Eikoh Hosoe

This work is a part of a series of images Eikoh Hosoe made over a 6-month period in 1961 of Yukio Mishima, a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor, model, Shintoist, nationalist, and founder of the Tatenokai. Mishima presented as a person of apparent contradictions. He embraced and promoted traditional Japanese culture while also being rather cosmopolitan. He writing style had elements of both traditional Japanese and Western literary styles. His merging of ideas about beauty, eroticism and death shocked many and enticed others. Though married to a woman, it was unclear if he was gay or bisexual. It is said that he was very controlling about who he would allow to photograph him. Earlier in 1961, Hosoe made a portrait of him for Mishima's 1961 book of critical essays, The Attack on Beauty, after he had admired Hosoe's photographs of the dancer and founder of Butoh, Tatsumi Hijikata.

Interesting note: Hosoe asked Mishima to title the body of work and he chose Barakei, which was translated as Killed by Roses in English for the first publication in 1963. The title of the second edition (1971), which came out after Mishima's death, was translated in English as Ordeal by Roses.

LINK to trailer of Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, directed by Paul Shrader, 1985.

This work is a part of a series of images Eikoh Hosoe made over a 6-month period in 1961 of Yukio Mishima, a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor, model, Shintoist, nationalist, and founder of the Tatenokai. Mishima presented as a person of apparent contradictions. He embraced and promoted traditional Japanese culture while also being rather cosmopolitan. He writing style had elements of both traditional Japanese and Western literary styles. His merging of ideas about beauty, eroticism and death shocked many and enticed others. Though married to a woman, it was unclear if he was gay or bisexual. It is said that he was very controlling about who he would allow to photograph him. Earlier in 1961, Hosoe made a portrait of him for Mishima's 1961 book of critical essays, The Attack on Beauty, after he had admired Hosoe's photographs of the dancer and founder of Butoh, Tatsumi Hijikata.

Interesting note: Hosoe asked Mishima to title the body of work and he chose Barakei, which was translated as Killed by Roses in English for the first publication in 1963. The title of the second edition (1971), which came out after Mishima's death, was translated in English as Ordeal by Roses.

LINK to trailer of Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, directed by Paul Shrader, 1985.

This work is a part of a series of images Eikoh Hosoe made over a 6-month period in 1961 of Yukio Mishima, a Japanese author, poet, playwright, actor, model, Shintoist, nationalist, and founder of the Tatenokai. Mishima presented as a person of apparent contradictions. He embraced and promoted traditional Japanese culture while also being rather cosmopolitan. He writing style had elements of both traditional Japanese and Western literary styles. His merging of ideas about beauty, eroticism and death shocked many and enticed others. Though married to a woman, it was unclear if he was gay or bisexual. It is said that he was very controlling about who he would allow to photograph him. Earlier in 1961, Hosoe made a portrait of him for Mishima's 1961 book of critical essays, The Attack on Beauty, after he had admired Hosoe's photographs of the dancer and founder of Butoh, Tatsumi Hijikata.

Interesting note: Hosoe asked Mishima to title the body of work and he chose Barakei, which was translated as Killed by Roses in English for the first publication in 1963. The title of the second edition (1971), which came out after Mishima's death, was translated in English as Ordeal by Roses.

LINK to trailer of Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, directed by Paul Shrader, 1985.