The Samurai and the Artist: Henry Miller’s Reflections on the Death of Mishima

Abstract

In early 1971, Henry Miller composed Reflections on the Death of Mishima, an essay in which he attempted to formulate his opinions concerning the death of Mishima Yukio on 25 November 1970. Since the text has been greatly overlooked by both Miller and Mishima scholars, uncovering Miller’s composition process and the Japanese publication history through the use of archival materials will encourage a reevaluation Miller’s search for understanding concerning Mishima’s actions. I argue that Miller set out to formulate a meaningful reflection spurred by the events of the suicide, perhaps achieving his personal goal; to do so, he put great effort into gathering information sources from both Japan and the United States. What is revealed through this research is that the wide-ranging opinions from both Japan and the West concerning Mishima’s seppuku had a calculable impact on the construction of Reflections.

Keywords

• Miller (Henry)
• Mishima (Yukio)
• seppuku
• samurai
• archival research