| YEAR | MISHIMA'S LIFE | JAPAN |
|---|---|---|
| 1925 | Yukio Mishima is born in Tokyo, Japan. | Passage of the Peace Preservation Act in Japan. This law gave the Japanese police widespread power in curbing dissent. |
| 1926 | The emperor Yoshihito dies of ill health. His son Hirohito becomes the new emperor. | |
| 1928 | Mishima's sister Mitsuko is born. | |
| 1930 | Mishima's brother Chiyuki is born. | |
| 1931 | Mishima begins at the Gakushuin or Peers School where he does not excel at first as a student. | Japan begins military aggression in Manchuria |
| 1932 | The Japanese military sets up a puppet government in Manchuria . called Manchukuo. | |
| 1936 | Japan signs the Anti-Comitern pact with Germany. | |
| 1937 | Mishima enters the middle school at the "Gakushuin" (Peers School) where he excels at his studies. | Sino-Japanese War begins |
| 1938 | Publishes his first novel in his school newspaper. | The Japanese army has occupied much of northern China. |
| 1939 | Mishima's grandmother Natsuko dies on January 19. | |
| 1941 | His short story "The Forest in Full Bloom" is published. | Soviet-Japanese nonaggression pact signed in April. Japan attacks Pearl Harbor in December. |
1942 | Mishima enters the senior school at the "Gakushuin" (Peers School) where he does extremely well academically. While there he publishes patriotic poems as well as develops a taste for the Japanese classics.Mishima also becomes interested in the "Nippon Roman-ha"(Japanese Romanticists). |
| 1943 | Mishima meets Yojuro Yasuda. | March 2nd - 4th : Japan is defeated at the Battle of Bismarck Sea. |
| 1944 | Mishima enters Tokyo Imperial University.Publishes his first collection of short stories. | |
| 1945 | Mishima recieves his draft notice in February while working in a factory. He fails the medical examination when the doctor mistakenly diagnosis him with tuberculosis. Mishima returns to Tokyo. | Japan surrenders to the United States on board the ship "USS Missouri ending the Second World War. General Douglas MacArthur accepted the terms of surrender from the Japanese representives. The American occupation of Japan begins. |
| YEAR | MISHIMA'S LIFE | JAPAN |
|---|---|---|
| 1946 | Mishima brings two essays to the writer Yasnuri Kawabata. He later becomes Kawabata's protege. |
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| 1947 | Mishima goes to work for the Japanese Ministry of Finance. | |
| 1948 | Mishima resigns from his job at the Ministry of Finance and decides to support himself from his writing. He begins work on the autobiographical novel "Confessions of a Mask". | |
| 1949 | The novel "Confessions of a Mask" is published in Japan. His first play "Kataku"(Fire House) is performed. | |
| 1950 | The novel "Thirst for Love" is published. | The Korean War begins. |
| 1951 | The novel "Forbidden Colors" is completed. | |
| 1952 | The American occupation of Japan ends. Japan's sovereignty as an independent nation is restored. | |
| 1954 | The novel "The Sound of the Waves" is published.Mishima also writes a play entitled "The Nest of the White Ants". This play establishes his reputation as a playwright. The rights to "The Sound of the Waves" is sold to Toho, Japan's largest film production company. | |
| 1956 | The novel "The Temple of the Golden Pavillon" is published. "The Sound of the Waves" and "Five Modern No Plays" are published in America. | |
| 1957 | Invited to the United States by the book publisher Alfred A. Knopf. He makes an address at Michigan University. | |
| 1958 | Mishima marries Yoko Sugiyama, the daughter of a well known Japanese traditional painter. "Enjo" a film adatation of the novel "The Temple of the Golden Pavillon" is released. | |
| 1959 | Mishima begins work on his novel "Kyoko's House" which he completes in the autumn.The novel "Confessions of a Mask" is first published in English in the United States. Mishima and his wife have their first child, a girl, who they name Noriko. | |
| 1960 | The novel "After the Banquet" is published. Mishima acts in his first movie entitled"A Dry Fellow". | The Anpo (United States-Japan Treaty) riots take place. |
| 1961 | A lawsuit is brought against Mishima for damages as a result of the novel "After the Banquet". | |
| 1963 | The novel "The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea" is published. | |
| 1964 | Mishima begins to write "The Sea of Fertility Novels". | The Olympics are held in Tokyo. | 1965 | The novel "Madame de Sade" is publishd in English. | Japanese novelist Junichiro Tanizaki dies. Mishima is now considered by many to be the leading Japanese contender for the Nobel prize for literature. |
| 1966 | The collection of short stories "Death in Midsummer" is published. Completes the first book of "The Sea of Fertility" series "Spring Snow" in the autumn of the year. Mishima also acts in a film version of his short story "Patriotism" in which he plays the central character. The film is a huge success in Japan. | |
| 1967 | Mishima is rumored to be a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize for literature. The prize is awarded to Guatamalean novelist Miguel Angel Asturias. He and his wife travel to India at the invitation of the government. | |
| 1968 | "Spring Snow" the first book of "The Sea of Fertility" series published in English. Mishima is rumored to be a strong candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature. The prize is awarded to Yasnuri Kawabata instead. | |
| 1969 | "Runaway Horses" the second book of "The Sea of Fertility"is published in English. | |
| 1970 | "Temple of Dawn", book three of "The Sea of Fertility" series is published in English. On the morning of November 25 Mishima hands over the last part of "The Deacy of the Angel" book four of "The Sea of Fertility".This finishes the series. Later, he commits ritual suicide (seppuku) after a political protest. |
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