Difficult Matters on Our Morality and Humanity

Ango Sakaguchi, who is one of my favorite authors, used to discuss various matters of our morality. He was not only an ordinary storyteller but also a profound thinker, even though his discourse didn't appear to be logical enough. He was neither a strict academician nor a religious philosopher. Actu…

Devotion to the Absolute Beauty

Junichiro Tanizaki, who has been considered to be a great author of Japanese modern literature, is known for a remarkable longing to a sexual joy and a beauty of woman. His sensitivity resembles Yukio Mishima who also had an intense interest in beautiful things, but to be precise, I think that Mishi…

I Want to Disguise and Disappear

To be suspicious of actuality of Myself, it's a particular theme of Kobo Abe, who has been known as a prominent writer having left so many works strange, mysterious, and attractive. It has been regarded as basis of our society that we keep shapes of ourselves evident and consistent. However, he refu…

The Deathly Ecstatic Moment

A short story written by Yukio Mishima which was named "Yuukoku", of which title translated into English is "Patriotism", is a representative work reflecting his characteristic sensitivity as to death and sexual pleasure. Mishima himself told that this one was highly condensed essence of his literat…

Fight Against Filthy Adulthood

A novel written by Kenzaburo Oe of which title is "Nip the Buds, Shoot the Kids", named in Japanese "Memushiri-Kouchi", was the first one of his so many long novels. It seems a work developed from "Shiiku" which was his prominent short story in an early age, both of them described a figure of boys c…

Aspiring after Appearance of the Tragic Miracle

A short story named in English "Sea and Sunset" which Yukio Mishima had written a long time ago, titled in Japanese "Umi to Yuuyake", has a significant worth in his literature. Both "Sea" and "Sunset" had been important images of Mishima, for instance he mentioned the privileged memory of a particul…