Mishima Yukio Literary Museum

Out of the establishments in the Lake Yamanakako Literary Grove, the Mishima Yukio Literary Museum is perhaps one of the most popular with visitors from outside of Japan, as it celebrates one of the country’s most internationally renowned authors.

Born Kimitake Hiraoka in Tokyo, Yukio Mishima (1925-1970) made his literary debut at the age of 16. Following a brief flirtation with a bureaucratic career at the Ministry of Finance, Mishima began writing in earnest. His output over the course of his life proved prodigious.

The museum pays homage to Mishima’s life and works of literature, displaying a wide range of items including first edition prints of his books, autographed manuscripts, letters, and annotated first drafts. The exhibit hall provides an overview of his life as well as commentary on his posthumous influence. Mishima’s nationalist activities were controversial during his lifetime, and remain so after his death.

The museum building was designed to resemble the author’s eclectically designed personal residence; even his study is replicated in faithful detail. Visitors will note Mishima’s penchant for diverse furnishings and cherry-picking of Western-style architectural influences. Among these were high arches, stained glass windows, white bricks, and a marble entrance hall in the Indo-Saracen style.