Yukio Mishima - The Temple of the Golden Pavilion BOOK REVIEW

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[@Raghu.Bharadwaj]

The cat dissection scene from sailor who fell from grace with the sea is one the most beautifully grotesque scene ever written. Mishima has this icredible ability to make grotesque poetic.

[@TheCompleteGuitarist]

One of my favourite novels. I have "The Temple of the Golden Pavilion" but waiting for a good time to read it.

[@Ozgipsy]

Like the set Cliff. The bookcase background is overdone.

[@daikiyuasa6752]

I’m Japanese and a huge fan of mishima. “Enormous F you” a very good summary of the last scene of the book. My fav work of him is “the decay of the angel” I’ll be extremely happy if you review on that one as well! Thank you for your great review.

[@teodor5420]

I assume youve read Mishima in the original. How much is lost in translation?

[@daikiyuasa6752]

@@teodor5420 I havent read English version so cant really say but I am pretty sure mishima was very particular about the translators so the essence must not have been missed. As of the original version, well, in my opinion, he is the very best among Japanese writers ever existed, GOAT.Eccentric and aesthetic, pure joy to read the rhythm of words he uses. it's a magic really.

[@jabolko]

You're such a big book influencer. You review a book, I go and buy one 😁

[@patrickweller5254]

I am very surprised you do not like the Mishima film. I'm a massive fan and love the abstract way they portrayed the novels. Shocked you also don't like Glass' score! It elates me instantly! Alas we can't share all the same opinions of course.

[@AleksandarBloom]

Vaistinu! That score is the best one I've heard!

[@ExxylcrothEagle]

I love the track with the bouncy kind of rock swing beat. And overall I like the soundtrack but I also get very quickly annoyed with Glass almost every time I listen to him. The same arpeggios all the time. "Facades" though is absolute genius

[@vivectelvanni]

Yes.. same here. The Philip Glass soundtrack is totally incredible.

[@nhmooytis7058]

I love the score per se, but don’t think the pieces fit the scenes, probably because I read Glass composed it as an opera before seeing the film and the different parts were later added to the film.

[@aethra88]

I am fascinated by Mishima, both as an author and as a personality. His novel "Thirst for Love" was my introduction to this author and Japanese literature...and I never looked back! Would highly recommend the 1985 film "Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters" ...for an good dose of Mishima-ness.

[@beyondz55]

The way Mishima died reminds me of a pivotal scene in the Tarkovsky film "Nostalghia".

[@michaelbrown2145]

Great book, love your Mishima reviews! Just finished "After the Banquet" myself, its always interesting how Mishima weaves in actual cultural references and events into his stories.

[@grantlovesbooks]

I was happy to see this video pop up today, but then very confused. I kept thinking, 'That doesn't sound like the book I read.' I had to get up and go to my bookcase and check, and sure enough, it is a different book. I thought you were talking about 'The Temple of Dawn' the third book in 'The Sea of Fertility' series. Thanks for the review! I'm a huge fan of Japanese literature.

[@MrPROJECTSyNc]

I’ve been looking to read my next Mishima for a while now and have been eyeing this one. You’ve tipped me over the edge with this review

[@ellelala39]

Good luck in your new abode, Cliff. Thanks for another Mishima.

[@miat9039]

I have the same opinion about mishima:life in four chapters especially the scene where he mishima debated againts the leftist student protestors.Like if you watch mishima last debate you can see that mishima and the leftist students(especially the student turned dramatist akuta) were very engage in their rhetoric. In the film they just turned it into Mishima vs a bunch of idiotic students. What i like about the debate is that it shows just how similar mishima is to those students. He and them are very much againts the modernity that they saw is poisoning japan at the time.

[@zenape619]

Mishima swapping masks to get a reaction. When I read him I feel the clock tick behind the words. He wants to make every moment important.

[@colbysmith2668]

This book fundamentally changed my life at 18 and most things I've read since then are influenced by my enjoyment of this. I got a tattoo on my thigh that says "Destroyer of All Beauty" in honor of Mizoguchi in a basement in Ohio. Bless you Cliff always forever.

[@nozecone]

Well ... I suppose anyone who sees the tattoo can't say they weren't warned ....!

[@domingopartida5812]

He is definitely a sobering and humorous character

[@pelodelperro]

Great review. This book I liked but didn't love. Your review helped understand why that's the case. Thank you!

[@zarathustra1471]

You should review Sartre’s classic novel Nausea

[@nozecone]

Having just ploughed through The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov, and having read I don't know how many Mishima novels, I appreciate your observation that they both could have benefited from some editing ...!

[@piotrdebski9827]

Truly maaaan, Better Then Food! My favourite book compared only to "No Longer Human". Great film!

[@asheroctober7846]

Would love to hear your thoughts on Murakami & whether you are a fan or not of his stories. Thank you for your amazing reviews you give such great recommendations and not only that but you review books with so much background knowledge and sincerity, so thank you.

[@jackpeak4747]

surukawa didn't die. he just got hit by truck-kun and sent to a fantasy world. Bro probably has his own harem by now I'm sure.

[@seams4186]

I discovered your channel for your very first video review, on the Ficciones of Borges. Now I watch your most recent video and the time skip is wild. It's so interesting! What are your thoughts on Collected Fictions nowadays? I would love to see a remake, or at least get a response!

[@Crowborn]

Weirded out at how this and the last review weren't recommended to me even though I adore and always rewatch your other Mishima and Battaille videos. Glad I found it now though!

[@garethk95]

Mishima is truly fascinating. On your point about whether or not Mishma really believed he could succeed, there is actually some debate on whether his suicide was another form of art to him. Anyway, love this book. I first read it while in Kyoto, which was just perfect.

[@catarinamacedo2864]

Is it bad that I don't read any of these books, but I listen to your reviews anyway cause its cool hearing your interpretations?

[@thebigredfish]

Ah, Mishima is on my tbr. Thanks for the review.

[@thebigredfish]

Also, not sure where you take recommendations, but I'd love to hear your take on Par Lagerkvist's "The Dwarf". Seems up your alley.

[@j.7940]

Have you checked out Kommodus? One man black metal project from Australia that made a themed record about Yukio Mishima called An Imperial Sun Rises, very raw, very good stuff

[@blue---monday]

My biggest issue w Mishima, is that a lot of his works weren't meant to be ironic. It wasn't clear at first, when you don't read up about the author's life and his interviews. But a bunch of them are not just grand metaphors or grotesque imageries to disturb a reader's soul. It's.. kinda literal, in what it was trying to say. Hence for me, reading The Sailor in ignorance as a solitary and isolated work 5 years ago, was drastically different from rereading it again in context about 2 years ago. I just cannot pretend like I'm okay with a bunch of things he's conveying in his fiction. Especially the fixation and borderline obsession with death and suicide. Reading the cat dissection scene, the suicide-inducing ending scene of drinking poison, the ultranationalist rethoric.. they're too much. The language and the prose was beautiful... but I just couldnt help feeling revolted

[@takezyzz]

Could you please elaborate on the ironic part

[@nhmooytis7058]

Thought the Paul Schrader film OK, but the score by Philip Glass is one of my top 5. The one supposed to decap him was supposedly also his lover, and he supposedly botched it. Note Mishima Yukio (Japanese form) was born Hiraoka Kimitake, chose his pen name at 16.

[@usmnt4423]

Oh man. I can’t wait for that Crime and Punishment review. My body is ready.

[@authorgreene]

My favorite, much tighter Mishima novel is After the Banquet - it set the bar high for me when comparing it to other Mishima books.

[@MrMikkyn]

Hearing this book makes me feel so in love with Yukio Mishima. The Obscure Buddhist Mysticism; Homosexuality; Emperor, Seppuku; Honour Culture; Reincarnation; Bodybuilding; Aristocratic Values; Traditionalism; His Death; His Politics; Hatred of Cultural Decay. Its all so beautiful 😍 I can relate to every angle.

[@ledovejpatek8803]

I'm sure you really can't.

[@nullset560]

Coming full circle back to a Mishima review:)

[@lionstandingII]

Hardly even mentioned by anyone in his home country......Thanks for your diligence using proper pronunciation with the names....

[@Noms_Chompsky]

Clifford teh red mustached big dawg

[@soli4012]

Are you going to review Crime and Punishment?

[@donaldkelly3983]

Mishima is good read for the young, but there are many Japanese novelists who are better: Tanizaki, Soseki, Kawabata, Dazai, Endo, and Ibuse As with James Dean, death was a great career move for Mishima.

[@nozecone]

That over-the-top death in particular ......

[@unchartedrocks1]

Yukio life was definitely a erratic one the only other person i can think of with a crazy life of events is Marquis de Sade

[@MarcoPolo-fs5uw]

Great stuff, Clifford. Will you read the controversial BAM?

[@Captain1nsaneo]

If you're equating US and Japanese behavior in wwii you don't know about unit 731. Rest of the review was fine but that line stuck like a splinter.

[@nhmooytis7058]

‘Garbage I mean literature’ sums it up 😢.

[@NickBergOne]

What an absolute madlad.

[@keysersoz5768]

Cliff do a review of forbidden colors. It's mishima's truest novel.

[@clivebroadhead4857]

Mishima is very interesting. Discuss.

[@indiieskull5073]

Hello, I would like to start a youtube channel about books, any sugestions?

[@andyalam5074]

Mann was his hero ☝️

[@davidnorris166]

Read The Snow Leopard and shoot the video in Nepal

[@guyfieri791]

How could you possibly dislike the Glass’s score of Mishima a life in four chapters. It’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard in my life. I don’t think I can listen to a review by someone with such bad taste lol

[@domingopartida5812]

Love the line about stoning and boning in a world of stone and bone. Not an exact quote, but an inspired quote.

[@hihi6666hihittt]

This isn't one of his best books. If you want the BEST Mishima, imo, here it is: Spring Snow and Runaway Horses and The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea

[@nozecone]

I never got to The Sailor... - but Temple and Confessions have always stood out for me among the many Mishima novels i"ve read - I can barely remember anything about the others. Of course, Temple was the first I read, at age 14, and it made a tremendous impression on me. I'm not sure it was entirely a good influence .....

[@viictor1309]

I know it's totally off topic, I've been watching your videos for about a year now, and noticed you really look like a 21st century Arthur Shelby.

[@NapoleonDynamite69]

A healthier Shelby. One with less coke, more books.

[@viictor1309]

@@NapoleonDynamite69 exactly

[@Craw1011]

Gentle critique, might just be me, but I was hoping to get into the book a little sooner into the video

[@pjr5913]

hey brozo

[@connorveach5986]

A large nuisance for cutting glass, eats eggs or adjective

[@celifacejones]

Did... did you just say fat shaming is ok as long as it gets people in shape? That is so disappointing.

[@celifacejones]

@@foxingboarder2744 Yes, but we don't need to encourage emotional and mental abuse or eating disorders. For someone so well-read it is so disappointing to see such a horribly insensitive and immature take.

[@lautarocasas7652]

fat shaming only works on men.

[@ploovey]

Yikes, thought this was a part of youtube that escaped insufferable virtue-signaling people

[@celifacejones]

@@ploovey yikes, you could have kept scrolling but you decided to add a stupid comment.

[@celifacejones]

@@foxingboarder2744 facts

[@piothehearer]

Fat-shaming is a good thing. Too many hippos around who think that their steps do not cause micro quakes.

[@mirsad3474]

If someone cares, Star by Mishima is also good.

[@JMRDWHO]

Every Mishima I read so far is true bliss

[@daheikkinen]

I care

[@lesterballard3310]

That’s his worst book

[@Amanda-yo2cd]

Incredible review. I read the book after watching 5mins of your review, then watched the rest once I’d finished. I think you really captured the essence of this text. The most original book I’ve read and one that truly embodies the Buddhist practice of becoming the “observer” in order to see the “suchness” of life, and so be liberated. I loved this book. My life is richer for your reviews! With much gratitude from the UK :)

[@darrenbrown8952]

I read this around June last year, and really loved it, but I have to agree with your complaint about its excess. There's even a part of me that feels like The Sailor Who Fell etc was basically just a more refined version of this story, but instead of an obsession with aesthetics it's an obsession with morality - with aesthetics just being the visual representation of morality. Anyway, great as always man!

[@nathansnook]

"nothing is simple in Yukio Mishima's writing," -- 110% agree. it's incredible to me that he can push out these stories that are plain and simple in structure, but deal so much with morality, and reality at large. a fantastic review. have you read his Patriotism?

[@CXCOOKIE117]

great review. One of the interesting things about Mishima is there's the impulse you have when looking at a particular work by an artist or their entire body of work and not wanting to try and apply it to their lives for obvious reasons(you can't necessarily say the themes in their works were in their for any reason besides them being good for the art). But with Mishima he did seem to consider the coup, his bodybuilding, and military training an extension of his artistic expression and a work of art in their own right. which means you can look at his books and the themes he explores in them and apply them to his life in a way you can't with almost any other artist, because he was very much using his books, his politics, his bodybuilding as ways to express himself artistically.

[@MrUndersolo]

Mishima really does clear the palate. I always know where he's heading, and I still like the ride.

[@trashlyfe69420]

There’s a lot of great micro-publishers, online lit zines. Apocalypse Confidential and Tragickal Books are my favs and not even because they’ve put out short pieces of mine and I’ll prove that by regretting saying that

[@literallyricky]

I just finished this! I thought the ending was meant to portray how the narrator finally destroyed his exterior self (the Temple) and decided he could then live with the interior self once it was free from the artifice. I found that considering Mishima himself in his sexuality at a time when the world was less accepting of that, it became clearer to me what he was doing with this giant metaphor and even the main character's stuttering. Just my interpretation but I'm sure there are many ways you can take this novel. I love your fascination with Mishima because it's one that I share. He is my all-time favorite author and part of that is just because of how complex and interesting he was as a person. He really put his whole self into his books and after reading seven very different books from him, I can see quintessential Mishima-isms in each of them. I just want to know more about this man and it seems like his books are our best chance at ever coming close to understanding him. Thanks for the great review!

[@stevenblack1903]

The reason most of today's literature is garbage is because it's not about talent today, it's about Name's. It's about who you know.

[@ALittleLifeWithDriedTubers]

Wow, I'm surprised you don't like Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, or the score by Philip Glass! I thought it was near perfect.

[@rathodkaran6190]

This is a very confusing man for me, i have stumbled across his words but i am still very confused, i tend to be very black and white in my life but this case makes me very grey... i like him and respect his way, but what he did was so dumb... i mean respect not in the terms of being a dictator but like acting towards his dream, (sort of like an ed wood; who also got booed for his terrible films but made them regardless) but his dream was so dumb... they say all confident people are stupid, i think i see what they mean now, i mean i compare him and napoleon, but napoleon succeeded right? I dont know...

[@UberPlaysGames]

oh god he reviewed my favorite book I can’t handle it

[@higurro]

Have you read The Spire by William Golding? I've not myself, but believe it has a similar quality to the temple you mention in that a glorious and incomparable building becomes the character's obsession and eventually drives them mad.

[@Novaroma2728]

My personal favourite of Mishima’s work I’ve read thus far. Glad to see more of Mishima on this channel!

[@dialecdicks3255]

Please read The House on The Hill by Cesare Pavese, you will love it

[@reinarforeman6518]

"I'm fine with shaming people into getting in shape" yikes😬

[@Eternalplay]

Thanks dude. Love your reviews.

[@CaptainBas]

This is the third novel that I come across by Yukio where he describes a scene of a child witnessing his/her mother having an affair. In all three they were bothered by the scene, but one child wanted to get his revenge whereas the other ignored it. I feel like this scene has happened to Yukio and left a big scar in his life. He wouldnt be mentioning it like this and describing it almost the same way.

[@quique1208hernandez]

What great timing. I just finished reading last week and I was looking in your channel to see if you had covered this book. I'm glad your covering this book.

[@trevorphillips8709]

I almost forgot I finished reading this book the night before my dad died a couple years ago, and more or less had the same thoughts. Recently I read Yasunari Kawabata's Snow Country, and, having read a lot of post-war Japanese authors, it's one of the most beautifully written and descriptive works I've come across from that world.

[@idahellblau8513]

I just read Shipwrecks by Akira Yoshimura which was absolutely fantastic, I'd love to hear you're thoughts on that haunting read. Also be interested to hear your thoughts on Satantango by Kraznahorkai. Thanks for your work Clifford, love the channel.

[@vivectelvanni]

Love your MIshima reviews as always. Hoping to one day get a Sea of Fertility review ;). Cheers.

[@atlasdidntshrug]

I completely agree on the "writing too much" portion. Mishima is my favorite Japanese writer after Kawabata but his writing in the "Sea of Feritility" series is bit unbearble. Thank you for this great video and your insight.

[@roryalexanderm]

Excellent! I have been following you for years and this feels like a long time coming. The Schrader movie is excellent 😭

[@awesumevideos]

hope florida is treating you well cliff

[@Hythlodaeus69]

God damnit, Cliff. You’ve done it again

[@achus-i3n]

Pure nihilism including beauty of it.

[@TK-kf8zc]

He was a samurai

[@ColombianThunder]

Saw the Paul Shrader film and have been wanting to read his books badly since then

[@patrickweller5254]

The film is incredible.

[@ColombianThunder]

@@patrickweller5254 i agree. I don't agree with Cliff's opinion on it but i completely understand his point of view lol. Except for the Philip Glass bit. That soundtrack is beautiful.

[@thatgirl4429]

That’s rude to pay for dinner and leave a note..can’t wait 10 mins? I’m not waiting anymore and I’m not Interested in listening to more lies

[@nhmooytis7058]

“Gay bodybuilding Emperor worshipper” was a lot for the Japanese to process in 1970...

[@mudgetheexpendable]

His prolixity always read to me like purposeful recursion. "Pellucid" is more active than transparent; the roots being to shine and "per-" or "fore" as in foreground, it carries more of an active, light-purposefully-shone-through connotation.

[@bobcabot]

ja it would be funny if every genius filmmaker gets all the cast and sets he wanted, but then would be a writer...

[@lurker9634]

so so many breath-taking scenes in this book come to mind whenever I think about it

[@bgp2k]

one of my fav books ever

[@eyeseebells6000]

I’ve been a fan of this channel for some time now, but that comment about fat shaming was very disappointing.

[@phillipchavez1321]

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