Mishima Yukio: The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea

[Stewart]

Yukio Mishima’s The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea is a short novel but, due to its tight plot, brevity is not an issue. Published in 1963, seven years before he committed ritual suicide, the novel explores motivation and the factors that can cause someone to abandon their passions and resume their life embracing the dreams of another.

Noboru Kuroda, a thirteen year old on the cusp of an adult world, is part of a savage gang whose members, despite their exemplary grades at school, have rebelled against the adult world they deem hypocritical. Under the tutelage of Noboru’s friend, also thirteen, they condition themselves against sentimental feelings – a goal they call ‘objectivity’ - by killing stray cats.

Ryuji Tsukazaki, a merchant seaman, has been granted two days’ shore leave and has spent the time romancing Noboru’s widowed mother, Fusako. Noboru likes the sailor at first, his commitment to the sea and all the manly stories he has to tell. But, as Ryuji falls for Fusako, Noboru feels betrayed by the man’s burgeoning romanticism and, with the help of his gang, feels that action should be taken against the man who has replaced his father.

The first thing I noticed while reading this novel was that the characters are rich with life and history. Noboru, at thirteen, has strong feelings for his mother that manifest through voyeuristic sessions at night when, peeking into her room through a spy-hole, he watches her undress, entertain, and sleep. Ryuji, the sailor, knows he has some purpose at sea and continues his life off the land in the hope that one day he will learn his place in life. And Fusako, five years widowed, displays certain strength as she runs her own business, mixes with a richer class of citizen, while trying to raise he son as best she can.

The way the characters develop from this introduction is fast yet believable – the book, in fact, is split into two sections, Summer and Winter, to show that enough time has passed to be plausible. Noboru’s respect for Ryuji wanes as he becomes the worst thing, based on his gang’s beliefs, a man can be in this world: a father. Ryuji’s abandonment of his life’s passion is, of course, the main thread of the novel and it is a tragic decision he makes to give up the destiny waiting for him at sea in order to embrace the world of Fusako and the new direction she has planned for him.

The best thing about this novel is the language. The translator, John Nathan, has done a wonderful job and not a page passes without hitting you with a warm wash of sea-spray. Metaphors and similes are drenched with watery goodness as they add to the novel’s appeal. The prose is warm during the Summer section but as the book turns to Winter the turns of phrase become icier and tend to sting more. The dialogue is nice and realistic and doesn’t smart of stereotypical Japanese honour; the way the characters interact completely plausible.

I hadn’t heard of Mishima until I picked up this novel and, given that he had three Nobel nominations in his lifetime, I will certainly look out for more of his work. His concise prose, realistic characters, and the way his voice carries the sea makes him a rare find. If books were shells, I would hope to hear Mishima in every one.

[Morten]

This is an exceptional novel. I adore it. I have never read anything so gruesome written so beautifully!

[obooki]

To be fair, I thought this was the weakest of the novels I've read by Mishima. Read everything else, especially The Sea of Fertility tetralogy.

[Stewart]

Originally Posted by obooki

To be fair, I thought this was the weakest of the novels I've read by Mishima. Read everything else, especially The Sea of Fertility tetralogy.

Ever since I read The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea I've always meant to buy The Sea Of Fertility quartet but have never seen it as a pressing concern. If you think it's the weaker book, then those four must really be something.

[matt.todd]

The best thing I've ever read by Mishima is a short story/novella thing called 'Patriotism'. The gruesome beauty is brilliant! Though, maybe if you don't like the idea of disembowelment, maybe not for you...

[Stewart]

Originally Posted by matt.todd

The best thing I've ever read by Mishima is a short story/novella thing called 'Patriotism'. The gruesome beauty is brilliant!

matt, I was just looking at Mishima books online and could not find Patriotism, as standalone or part of a collection. Do you know if it was included in a collection or as part of an anthology?

[matt.todd]

Hmm, I'm not sure. I read it in a Japanese literature course I am taking at uni, so I just got the (highly legal) photocopy of the entire thing. The publisher appears to be Bibelot, of whom I have never heard. So I don't know.

I found this ISBN, but it's 12 years out of date. 9780811213127. And that comes up on American Amazon.

[fausto]

Like Morten, I adore this novel. Probably not his best, but my favourite. The tetralogy is fantastic, but there is no way in the world the last two volumes are better than The sailor... Now, the first two really are something. The third is a rather big disappointment and at times a turgid essay on reincarnation in buddhist tradition. The fourth is better, although not up there with the rest. Mandatory read anyway.

[Stewart]

In the Telegraph there's a small piece on how this book got its English title:

... the original title of Yukio Mishima's 1963 novel was rather different. It was Gogo no Eiko, which hinges crucially on the homonym eiko, and can be rendered either 'An Afternoon's Glory' or 'An Afternoon's Towing'.

Mishima's English translator, John Nathan, was stumped (all he could think of was Glory is a Drag) and went to the author for help. Mishima, who hungered after the Nobel Prize, decided he wanted 'a long title in the manner of À la Recherche' - perhaps to impress the committee - and chose The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea, in reference to the (extremely gruesome) downfall of the main character.

[DreamQueen]

Originally Posted by fausto

Like Morten, I adore this novel. Probably not his best, but my favourite. The tetralogy is fantastic, but there is no way in the world the last two volumes are better than The sailor... Now, the first two really are something. The third is a rather big disappointment and at times a turgid essay on reincarnation in buddhist tradition. The fourth is better, although not up there with the rest. Mandatory read anyway.

I agree; The Sailor is also my favourite (although tied, perhaps, with his stunning short story collection Acts of Worship). The second novel in the Sea of Fertility, Runaway Horses, is amazing but I felt as though the last two betrayed Mishima's unraveling hold on reality (esp. now that I've read John Nathan's biography of him).