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04

1961

1970 11 25

42

1936

91

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The Composition of Love-death:

Mishima Yukios Patriotism and the
Film Patriotism and
Wagners Tristan und Isolde
Shu-Jung WANG

Abstract
Mishima Yukio first published the novel Patriotism in 1961, and five years
later he used Patriotism as the basis for a script for a film entitled Patriotism. In the
film Mishima plays the male protagonist who realistically acts out a suicide by
disembowelment. On November 25, 1970, the news of Mishimas suicide by
disembowelment at the Self-Defense Forces headquarters in Ichigaya, Tokyo,
shocked the world. At the time, the majority of Japanese society believed that
Mishimas suicide was an appeal to the nation that was foreshadowed in his
Patriotism. For 42 years, in the name of anniversary of a patriot's death, the
literary world has held commemorative events on the day of Mishimas death. By
now, there are innumerable papers that connect Mishimas suicide to Patriotism.
This paper seeks to explore the motivations of Mishima in writing Patriotism,
pointing out that even though Mishima wrote against the background of the
February 26 Incident in 1936, it is insufficient to use the suicide by his protagonist
in Patriotism, the spirit of great righteousness, or the theory of the emperor to
predict Mishimas suicide ten years later. Since the excessive attention to
Mishimas rightwing thought has obstructed us from seeing the truth of the artistic
creation in Patriotism, this study will conduct an in-depth analysis of the
insistences of Mishima in filming Patriotism, and it will dissect Mishimas
disclosures regarding the music of Richard Wagner and unveil Mishimas
reorganization of it. By comparison, this study will attempt to create an alternative
reading of Patriotism, which is used to clarify that the Film Patriotism was formed
from Wagners Tristan und Isolde, and is a variation on the theme of love-death.
Keywords: Mishima Yukio, R. Wagner, love-death, aesthetics of death, opera
and literature

92


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1925-1970

93

 19 2013.11
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3
4

1975
460

1955

461-3
1932 3 COGITO

1935
7

1938 7

1939 8

1941 9

13
1975
373

17 26 1963
1 10 ~5 23

377-8
94


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1975293

1951

1955
163-4

1955

164
95

 19 2013.11
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10 1876

11

1965-1970

12

13

10

31
1974

84

1963 8 1964 5

11

84
12

3
1974

1950

13

256
96


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14

15

16

17

18

14

257

306
16

318
17

339
18

3
1974

1950

15

97

 19 2013.11
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19

20

19

11
1974

359

1959

20
11 1974

1964 1 ~12

98


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1952
Wilhelm Furtwangler1886-1954

1952 Stuttgart

21

22

1970 45 11 25 23

21

84
23

1968 10 5

1971 2 28
22

99

 19 2013.11
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1945-19702425

26
27

1961
1966

24

25

26
1901-1975
1918

1990129-130
27

13
1974

1961

100


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19611966

28

1997

29

1997

30

2008

31

28

199923649
29

132
1995
182-98
30

132

1995
41-59
31

53
17

2008
110-117
101

 19 2013.11
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1966 41

32
33

St. Sebastian

1936 11
34
32

19631966
196719671968
19681968

1961

33

34
1936 2 26
1500

27
102


DOI: 10.6244/JOMR.2013.19.04

35

2 26

29

35
33
1975
175
1966

103

 19 2013.11
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1935

36
1894-1976

37

36
37

259

1990

25-6

104


DOI: 10.6244/JOMR.2013.19.04

38

39

40

38

27

261-2
40

381-2
39

105

 19 2013.11
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1956
1950 7 2

41

42

41

2003

42
200711

106


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1965

43

Arthur Groos

44

43
44

205-6
Arthur Groos

2003
188
107

 19 2013.11
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45

45

233
108


DOI: 10.6244/JOMR.2013.19.04

46

47

46
47

238

244
109

 19 2013.11
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48

48

248
110


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49

50

DVD

49

33

1974
439

50

111

 19 2013.11
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DVD

112


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51

52

1963

53

51

243

84
53
31
1973
148

1963 10
52

113

 19 2013.11
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114


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1989

35 1973-1976

2006

1999

1990
132

1995
53 17 2008
2007

2003

DVD

1966

115