kobayashi, Thoughts

Bunzō Hashikawa (橋川文三), who researched and studied the Japanese Romantic School (日本浪曼派, Nihon Rōman Ha) after the war, based on Mishima's psychological history from before the war and positioned Mishima's "Death in madness" historically in the same place as Hikokurō Taakayama, the Shinpuren, Yasutake Yokoyama (横山安武) who was a Samurai of the Satsuma Domain, Saburō Aizawa, and the "unknown terrorists" Heigo Asahi (朝日平吾), who assassinated Zenjirō Yasuda and committed suicide on the spot, and Konichi Nakaoka (中岡艮一), who assassinated Takashi Hara.

Yojurō Yasuda (保田與重郎), the leader of the Japanese Romantic School, which had some influence on Mishima in his youth, said, "The fact that young Morita's blade hesitated several times is proof of the beauty of his heart. It makes me even more sad because I thought he was a kind person." He added, "Mishima avoided killing anyone, and made precise arrangements for his own death, putting his heart and soul into it."

Those who feared his incident called "madness", those who were anxious called it "violence," or "an impasse," or "banging his head against a wall. " As an incident beyond imagination or comparison, it sent a frightening and bloody impulse not only to Japan but to the whole world, and there is no other similar incident in recent history. Because identifying its uniqueness is accompanied by fear, those who unconsciously avoid it and judge it in political terms are those who live in the self-preservation of the status quo, fearing the creativity, future potential, and revolutionary nature contained in it.

— Yojurō Yasuda, Heavenly showers in late autumn (時雨shigure)

Hideo Nakai (中井英夫), who was close to Mishima, criticized the tendency to hastily treat Mishima's death as the behavior of an insane person, lamenting, "Are we living in an age where crude nerves and shallow thinking, which can be dismissed as simply 'the flip side of his inferiority complex, ' are so prevalent?"

Yumiko Kurahashi said that in response to writers who say that Mishima could have done better work if he had lived longer, or that he had reached a dead end in his literary work and resorted to the actions he did, they speak as if being writers or literary figures gave them some special qualification or existence (as if everything existed for the sake of literature), and said that she could well understand "Mishima's deep disgust at associating with his peers."

It is fine to lament the loss of a rare literary talent, but saying that he could have written more good works if he had lived is as stingy as lamenting the death of a hen that lays golden eggs. It is a vulgar way of thinking to say that if there were more works by Mishima, the amount of cultural heritage or whatever of Japan would increase, and what Mishima showed through his actions was what culture is.

— Yumiko Kurahashi, Death of a Hero

Kazumi Takahashi, who had a different ideological stance from Mishima, stated that despite that difference, "The death of a brave enemy is more tragic than the death of an evil ally," and paid tribute to Mishima, saying, "If the spirit of Mishima Yukio has ears, please listen to the voice of Takahashi Kazumi 'overturning shiokara and weeping' (醢をくつがえして哭いている, Shiokara wo kutsugaeshite naite iru) (meaning: even though there is no point in weeping, which is impossible for you to bring back to life.)

Taijun Takeda commented, "Mishima and I had different writing styles and opposing political views, but I have never once doubted the purity of his motives." Shōhei Ōoka expressed regret, saying, "Wasn't there another way? Why did this talent have to be destroyed?"

Jun Ishikawa states that the decisive factor in Mishima's decision was that he learned Kenjutsu while holding strong ideals as a samurai, and that he adopted the action philosophy of Yangmingism, which is the root of "active nihilism" (a philosophy of action based on the idea of returning to the "great void (heavens, sky)" (太虚, taikyo), the source of all creation, through the unity of knowledge and action). Also, Ishikawa, unlike Mishima, stated that he did not believe that Emperor-centrism was "absolutely unchanging," but said he regretted that the place where Mishima's "nihilism" in his "jar (壺, tsubo) overflowing with the water of life" (body) took flight into the "taikyo" was the "rooftop of a government office" where "salarymen" and not "samurai" hung out, and while he said that "there is no doubt that the incident was an incident of Japanese spirit" even if there was a disconnection between the rooftop and the area below, he criticized the various "idle pseudo-thinkers" who, after the incident in which Mishima's spirit had already returned to the "great void (heavens, or sky)," were "obsessed with whether the sign of Mishima's ideology was positive or negative." Then he paid tribute to Mishima, repeating his own April commentary in which he highly praised the "blue sky" that Mishima saw while carrying the mikoshi at Kumano Shrine (熊野神社, kumano jinja) as "a trophy of Mishima's body" as follows:

Mishima-kun's position was that of an "Emperor-centered" ideology, with which I found it difficult to agree, but with the conviction of his philosophy of action, he focused on a wide range of issues, including his enemies, from the Ōshio Heihachirō Rebellion (大塩平八郎の乱, Ōshio Heihachirō no ran) to the New Left student movement, and single-handedly and sincerely honored his words.
When I wrote about Sun and Steel in this column in April, I quoted the passage where Mishima-kun looked at the "blue sky" while carrying a mikoshi, and commented that I was moved by that "blue sky." Now, Mishima has left the literary scene, taken up the tool of a sword, and stabbed himself with it, but because this tool does not speak, there is no way for it to convey to us what he saw with his dying eyes. In Mishima's novel, the person who commits seppuku sees the "sun," but there is no analogy from that. Is it all a delusion? I too am at a loss for words, and my emotions just sink deeper .

— Jun Ishikawa, The leap from awareness to action

Takaaki Yoshimoto, as a person of the same generation as Mishima, who experienced the wartime and postwar periods, spoke of the shock of the incident as a question for himself.

Yukio Mishima's dramatic suicide by disembowelment and beheading by kaishaku. This is a shock. This method of suicide has enough power to make all living things look "foolish" to some extent. The shock is colored by the strange amalgam of the intensity of this method of suicide, the emptiness of his tragic written appeal (檄, Geki) and the silly death poems, the misguided stupidity as a political act, and the open method of "sober calculation" for the mass audience (大向うohmukou), which is shown in the process to suicide being filmed on television cameras. And the question remains with me, just as it has for the past few years about Yukio Mishima: "How serious is he?" In other words, he died in a place that is the hardest for me to understand. The only answer to this question is the intensity of Mishima's method of suicide. And this answer has the power to make me ask for a moment, "What have you done?"

— Takaaki Yoshimoto, Comments on the situation: Provisional notes

Kōichi Isoda (磯田光一), a literary critic, stated that the Mishima incident was an act of resolve Mishima undertaken after he was aware of the various insults and criticisms that would be heaped upon him after his death, and that it was a complete act of revenge against "the real world itself that had lost its stoicism", named the "postwar" era. He went on to say that for Mishima the Emperor was "Something that must exist because it cannot exist" and "an extreme vision summoned by his thirst for the 'absolute'."

Even if this incident has some kind of social impact, it cannot be used as a justification for the living to mock the spirits of the dead. Furthermore, insofar as Mishima's actions were based on a decision that anticipated and was made with full knowledge of all criticism, his death has completely relativized all criticism. It is, so to speak, an act of sternly rejecting all criticism, or criticism itself is inevitably subject to criticism. What runs through Mishima's literature and thought is a thirst for aesthetic life and death, and a terrible malice to empty everything on earth.

— Kōichi Isoda, The Sun God and the Malice of Iron

Donald Keene said, "I know that Prime Minister Satō was wrong to call Mishima's actions madness. They were logically constructed and inevitable," and "The world has lost a great writer."

Henry Scott-Stokes called Mishima "the most important man in Japan" and noted that he was worthy of attention for boldly "bringing into the public arena" all the defense and political debates that had been exchanged only in private by the leaders of the Liberal Democratic Party until then. Henry then asked why Japan's professional politicians had not been able to do this up until now.

Few people realize that Japan is a country that discusses issues of national defense as if they were playing cards or poker.... Foreigners are convinced that the very fact that Japan holds free elections, has an almost excessive number of opinion polls, and enjoys freedom of speech, is proof of the existence of democracy in Japan. Mishima was drawing attention to the lack of reality in basic political debates in Japan, as well as the peculiarities of Japan's democratic principles.

— Henry Scott-Stokes, Why was Mishima great

When Edward Seidensticker was asked by newspaper reporters whether Mishima's actions had anything to do with the resurgence of Japanese militarism, he intuitively answered "no" and commented as follows:

Maybe one day, when the country has grown tired of peace, of gross national product, of all that, he will be looked upon as the guardian god of a new national consciousness. We can now see that he told us very early what he intended to do, and that he achieved it. In a sense, Mishima's life was a Schweitzer-like one.

— Edward Seidensticker, Current affairs commentary

Henry Miller was intrigued by the fact that Mishima, a writer who had a strong interest in Western culture and thought and consciously adopted them, "devoted himself to defending Japan's unique traditions," and expressed the view that the meaning of Mishima's death was "to awaken the Japanese people and direct their eyes to the beauty and effectiveness inherent in the traditional lifestyle of their homeland." He went on to say, "Was there anyone in Japan who could sense more keenly than Mishima the various dangers facing Japan, which is following Western ideas?" and that Mishima had a "spirit of refusal to submit" to Western "progressivism," which ultimately awaited mass destructive death, "the death of the whole earth."

How much poison is in our immature Western ideas about progress, efficiency, safety, and so on? It is time for the whole world to see this, whether fascist, communist, or democrat. The Western world has promoted superficial comfort and progress, but the price paid for all of it is too high. (Omitted) He (Mishima) appealed for dignity, self-respect, true brotherhood, self-reliance, love of nature instead of efficiency, patriotism instead of ultra-nationalism, and he wanted to restore the Emperor as a symbol of leadership, as opposed to the characterless, mindless masses that blindly follow the ever-changing ideology sanctioned by political theorists.

— Henry Miller, Special Contribution - The Death of Yukio Mishima

Also, Henry Miller asked, "Mishima was a man of great intelligence. Didn't Mishima realize that it was futile to try to change the minds of the masses?" and went on to say the following:

No one has ever succeeded in changing the consciousness of the masses. Not Alexander the Great, not Napoleon, not Buddha, not Jesus, not Socrates, not Marcion, not anyone else that I know of. The majority of humanity is asleep. They have been asleep throughout history, and will probably still be asleep when the atomic bomb annihilates humanity. (Omitted) They cannot be awakened. It is useless to command the masses to live intelligently, peacefully, and beautifully.

— Henry Miller, Special Contribution - The Death of Yukio Mishima

Funerals, memorials, trials, etc.

After an autopsy was completed at Keio University Hospital (慶應義塾大学病院, Keiō gijuku daigaku byōin) on November 26th, the day after the incident, the necks and torsos of both Mishima and Morita's corpses were neatly sutured.

Just before 3 p.m., Mishima's corpse was handed over to his younger brother, Chiyuki (平岡千之), in the morgue, and Morita's corpse was handed over to his older brother, Osamu (森田治). Morita's corpse was immediately cremated at a crematorium in Yoyogi, Shibuya. Osamu recounted that his younger brother's dead face looked as if he was sleeping peacefully.

A little after 3:30 p.m., Mishima's corpse was taken from the hospital to his home in a police car. His father, Azusa Hiraoka (平岡梓), was afraid of how his son would look, and looked into the coffin. He found his son's corpse dressed in the Tatenokai uniform, with a guntō firmly clutched at his chest, and his dead face was, to which makeup had been beautifully applied, looked as if he were alive. The uniform and guntō were in accordance with Mishima's will, entrusted to his friend, Kinemaro Izawa (伊沢甲子麿), and the police officers had applied the makeup to him with special care, saying, "We applied the makeup carefully with special feelings, because it is the body of Teacher Mishima, whom we have always respected secretly."

The next day was Tomobiki (友引), a day when crematoriums were closed, so it was decided to hold a private funeral on this day. Several editors from publishing companies asked the family if they could make his death mask, but they were told that this would not be necessary, so this was not done. Mishima's private funeral was held at his home, and in addition to his relatives, Yasunari Kawabata, Kinemaro Izawa, Takeshi Muramatsu (村松剛), Takeo Matsuura (松浦竹夫), Shōhei Ōoka, Shintaro Ishihara, Hyōe Murakami (村上兵衛), Seiji Tsutsumi, Takamitsu Masuda (増田貴光), Takao Tokuoka (徳岡孝夫) and others came to pay their respects. At the foot of the statue of Apollo in the garden of Mishima's residence, about 30 crimson roses were thrown in as a memorial.

Azusa put the manuscript papers and fountain pen that his son cherished in the casket together, and his casket left the home just after 4 p.m. At that time, his mother, Shizue (倭文重), stroked the face of his casket with her fingers and said, "Goodbye, Kōi (公威)-san." Mishima's body was cremated at 6:10 p.m. at Kirigaya Funeral Hall (桐ヶ谷斎場, Kirigaya saijō) in Shinagawa.

Morita's wake (通夜, tuya) was also held by members of the Tatenokai at around 6 p.m. on November 26th at Shōtoku-san Taichō-ji Temple (聖徳山諦聴寺, Shōtoku-san Taichō-ji) in Yoyogi. Morita's posthumous Buddhist name was "慈照院釈真徹必勝居士 (Jishōin Shaku Shintetsu Hisshō Koji)." At the wake, Mishima's suicide note, addressed to all members of the Tatenokai, was read out to everyone. Also, Morita's wake was held the following day, November 27th, at his family home in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, and the funeral was held on November 28th at Sea Star (海の星, Umi no Hoshi) Catholic Church, at the request of his Catholic brother Osamu, and Morita's cremains were interred at around 4 p.m. Mishima's younger brother, Chiyuki, attended the funeral.

On November 30th, the 7th day after death bardo memorial service (初七日, sho-nanoka) was held at Mishima's home. In his will to his parents, Mishima had stated, "My funeral must be Shinto, but the Hiraoka family's funeral can be Buddhist rite." Regarding his posthumous Buddhist name, he had said in the will, "I want the character 'Martial (武, Bu)' to be included. The character 'Literature (文, Bun)' is unnecessary." However, his family, feeling that "he had grown up as a man of literature (文人, bunjin)," decided to include the character '文' under the character '武', and so his posthumous Buddhist name became "彰武院文鑑公威居士 (Shobuin Bunkan Kōi Koji)."

On December 11th, the "Yukio Mishima Memorial Evening" was held at Toshima Public Hall (豊島公会堂, Toshima Kōkaidō) in Ikebukuro by an executive committee headed by Fusao Hayashi. This was the origin of the "Patriotism Memorial" (憂国忌, Yūkoku-ki) memorial service, which would later become an annual event on Mishima's deathday. The hosts were Kōhan Kawauchi and Taisuke Fujishima (藤島泰輔), who was a schoolmate of Crown Prince Akihito, and the executive committee was made up of minzoku-ha students from the "Japan Student Alliance" (日本学生同盟, Nihon Gakusei Dōmei) and other groups. Over 3,000 people gathered (the organizers said it was 5,000). The venue was overflowing, and many people also gathered in nearby Nakaikebukuro Park (中池袋公園, Nakaikebukuro Kōen), where they listened to eulogies from attendees broadcast over special speakers covering the situation inside the venue, as well as Mishima's speech before his suicide, which was recorded at the scene of the incident.

The following year, on January 12, 1971, for the 49th day after death bardo memorial service (四十九日, Shiju-ku nichi) was held at the Hiraoka family home. On the same day, a "Gathering to remember Mr. Yukio Mishima" was held at the Sankei Hall in Osaka, organized by 10 people including Fusao Hayashi, and was attended by approximately 2,000 people. On January 13, Mishima's wife Yoko came to visit the injured JSDF personnel to offer her apologies.

On January 14th, which was also Mishima's birthday, his cremains were buried in the grave of the Hiraoka Family (Location: 10th district, 1st class, 13th side, no. 32) at Tama Cemetery in Fuchū. As his birthday was 49 days after the day of his suicide, some say that Mishima may had set his period of bardo for reincarnation.

On a clear, sunny day from the morning of January 24th, Mishima's funeral and farewell ceremony was held at Tsukiji Hongan-ji from 1 p.m. The chief mourner (喪主, moshu) was his wife Yōko Hiraoka, the funeral committee chairman Yasunari Kawabata, and the master of ceremonies was Takeshi Muramatsu. Around 100 of Mishima's relatives, Morita's family, members of the Tatenokai and their families, Mishima's acquaintances, and the first 180 general attendees were able to attend. The altar was designed by the Ikebana artist, Tōko Adachi (安達瞳子), and was simple, with a portrait of Mishima in a black sports shirt at the center, against a black cloth background, and seven large and small flower spheres made from white chrysanthemums.

The memorial addresses (弔辞, chōji) were delivered by eight people: Funahashi Seiichi (who was replaced by Makoto Hōjō (北條誠) halfway through due to his eye disease), Taijun Takeda, Eikoh Hosoe, president of Shinchosha Ryōichi Satō (佐藤亮一), Eiko Muramatsu (村松英子), Kinemaro Izawa, film producer Hiroaki Fujii (藤井浩明), and Sazō Idemitsu. Eiko Muramatsu, an actress of Mishima's troupe, sobbed as she paid tribute to her mentor on behalf of the theatrical world.

To me, you were an irreplaceable teacher. Your blood painted the whole polluted skies of modern Japan in brilliant color like a burning rainbow in the evening glow. (Omitted) You were caring, without showing it. You showed us the possibility of simultaneously possessing burning passion and a cool-headed intellect. Your clear flame was the light that always guided us. (Omitted) That beautiful flame that you lit with your own body will never go out, but will continue to burn above the heads of those who love and respect you.

— Eiko Muramatsu, Chōji

Other attendees included Taisuke Fujishima, Kishin Shinoyama, Tadanori Yokoo, Toshiro Mayuzumi, Hiroshi Akutagawa, Kosuke Gomi, Nobuo Nakamura, Akiyuki Nosaka, Yasushi Inoue, Masatoshi Nakayama, and Takao Tokuoka. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) had expressed a desire to broadcast Mishima's funeral live, but the organizing committee declined. Prime Minister Eisaku Satō's wife Hiroko (寛子) had also expressed a desire to attend the funeral in disguise by helicopter, but this was prevented by security concerns due to a rumor that far-left forces would attack the funeral hall.

A temporary nursing facility and a toilet car were set up at the funeral hall, and 100 plainclothes and uniformed police officers, 50 riot police, and 46 security guards were on guard. Over 8,200 members of the public attended the ceremony, paying their respects at a large portrait of Mishima placed at the entrance to the hall. Fans of Mishima ranged from former soldiers to office ladies. Among them was a group of companies that came from Nagoya to attend, raising flags reading "In Memory of Yukio Mishima." This made it the largest funeral ever for a literary figure. The next day, on January 25th, the chairman Hiromi Tamagawa (玉川博己) of "Japan Student Alliance" announced its plan to launch the "Yukio Mishima Study Group" (三島由紀夫研究会, Mishima Yukio Kenkyūkai).

On January 30th, an unveiling ceremony was held for the "Memorial Monument of Honor Yukio Mishima & Masakatsu Morita Martyrs" erected in front of the entrance to Matsue Nihon University High School (now Rissho University Sounan High School). The words "Sincerity (誠, Makoto)," "Restoration (維新, Ishin)," "Patriotism (憂国, Yūkoku)," and "Constitutional amendment (改憲, Kaiken)" are inscribed on the monument.

On February 11th, National Foundation Day, a "Memorial service in memory of Yukio Mishima" was held by members of the local Seicho-no-Ie (now the Mainstream Seicho-no-Ie Movement (生長の家本流運動, Seicho-no-Ie Honryu undō)) in the grounds of Hachiman Shrine in Kakogawa City, Hyogo Prefecture, where is Mishima's grandfather's permanent domicile.

On February 28, the Tatenokai's dissolution ceremony was held at the Shinto Misogi Society (神道禊大教会, Sinto Misogi Daikyokai) in Nishi-Nippori (西日暮里), Arakawa, attended by Mishima's wife Yōko and 75 members. Yōko's family, the Sugiyama family, had deep ties to Shinto and connections to the Shinto Misogi Daikyokai, so the ceremony was held there. Kiyoshi Kuramochi (倉持清) (now Kiyoshi Honda), a 1st generation member and leader of the 2nd team, read the "Statement" and announced the dissolution of the group, conveying the contents of Mishima's will, which stated, "The Tatenokai will be dissolved along with the uprising." The Japanese swords that Mishima had given to each team leader and that had been kept at the Dojo Saineikan (済寧館) in the Imperial Palace were given to each team leader as keepsakes, thanks to Yōko's efforts.

On March 23, the first court hearing of the "Tatenokai Incident" trial was held in Courtroom 701 of the Tokyo District Court. In addition to the families of the three defendants, Azusa Hiraoka, Yōko, and lawyer Naokazu Saitō (斎藤直一), the executor of Mishima's will, attended the hearing. The presiding judge was Osamu Kushibuchi (櫛淵理). The associate judges were Yoshiaki Ishii (石井義明) and Fumio Motoi (本井文夫). The prosecutors were Kazuo Ishii (石井和男) and Toshio Koyama (小山利男). The chief defense lawyer was Asanosuke Kusaka (草鹿浅之介).

The presiding judge, Kushibuchi, was a man of both literary and martial arts (文武両道, bunbu ryōdō), who practiced the Shinto single-mindedness style (神道一心流, Sinto Isshin-ryu) of swordsmanship, learned to read Classical Chinese from an early age, and was well versed in Yangmingism, which also influenced Mishima. In preparation for this trial, Kushibuchi thoroughly read Mishima's books on Yangmingism and Hagakure, and focused on the connection between Yangmingism and revolutionary thought.

On June 26th, at the strong request of French fans of Mishima's literature, a memorial service was held in Paris, where the poet Emmanuel Rothen recited a poem dedicated to Mishima, The Ritual of Love and Death (Patriotism) . The poem was also introduced and recited by Mishima's friend Toshiro Mayuzumi during the trial in response to a question about Mishima's reputation abroad.

On July 7, two days after the seventh court hearing, the three defendants, Masayoshi Koga, Masahiro Ogawa, and Hiroyasu Koga, were released on bail. As they had admitted to the crimes and there was no risk of them destroying evidence or fleeing, the three were released from the Tokyo Detention House at 5 p.m. and were greeted by Yōko. They held a press conference at the Akasaka Prince Hotel from 7 p.m.

On September 20th, while visiting the grave, Yōko noticed something unusual about the position of the tombstone. The next day, on September 21st, a worker from the Tachibanaya Stonemasonry opened the interred part and found that Mishima's cremains had been lost along with the cinerary urn, and reported the matter to the Fuchū Police Station (府中警察署, Fuchū Keisatsu-sho). On December 5th of the same year, the stolen cinerary urn was discovered buried about 40 meters away from the Hiraoka family grave. The cremains were in their original condition, as were the cigars that had been placed with them.

On November 25th, the unveiling ceremony for the "Mishima Yukio Literary Monument" was held in the garden of the home of Kiyotaka Miyazaki (宮崎清隆), who was a former Kempeitai Sergeant Major, in Ōmiya, Saitama (now Saitama City). The calligraphy (揮毫, kigō) was by Yōko Mishima (Yōko Hiraoka). A message that Mishima sent to Miyazaki during his lifetime was published in the "Bookmark of the Yukio Mishima Literary Monument". On the same day, the Hiraoka family held a Shinto-style first death anniversary service at the Palace Hotel in Marunouchi.

The 14th court hearing was held on December 6th, and Minister of Defense Yasuhiro Nakasone, who was the chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party's General Affairs Committee, took the stand to testify. Nakasone stated that when he said "it's an enormous nuisance" immediately after the incident, he was speaking in his capacity as a public figure, and that he did it to prevent any disturbances within the JSDF. He also stated that while he did not fully agree with Mishima's views, he believed that Mishima had done it "with the unavoidable Yamato-damashii, knowing that this would happen if he did this," and that he wanted to accept and digest the incident in his own way as a politician, said that "I feel more compassion than hatred."

On April 27, 1972, the 18th and final court hearing of the "Tatenokai Incident" trial, in which a variety of people such as Yasuhiro Nakasone, Takeshi Muramatsu, and Toshiro Mayuzumi had testified as witnesses from the first to the 17th court hearing, was held, and three men, Masayoshi Koga, Masahiro Ogawa, and Hiroyasu Koga, were sentenced to four years in prison sentence. The offenses were "Unlawful Capture and Confinement Causing in Injury (監禁致傷, Kankin-chishō), Violation of the Law concerning Punishment of Physical Violence and Others (暴力行為等処罰ニ関スル法律, Bouryoku-koui nado Shobatsu ni kansuru houritsu), Criminal Injury (傷害, Shōgai), Obstructing or Compelling Performance of Public Duty (職務強要, Shokumu kyoyō), and Participation in Assisted Suicide; Consensual Homicide (嘱託殺人, Shokutaku satsujin)."

The verdict ended with the following statement: "We hope that you, the defendants will remember that 'Martial arts (武, Bu) without knowledge (学, gaku) are equivalent to the courage of a common man (匹夫の勇, hippu no yuu). Literature (文, Bun) without an understanding of true martial arts is nothing but incoherent muttering (譫言, uwagoto). And, if a person has no benevolence (仁, jin), he will do anything cruel.' We expect that you will not only see things from a one-sided perspective, but will also broaden your perspective to include all of humanity, and devote your efforts to realizing peace and security for the people."

About two and a half years later, in October 1974, the three were released before the end of their four-year sentences. From then on, "Memorial services for Mishima and Morita," conducted only by former members of the Tatenokai, began to be held. After Hiroyasu Koga was released, he studied Shinto at Kokugakuin University and qualified as a Shinto priest at Tsurumi Shrine (鶴見神社, Tsurumi jinja) in Tsurumi, Yokohama. Former members began to gather at the place where the three held their memorial service, and the memorial service began to be held every year. After that, the "Mishima Morita Office" was established as a liaison office between the former members and the Hiraoka family. After their release, the three went to meet and apologize to the JSDF officers who were injured in the incident, together with Morita's older brother Osamu.

On March 29, 1975, Ichirō Murakami (村上一郎), a writer who, like Mishima, viewed the February 26 incident in a positive light and who had strong sympathy for the Mishima incident, committed suicide with a Japanese sword at his home.

On March 3, 1977, two former members of the Tatenokai, Yoshio Ito (伊藤好雄) (a 1st generation member) and Shunichi Nishio (西尾俊一) (a 4th generation member), participated in the Japan Business Federation attack incident (経団連襲撃事件, Keidanren shugeki jiken). After being persuaded by Yōko, they surrendered and the incident came to an end.

On August 9, 1980, the Asahi Shimbun newspaper carried the full text of Mishima's suicide note, addressed to Kiyoshi Kuramochi, a member of Tatenokai, in which he apologised for being unable to act as matchmaker at Kuramochi's wedding due to the incident. On November 24 of the same year, Colonel Kiyokatsu Yamamoto (山本舜勝) and several former members of Tatenokai held a "10th Anniversary Memorial Service for the Martyrs Yukio Mishima and Masakatsu Morita" at the Arcadia Ichigaya Private Academy (私学会館, Shigaku kaikan) in Ichigaya. Shinjuku.

In late November 1999 and on January 4, 2000, Japanese newspapers published Mishima's suicide note addressed to all members of the Tatenokai.

On November 26, 2018, Masahiro Ogawa, a former member of the Tatenokai and participant in the Mishima Incident, died of heart failure at the age of 70, the day after the anniversary of the deaths of Mishima and Morita.

Ogawa's funeral and farewell ceremony was held from 11 a.m. on November 29th at a funeral home in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, where he lived. The chief mourner was his eldest son, Kiichirō (紀一郎), whose name comes from the names of Mishima's two children, Noriko (紀子) and Iichirō (威一郎). Ogawa referred to Mishima as "Teacher Mishima (三島先生, Mishima Sensei)" throughout his life.

The JSDF and Mishima

1966 (Shōwa 41)

Mishima had been expressing a desire to join the Japan Self-Defense Forces for a trial period since around 1965. And in June 1966, in the "flourishing mid-Shōwa period (昭和元禄, Shōwa-Genroku)" era, he published a short story, The Voices of the Heroic Dead (英霊の聲, Eirei no koe), in which the souls of young officers executed in the February 26 Incident and young soldiers who had died as Kamikaze pilots during the Pacific War curse the Emperor Hirohito for renouncing his own divinity after Japan's defeat in World War II.

In August, Mishima visited Ōmiwa Shrine in Sakurai, Nara Prefecture to research Runaway Horses, the second novel in the Sea of Fertility tetralogy, and then visited the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force 1st Service School (海上自衛隊第1術科学校) in Etajima, Hiroshima Prefecture. He read the suicide notes of the kamikaze pilots at the Education Reference Museum and was deeply moved by the simple and solemn writings of these nameless young men. After that, he traveled to Kumamoto Prefecture, where he research Shinkai Daijingu Shrine (新開大神宮, Shinkai Daijingu) and Sakurayama Shrine (桜山神社, Sakurayama jinja), places associated with the Shinpūren rebellion, and purchased a Japanese sword worth 100,000 yen.

Mishima began to develop the idea for a militia organization around autumn, and from around October he approached the Ministry of Defense about his desire to join the JSDF on a trial basis, but was turned down. So he asked Chikao Kanō (狩野近雄), a managing director of the Mainichi Newspapers Co., to act as an intermediary, and contacted Yoshio Miwa (三輪良雄), administrative vice-minister of the Ministry of Defense, and Iwaichi Fujiwara, a former army general, and others, asking for their help.

On December 19, after hearing from Kaisaku Ozawa (小澤開作) about a group of young men preparing to launch a Minzoku-ha magazine, Fusao Hayashi introduced one of the young men, Kiyoshi Bandai (万代潔) who was a disciple of Kiyoshi Hiraizumi and a graduate of Meiji Gakuin University, Bandai came to Mishima's home. Also in the same month, Hiroshi Funasaka (舩坂弘) donated a Japanese sword, "Seki Magoroku (関孫六)," to Mishima as a return gift of appreciation for writing the preface to Funasaka's book, The Scream of the Heroic Spirits (published December 10).

1967 (Shōwa 42)

On January 5, 1967, the Minzoku-ha monthly magazine Controversy Journal (論争ジャーナル, Ronsō jaanaru) was launched, and on the 11th, editor-in-chief Kazuhiko Nakatsuji (中辻和彦) who was a disciple of Kiyoshi Hiraizumi and a graduate of Meiji Gakuin University, and deputy editor-in-chief Kiyoshi Bandai visited Mishima at home to ask for his contributions. Mishima decided to contribute to the magazine for free, and from then on, the two visited him once every three days.

Mishima told the two young men with a serious expression, "Ever since I wrote The Voices of the Heroic Dead, I feel as if the spirit of Asaichi Isobe has possessed me." Another day, he unsheathed his Japanese sword and said, "Japanese sword is not something to be admired. It is a living thing. I must use this living sword to expose the deception held by the intellectuals in the 1960 Japan-U.S. Security Treaty struggle (60年安保闘争, 60 nen anpo tōsō)."

On January 27, Hiroshi Mochimaru (持丸博), a Waseda University student and member of the "Japan Student Alliance" (日本学生同盟, Nihon Gakusei Dōmei) (abbreviated name, 日学同, Nichigakudō), also visited Mishima and asked him to contribute an article to the Japan Student Newspaper (日本学生新聞, Nihon Gakusei Shimbun), which the Nichigakudō was to launch the following month. Mochimaru was also a disciple of Kiyoshi Hiraizumi, along with Nakatsuji and Bandai, and was a staff member of the Controversy Journal.

Around this time that Mishima met these young people who shared their worrying about Japan, he told Kikue Kojima (小島喜久江), the editor in charge of Shinchosha, "It feels scary. What I wrote in my novel has become a fact. But on the other hand, sometimes facts come before fiction."

Also, around this time, Mishima learned that people related to scholarship and the arts in China (including the people who had guided and entertained actors from the Bungakuza theatre troupe when they visited China) were being treated badly by Mao Zedong. Feeling a sense of mission that Japan, a geographically close neighbor, should take the lead in protesting, he expressed his support for efforts to restore the original autonomy of Chinese scholarship and the arts (including classical studies). He held a press conference together with Yasunari Kawabata, Jun Ishikawa, and Kōbō Abe to issue a statement in protest against the "Cultural Revolution", an oppression carried out by the Chinese Communist government. However, at the time, the only newspaper to report the full text of the statement was the Tokyo Shimbun.

In March, Mishima was granted permission to join the JGSDF on a trial basis, on the condition that he return home every one or two weeks, and he enlisted alone under his real name, "Kimitake Hiraoka (平岡公威)," for 46 days from April 12 to May 27. After enlisting, Mishima was first assigned to the JGSDF Officer Candidate School (陸上自衛隊幹部候補生学校, Rikujō jieitai Kanbu kōhosei gakkō) in Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture. After leaving the school on April 19, he went to the JGSDF Fuji School (陸上自衛隊富士学校, Rikujō jieitai Fuji gakkō), where he experienced mountain trekking and camping at Lake Yamanaka, before joining the Fuji School Advanced Officer Course (AOC) and receiving instruction from Captain Katsuo Kikuchi (菊地勝夫).

Around mid-April or late that year, Mishima was told by Iwaichi Fujiwara, "I'll show you how young JSDF officers live," and was shown around the rented house of Fujiwara's son-in-law, Hikaru Tomizawa (冨澤暉), and a few days later, he dined with Tomizawa and about five of his classmates. At the dinner, Mishima spoke of his plan for a coup d'état, which he proposed to take advantage of the JGSDF' deployment to take power when the police alone could no longer suppress left-wing student demonstrations, but Tomizawa replied, "I won't do anything illegal like that." At that moment, Mishima's face changed color, and an expression of hatred appeared on his face, as if he thought, "I will not to share the same sky with you (倶に天を戴かず, Tomo ni ten wo itadakazu)" towards Tomizawa and the others. After May 11, Mishima joined the Ranger Course and then transferred to the Narashino 1st Airborne Brigade, where he experienced basic training (except parachute training).

The members of the Controversy Journal group and the Japan Student Alliance expressed their desire to join the JGSDF for a trial period. Mishima made serious plans to set up a militia organization, and through Hiroshi Mochimaru, requested the cooperation of the Waseda University National Defense Club (formed in April). Thus, a three-way relationship between the Controversy Journal group, the Japan Student Alliance, and Mishima gradually took shape.

On June 19th, Mishima and Masakatsu Morita, a student at Waseda University's Faculty of Education and a member of the Japan Student Alliance, met for the first time at a meeting with representatives of the Waseda University National Defense Club held at the coffee shop "Victoria" in Roppongi (or Ginza), and decided on the date for the Waseda University National Defense Club's trial enlistment in the JGSDF.

For one week from July 2nd, 13 members of Waseda University's National Defense Club enlisted at the JGSDF Camp Kita-Eniwa (北恵庭駐屯地, Kita-Eniwa Chutonchi) for a trial period. Morita wrote about his impressions at the time, angrily saying, "Even so, can't something be done about the trend of JSDF personnel turning into salaried workers, who say they are doing this to get a large automobile (大型自動車) license or to be advantageous when changing jobs?" He also wrote that it was unfortunate that JSDF personnel "don't want to talk much about the Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution" and that "there is no person who has made it clear that they want to stage a coup."

In August, Mishima solidified a concrete plan to train young people who would become the core of the National Defense Force, and met with Keizō Shigematsu (重松惠三) of the JGSDF personnel on September 9th to hold regular trial enlistments in the JGSDF. On September 26th, Mishima departed Haneda Airport on a Japan Airlines flight to India to do research for his novel The Temple of Dawn. He met up with a police bureaucrat Atsuyuki Sassa (佐々淳行), who had been stationed in Hong Kong and had known him since his youth, at Kai Tak Airport. Mishima said, "If things continue like this, Japan will be ruined. Japan will be taken over by the Soviet Union. Japan will be taken over by the extreme left. The JSDF will not do. The police will not do either. We must create a fighting patriotic group. I want to create a national army. Let's join forces when we return to Japan." However, Sassa asked Mishima to cooperate in strengthening security measures as an opinion leader, and discouraged his idea of creating a private army.

On October 5, Mishima met with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, President Zakir Husain, and an army colonel in India, and expressed a sense of crisis about Japan's lack of national defense awareness against the threat of the Chinese Communist Party. He then likened Japan's lazy nature, which is currently slumbering, to the grasshopper in summer in the story of The Ant and the Grasshopper, saying that the situation is "the same as when the ant is hard at work while the grasshopper is playing around," and wrote in a Japanese newspaper that "it is absolutely necessary to make provisions for winter," that "it is foolish not to think about what will happen when the cold wind begins to blow," and that "Japan is a paradise for fools."

In Japan, it is hard to feel that we share a border with the the Communist country of China (PRC). If there was a land border between Japan and PRC and you could see a row of cannons on the other side, even people who are relaxed now would feel a little more alert. Well, we are separated from PRC by the sea, after all. Of course, the sea isn't that useful these days. But the current situation is that "if you don't see it, you'll be fine (見ぬもの清し, Minu mono kiyoshi)."

— Yukio Mishima, Impressions of India

After returning to Japan in November, Mishima discussed a draft plan for a militia organization called the "Japan National Guard" (祖国防衛隊, Sokoku Bōeitai) with members of the Controversy Journal group and began preparing the pamphlet on the "Japan National Guard" concept. On December 5, he test-flew an F-104 fighter jet from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force's Hyakuri Air Base. At the end of December, Colonel Kiyokatsu Yamamoto (山本舜勝), head of the Information Education Section at the JGSDF Research School (JGSDF Kodaira School) (陸上自衛隊調査学校, Rikujō jieitai chōsa gakkō), who had been shown Mishima's "Japan National Guard" concept pamphlet by his former superior, Iwaichi Fujiwara, dined with Mishima through Fujiwara's mediation.

Colonel Yamamoto asked Mishima, an author who was widely rumored to be a candidate for the Nobel Prize in Literature, "As a man of letters, you should devote yourself to writing, and isn't it possible to achieve your goals through writing?" Mishima answered decisively with a sharp stare, looking straight into Yamamoto’s eyes, "I've given up on writing. I don't have the slightest interest in the Nobel Prize." At that moment, a spark ran down Colonel Yamamoto's spine, convinced that "he's serious about this," and while he felt he could work with Mishima, he also felt that he shouldn't make such big claims (promise the moon) to this man.

Colonel Yamamoto also wrote that Mishima had said, "I've given up on writing," and then, "Mr. F will be able to fulfill the role you are speaking of." According to Hiroshi Mochimaru, Mishima was extremely excited after meeting Colonel Yamamoto and said, "He's an expert on urban guerrilla warfare. He's the perfect person for our organization. Let's meet him together."

However, around this time a rift began to form between the Controversy Journal group, who fully supported the idea of a "Japan National Guard," and the Japan Student Alliance (leaders of which were Hidetoshi Saitō (斉藤英俊) and Miyazaki Masahiro (宮崎正弘)), who were shown reluctance about its "radical overtones" and the image of Mishima's private army, and Hiroshi Mochimaru, Yoshio Itō (伊藤好雄), Tetsuho Miyazawa (宮沢徹甫), Tsutomu Abe (阿部勉) and others were expelled from Japan Student Alliance and joined the Controversy Journal group. Mochimaru became deputy editor of the magazine Controversy Journal together with Mishima.

1968 (Shōwa 43)

On February 25, 1968, eleven people including Yukio Mishima, Kazuhiko Nakatsuji (中辻和彦), Kiyoshi Bandai (万代潔), Hiroshi Mochimaru (持丸博), Yoshio Itō (伊藤好雄), Tetsuho Miyazawa (宮沢徹甫), and Tsutomu Abe (阿部勉) created a blood oath (血盟状, ketsumei-jou) at the Ikuseisha (育誠社)'s Controversy Journal office in the Kokaji Building (小鍛冶ビル) on Ginza 8-chome. Mishima wrote in large letters in ink (墨, sumi), "Pledge: February 25, 1968 We pledge to become the foundation of the Imperial Nation (皇国, Koukoku) with the spirit of the samurai, the pride of the men of Yamato (大和)," and each person signed with blood collected from pricking their little fingers with a razor. Mishima wrote his birth name, "Kimitake Hiraoka."

At that time, Mishima said, "Even if written in blood, paper will fly away if you blow on it. But the promise we have made here will live forever. Let's all drink this blood together." Before he was about to drink it himself, he made everyone laugh by saying, "Hey, anyone here who has an illness, raise your hand," and then they all drank together. They had put salt in the blood to prevent it from solidifying.

For one month from March 1st, the Controversy Journal group, headed by Hiroshi Mochimaru, enlisted with Mishima at the Camp Takigahara of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Fuji School (陸上自衛隊富士学校, Rikujō jieitai Fuji gakkō) for a trial enlistment in the JGSDF. Just before the event, five students from Chuo University were unable to attend due to the end of their strike, so Mochimaru asked Jun Yano (矢野潤) of the Japan Student Alliance to help out in their place, and in response, Masakatsu Morita enlisted a week late. Mishima was impressed and took notice of Morita's efforts to participate in the arduous training despite the fact that he had broken his right leg while skiing during spring break and was currently undergoing treatment.

On March 30th, after the grueling trial enlistment had ended without incident and they said goodbye to their chief instructor and the JSDF personnel with "manly tears," Morita and the other students traveled by chartered bus to Mishima's residence in Minami Magome (南馬込), Ōta, Tokyo, where they were invited to a thank-you dinner. Morita, who became the 1st generation member of Mishima's militia, sent a letter of thanks to Mishima by express mail, saying, "I would give my life for you any time, sir." Mishima responded by telling Morita, "That one sentence moved me more than any letter of thanks filled with flowery language." Morita was devoted to the movement to return the Northern Territories to Japan at that time.

Around this time, Mishima had been consulting with businessperson Aichi Yora (与良ヱ) to get support from the political and business world for his plan of create the militia organization "Japan National Guard" with 10,000 members from key industries. He then began to contact Takeshi Sakurada (桜田武) (permanent director (常任理事, Jōnin riji) of the Japan Business Federation) and others through Hiroshi Mochimaru, and had his first meeting with Sakurada. However, he was unable to get approval, and was advised by a person of the JSDF to persuade Sakurada through Yoshio Miwa (三輪良雄), which he conveyed to Miwa on March 18th.

In early April, with the help of Seibu Department Stores director Seiji Tsutsumi, the uniforms designed by Tsukumo Igarashi (五十嵐九十九), the designer in charge of military uniforms for Charles de Gaulle, were completed. To celebrate this, Mishima visited Atago Shrine (愛宕神社, Atago jinja) in Ōme City wearing the uniforms along with 11 members of the 1st generation of the "Japan National Guard", mainly from the Controversy Journal group, and had a commemorative photograph taken under the cherry trees in full bloom, with cherry blossoms showers falling all around them.

In the middle of the same month, Mishima had a four-way meeting with Takeshi Sakurada, Yoshio Miwa, and Iwaichi Fujiwara. Sakurada showed more understanding than the previous time, and instructed that the militia be given a safe name, "Trial Enlistment Club," and it was agreed that only the core members of the executive ranks would be left nameless and would have the mission of the "Japan National Guard." Around this time, signs advertising "Trial Enlistment" were placed on the Waseda University campus, and a wide range of personnel were sought, with Mochimaru conducting the first round of interviews for students who applied.

Starting in May, Colonel Kiyokatsu Yamamoto (山本舜勝) began intensive lectures and training support for core members of the "Japan National Guard," and in his lecture on the 27th he covered the "Noshiro Incident" (能代事件, Noshiro jiken) (April 1963), in which a body believed to be that of a North Korean agent was washed up on the beach at Asanai (浅内) in Noshiro, Akita Prefecture. Upon learning that this incident had been treated as a simple case of illegal immigration due to some pressure and had been left unresolved, Mishima gazed upon a photograph of the drowned agent's body and became enraged, saying, "Why is something so serious being left unaddressed and ignored?"

On June 1, Mishima and his core members, under the guidance of Colonel Yamamoto, conducted a comprehensive exercise in anti-guerrilla tactics (stakeout, infiltration, tailing, disguise, etc.) in the city. Disguised as a laborer, Mishima carried out his mission and made it to Tamahime Park (玉姫公園, Tamahime kōen) in San'ya without being detected. Colonel Yamamoto was deeply moved by Mishima's exhausted but serious appearance. On the 15th of the same month, the "All-Japan Student National Defense Council" (全日本学生国防会議, Zen-nihon gakusei Kokubō kaigi) was formed, with Masakatsu Morita as its first chairman. Mishima gave a congratulatory speech for Morita at the founding meeting, shouting "Banzai!" (万歳) three times, and even accompanied him in a taxi during the demonstration, cheering him on from the window.

The second trial enlistment, led by Mishima to the new students, took place at the Camp Takigahara of the JGSDF Fuji School from July 25th until August 23rd. At this time, Masayoshi Koga (小賀正義) and Hiroyasu Koga (both students of Kanagawa University and the members of National Student Council (全国学生協議会)) participated through an introduction by a 1st generation member Kuninori Itō (伊藤邦典), and became the 2nd generation members of "Japan National Guard."

Forced to downsize, the "Japan National Guard" changed its name to the "Shield Society" (楯の会, Tatenokai), after two waka: one of Poetry of Defenders (Soldiers) (防人の歌, Sakimori no uta) from the Man'yōshū, and the other by the poet Tachibana Akemi.

今日よりは　顧みなくて　大君の　醜の御楯と　出で立つ吾は

(Kyō yori wa　Kaeri minakute　Ōkimi no　Siko no mi-tate to　Idetatsu ware wa)

From today onwards, / Without any regard for myself, / I set out to become, / (although my shield may be insignificant,) / A strong shield for the Great Lord Emperor.

— A Defender (Soldier) (防人, Sakimori), One of Poetry of Defenders (Soldiers) (防人の歌, Sakimori no uta)

大皇の　醜の御楯と　いふ物は　如此る物ぞと　進め真前に

(Ōkimi no　Siko no mi-tate to　Iu mono wa　Kakaru mono zo to　Susume masaki ni)

For the Great Lord Emperor, / (although my shield may be insignificant,) / Thinking this is what a strong shield should be, / I bravely forge ahead.

— 橘曙覧 (Tachibana Akemi)

On October 5th, the official founding ceremony of the "Tatenokai" was held at the National Education Hall (国立教育会館, Kokuritsu kyoiku kaikan) in Toranomon, with Mishima, the first student president, Hiroshi Mochimaru, and about 50 core members. A newspaper scooped the event and reported it in a caricature manner.

On October 21, International Anti-War Day (国際反戦デー, Kokusai Hansen dei), Mishima, members of the Tatenokai, Colonel Yamamoto, and students from the JGSDF Research School (JGSDF Kodaira School) infiltrated the Shinjuku riot demonstrations of New Left Zengakuren which opposing the Vietnam War and the U.S.-Japan Security Treaty (Anpo), to understand the situation and to investigate who the leaders of the organizations were.

As the air filled with black smoke from Molotov cocktails and Tear gas, Mishima, with bloodshot eyes, remained motionless as he watched the battle between the Riot Police Unit and New Left Zengakuren. The location then shifted to Ginza, and as they watched the fierce urban warfare with stones flying, from the roof of a Kōban, Mishima's body was trembling with excitement, as Colonel Yamamoto, who was standing right next to him, noticed. That same day, the New Left Socialist Student Union (社会主義学生同盟, Shakai shugi gakusei dōmei) also attempted to storm the Ministry of Defense in Roppongi, and the Riot Police Unit fought back with ferocious water cannons, but they were able to break through the main gate.

Anticipating an opportunity for the JSDF's public security operation (治安出動, Chian shutsudō) to suppress riots of the New Left, Mishima began to conceive a plan for the Tatenokai to act as a raiding force to assist the JSDF in areas they could not reach, and to take advantage of this opportunity to turn the JSDF into a National army and revise Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution in an extra-legal manner. When Mishima and other members temporarily retreated to their base in Akasaka in the early afternoon of that day, Colonel Yamamoto offered Mishima a glass of whiskey he had brought with him. Mishima replied indignantly, "What? Drinking in a situation like this!" and left the table.

That night, as the turmoil of riot continued, Mishima gathered the members back at their base and asked Colonel Yamamoto if he could hold a meeting there to summarise what had happened that day. Some members approached Yamamoto, arguing that now was the time to take action, but Yamamoto, seeing no sign of the JSDF's public security operation would not yet be called upon, suggested disbanding the training session for the day. A disappointed Mishima led the members of Tatenokai to the National Theatre.

The following month, in November, Mishima was invited to give a lecture at the National Defense Academy, where he gave the following speech:

I think it's safe to say that the public security operation is equal to a political condition. Therefore, if the JSDF says, "We won't withdraw," no government can compete with it. So, "Well, what can we do to get you to withdraw?" All we have to do is say, "Amend the constitution and allow the military." This can be done without a coup. I'm not trying to encourage bad thing, but I think that if you don't have that kind of guts, you can't be the General of the JSDF. So, rather than trying to move public opinion from afar, we need a General who can take political action when a real opportunity arises.

— Yukio Mishima, Amateur Defense Theory

On November 10, in the midst of university protests, Mishima went to the Tokyo University together with Hiroyuki Agawa to demand the release of Kentarō Hayashi (林健太郎), the dean of the Faculty of Letters, who had been kept under house arrest in a classroom by Zenkyōtō, the New Left wing of the Tokyo University. He requested a meeting with Hayashi, but was turned down by the Zenkyōtō (Kentarō Hayashi Imprisonment Incident (林健太郎監禁事件, Hayashi Kentarō kankin jiken)).

During a lecture on guerrilla warfare by Colonel Yamamoto on December 21, Mishima asked, "Isn't guerrilla warfare the tactics of the weak, who deceive others?" During a break in the lecture, Masakatsu Morita asked Yamamoto, "Who is the worst person in Japan? Who should we kill to best benefit Japan?" Colonel Yamamoto replied, "You can't kill someone unless you're prepared to die. I haven't seen the true enemy yet."

At the end of December, core members of the Tatenokai and Colonel Yamamoto and others gathered at Mishima's residence to explore plans for cooperation between the Tatenokai, Sohgo Security Services Co., Ltd. (綜合警備保障株式会社, Sohgo Keibi hoshō), and the Hunters' Association (猟友会, Ryōyu kai). The topic soon turned to indirect aggression (間接侵略, Kansetsu sinryaku), and Mishima asked, "When exactly do you think you will rise up?" Colonel Yamamoto replied that it would be when a mob breaks into the Imperial Palace and insults the Emperor, and when a security operation is called out. Mishima howling laughed with glee and said, "At that time, I'll be the company commander under you. "

Through his contacts with Colonel Yamamoto and former army personnel and high-ranking government officials connected to him, Mishima got a sense of the possibility of the public security operation, and together with Yamamoto he came up with the following plan for a coup d'état scenario.

If it becomes necessary to mobilize the public security operation, Mishima and the members of the Tatenokai will first risk their lives to eliminate the New Left demonstrators, and the special unit in the Eastern area led by myself (Colonel Yamamoto) and my comrades will respond. At this point, the main force of the JSDF's public security operation will be deployed and restore security in the capital under martial law. In the unlikely event that the demonstrators invade the Imperial Palace, I will use the JSDF helicopters I have on standby to transport the members of the Tatenokai and firmly block them without missing an opportunity. At this point, Mishima and ten core members will take responsibility for killing the demonstrators, unsheathe their swords, and commit seppuku with their Japanese swords. As written in Mishima's Counter-Revolution Manifesto, they "believe that there will be others who will follow us," and will use their deaths as a stepping stone. The revolutionary drama that begins with the uprising of Mishima and the Tatenokai will be completed by the JSDF that will follow. The JSDF, which succeeded in their coup d'état, will end by gaining recognition as the National army through constitutional revise.

— Kiyokatsu Yamamoto, Japan Self-Defense Forces "A unit of Shadow": Confession of truth killed Yukio Mishima

1969 (Shōwa 44)

On January 18, 1969, New Left students who were on bad terms with the Japanese Communist Party, occupied Yasuda Auditorium at the University of Tokyo in what became known as the "University of Tokyo Yasuda Auditorium Incident" (東大安田講堂事件, Tōdai Yasuda kōdō jiken). On the 19th, Mishima, who had been watching the fierce battle between the Riot Police Unit and the students, feared that if a New Left member were to jump to his death from the clock tower, traditional Japanese spirit that was not afraid of self-sacrifice would be combined with the New Left's communism, and ordinary citizens would sympathize with the New Left. To prevent this from happening, he immediately called the Metropolitan Police Department, requesting that they "spray sleeping gas from a helicopter to put us to sleep."

However, Mishima's fears turned out to be unnecessary, and contrary to his expectations, no Tokyo University students were willing to seriously risk their lives. Mishima was relieved and disappointed at the Zenkyoto students' quick and easy surrender, and eventually came to despise them, realizing that their values were different from his own.

On February 1, Masakatsu Morita, who had been the bridge between the Controversy Journal (論争ジャーナル, Ronsō jaanaru) group and the "Japan Student Alliance" (日本学生同盟, Nihon Gakusei Dōmei), completely sided with the Controversy Journal group rather than the "Japan Student Alliance", and was expelled from the "Japan Student Alliance" along with five others: Masahiro Ogawa (小川正洋) (Meiji Gakuin University Faculty of Law), Takashi Noda (野田隆史) (Azabu University), Kenichi Tanaka (田中健一) (Asia University Faculty of Law), Tomoaki Tsurumi (鶴見友昭) (Waseda University), and Shunichi Nishio (西尾俊一) (Kokushikan University). These six men were known as the "Junisou Group" (十二社グループ) because they used to hang out at the Kobayashi-so (小林荘) apartment (Tanaka's boarding house) in Juunisou (十二社), Shinjuku (now Nishi-Shinjuku 4-chome), and were a group of lone wolves (一匹狼, Ippiki ōkami) who were not afraid to commit acts of terror.

From February 19th to 23rd, under the guidance of Colonel Yamamoto, the Tatenokai held a training camp at Shōgetsuin Temple (松月院, Shōgetsuin) in Itabashi, where they underwent special training. In the bitter cold of the main hall, without heating, they had to sleep in sleeping bags at night and eat only canned food that they had brought with them. After everyone had gone to sleep, Yamamoto saw Mishima writing at his desk, breathing out white breath from the cold. Seeing Mishima's earnest figure from behind, Colonel Yamamoto thought, "I don't mind dying with this man."

On February 25th, Mishima met with M, a JSDF officer who had been a classmate of Colonel Yamamoto's during his time in the Imperial Japanese Army and a collaborator in the Sanmu incident, at Yamamoto's home. M was deeply sympathetic to the ideas in Mishima's Counter-Revolution Manifesto, but he disagreed with the part that said "effectiveness is not an issue," stating that "if you take action, it is meaningless unless you win," and argued that the most important thing was the effectiveness of concrete means, such as weapons (tanks, missiles) superior to those of the enemy.

In response, Mishima said, "In that case, your way of posing the problem is completely different," and first explained the importance of the goal of "Protecting Japanese culture," and the metaphorical significance of fighting with a "Japanese sword." He argued, "In fact, risking your own life to die in battle creates more people who follow in your footsteps," and countered the materialistic consciousness that exercises modern military force (Weapon of mass destruction), which can commit mass murder with the flick of a launch button, while remaining in a safe zone where he himself will not be harmed.

We consider ourselves to be the final holders, final representatives, and essence of Japanese culture, history, and tradition that must be protected. We are in sharp opposition to any ideas that suggest a "better future society." This is because action for the future denies the maturity of culture, denies the nobility of tradition, and turns the irreplaceable present into a process of revolution. The kamikaze pilots' principle of action was to make themselves the incarnations of history, to embody the essence of history, to embody the aesthetic form of tradition, and to make themselves the last of their kind. In their wills, the pilots left behind the words, "I believe that there will be others who will follow us." The idea of "I believe that there will be others who will follow us" is truly and logically opposed to the idea of a "better future society." This is because "those who will follow us" are none other than those who act with the belief that they will be the last. Effectiveness is not an issue.

— Yukio Mishima, Counter-Revolution Manifesto

The third trial enlistment, led by Mishima to the new students, took place at the Camp Takigahara of the JGSDF Fuji School from March 1st to 29th. At this time, Masahiro Ogawa (小川正洋), a close friend of Morita, participated in this trial enlistment, becoming the 3rd generation member. From the 9th to the 15th, an advanced refresher course was also held for those who had enlisted before (1st and 2nd generation members). The reality of the Tatenokai, which was known by the public as "Toy soldiers," was that it had become an elite group that even surprised the JSDF officers.

Journalist Henry Scott-Stokes covered this trial enlistment and published an article in The Times of London. When Stokes asked Morita, who was in the refresher course, why he joined the Tatenokai, he answered, "I decided to follow Mishima.... Because Mishima was connected to the Emperor." On April 13, Thames Television, a London station that had read Stokes' article, came to cover the April regular meeting of the Tatenokai at Ichigaya Hall (市ヶ谷会館, Ichigaya Kaikan) and filmed the training. Mishima invited Stokes and Thames Television reporter Peter Taylor to his home.

On April 28, Okinawa Day (沖縄デー) (the day the Treaty of San Francisco came into effect in 1952), Mishima and Colonel Yamamoto observed the guerrilla activities and violent whirling demonstrations of the New Left Zengakuren. Afterwards, Mishima took Colonel Yamamoto to the National Theatre facing the Imperial Palace, where he took an elevator to the pit under the stage and said, "The pit is managed by a trusted friend of mine. Please feel free to use it any time."

In the same month, he published Bisection of JSDF (自衛隊二分論, Jieitai nibun ron) in which he proposed a tentative plan to form a "United Nations Police Reserve Force" out of 90% of the JASDF, 70% of the JMSDF, and 10% of the JGSDF as an international military linked to the collective security system through the Security Treaty with the United States. The other was a "National Defense Force" made up of 90% of the JGSDF, 30% of the JMSDF, 10% of the JASDF, and a large number of militias, as an independent military that would pledge loyalty to the Emperor and not conclude military treaties with any foreign country, with its primary mission being indirect invasion.

References