Mishima starts by describing how he sees his body as an expression of his inner thoughts, in a way. He details a youth where he avoided the sun in favor of staying inside, intellectualism, etc. The "sun" element is obvious, since he sees the sun and going outside as positive. Tan skin shows an individual is someone who is to be respected when talking about the body. The "steel" is weights, which he refers to as "cold, as if the essence of night in them had been further condensed." Overall, I'm enjoying it so far, he is definitely a skilled author and shows a passion for his flesh already. I really like the theme of combining the "flesh and spirit" by training the mind and body. It is easy to work on one at the expense of the other. Personally, I can relate to the idea of wasting my youth away from the sun, playing video games, masturbating, and surfing the web when I could have been outside or lifting.

Chapter 3 is even better, because Mishima makes several interesting points. First, he produces a profoundly traditionalist statement, since he says that the body has declined. Ancient men were physically better and the weaker, flabbier bodies of modernity are a sign of that. The idea of mankind devolving from a higher state is an essential element of true right wing traditionalism, so I like this fitness angle. He also makes good points about muscles themselves, since they resemble the "steel" (weights.) Like weightlifting, a better body is not necessary for a modern man, but building a better body is a sign of a stronger character. He likens building a "classical" body to "reviv[ing] a dead language."

We also see his infatuation with death, since he mentions how he was horrified at the idea that his weak body might have prevented him from honorably fighting and dying. Mishima discusses how a poor physique being associated with death is repulsive, which is an interesting idea. A final fascinating point is he contrasts the individuality of writting with the uniformity of body building. The best authors "pervert" words by using them in a unique or special way, robbing them of their universal sameness. In contrast, the best looking bodies are those that most closely resemble the classical ideal.

Chapter 4 touches on several more interesting points. Mishima starts by talking about imagination, and how lazy men use imagination as a way of experiencing undeserved sensations. Obviously, porn, modern "super hero" movies, and video games can easily fall into this. He then says one of his most iconic quotes, the one on the back cover of this book that I am gonna post in motivation. He talks about how it is always the skinny or the obese who mock ancient hero worship. We all know this firsthand, it is always disgusting people who promote body positivity and attack unrealistic standards.

He links heroism with death, using the examples of bull fighting and fencing. Bull fighting, Mishima reasons, would be comedic if it wasn't so dangerous. It is the risk of death that makes the theatrics so appealing. He describes a similar feeling about fencing, since it has devolved from a life-or-death practice to something for show, reflecting how the need for maniless has declined in modern society. Throughout the chapter, he also explains the nature of defeat and victory, and how the ultimate opponent is death, a shadow constantly bearing down on us.

Chapter 5 is, again, packed with cool stuff. Mishima starts by talking about how his improving body led to an improvement in his art, since he found a better medium between overly flabby filler and too barren pieces. He also describes his art as "defensive" and his body as being on the "attack." Action dies but literature cannot die, and maintaining a balance is essential. He also talks about hoe modern society only sees beauty in men who sacrifice and die, not allowing them to seek out perfection without cost. I see a twisted version of that today, since the mainstream tends to praise men who give up parts of their masculinity. The adoration for war heros has been perverted into an adoration for those who humilate themselves.

However, one section genuinely spooked me, since it described something most guys I know experience. He talks about how he often daydreamed or imagined circumstances where he would have to be brave, assuming he'd react positively. However, hoping the world would change or provide him challenge is a cope. He then explains how, as he built his body and spirit, he realized that he was actually becoming someone who would react with action, in contrast with his youthful weakness. Who doesn't daydream about stopping a crime or saving the day? Most guys I know will admit to thinking about a shooter or mugging or something and how they would react and save the day. However, that is a cope. Instead, become the kind of person who would react instinctively and doesn't need to daydream.

I'm gonna be honest, I'm not hitting on everything, and this stuff is really more a diary of what I'm taking away from this. Still, so far it's been an excellent and inspiring read, and I wish I had read it earlier.

Chapter 6 is super short (3 pages or so) and describes a day where he felt real happiness, while training in the army. He talks about the beauty of the moment when he was muddy from a run as the sun set, the readiness he felt for war, and how tired he was. Chapter 7 starts with the phrase "Quite possibly, what I call happiness others might call imminent danger." This chapter is all about aging and trying to recapture that feeling, which he eventually managed through muscles. Still, he admires the military a great deal, including the uniforms. The military uniform does not allow for a "scrawny body or protuding stomach" and creates a uniform set of men in the ideal of youth.

He also talks about how Japan'a military was neutered after World War 2, and how their military went from one that was perpetually fighting to one that instead planned for potential future wars. A common desire in right wing men is to fight for our ideals in some way, and a common reason why people seek disinterested in military service is the lack of meaningful combat. We also see more of his fascination with death, a reocurring theme.

Chapter 8 contains more death imagery, and explains himself a bit. He describes exercise as "small deaths" and ressurections, which managed to fill a similar role in him that his brief foray into the military had. Mishima notes an addiction to the "violent action" of fitness, the pain from lifting heavy weights or running beyond the point of exhaustion. I think this section is a good part for me to interject some thoughts on the obvious flaw in his character to those of us who are right wing, his homosexuality.

I obviously place most of the blame for that on his childhood, but it is how he expressed it that interests me. He was known to be fascinated by violent fantasies, interested in torture and death. This is 100% something that I believe he channeled into his bodybuilding. Let me be clear, I tend to take the perspective that he wasn't a fan of his homosexuality either, seeing as he ended uo with a wife and kids. As such, I think Mishima is more admirable in a way, since he took a degenerate desire and transformed it into a positive change. Still, it is interesting to read about the beauty of death and pain from a man who ultimately did die of violent causes, wearing a uniform and at his physical peak, surrounded by other uniformed, fit men.

Chapter 9 is centered around letters in a memorial, the last words of various members of the Kamikaze. Mishima broadly characterizes them as either being short and more personal or longer and full of heroic, predetermined phrases and ideas. He does not treat either as less genuine then the other, and makes an interesting point about the words heros use. Genius create new phrases or ideas, while heros channel the same few ideas and thoughts that have passed down from the days of myth. The talk of nation or defeating the enemy is not original, but it does not need to be original to be beautiful.

Mishima also discusses an idea that has been mentioned throughout the book, the idea that he may have been almost corrupted by words. His youthful obsession with writing led him to neglect his body, his efforts to leave a written "monument" distracting him from the task. Once the war ended and Japan surrendered, he felt lost, since he was devoid of potential heroics. Thus, he decides to arouse himself to action by giving himself an impossible goal, of returning to a youthful state of mind.

The idea of being driven by a potentially impossible ideal should inspire us, because we are in a similar boat. The enemy is overwhelming, the odds are stacked against us, but beauty comes from the attempt at the impossible. Personally, I think one should channel the blackpilled mindset of "we are up against everything and can't win" into "we wil have the defeat everything to win." Remember the Mussolini quote about lions and sheep boys.

Chapter 10 is concerned with the group, and how important it is. Yukio Mishima states that shared suffering brings the body closest to perfection, since it is something words cannot create. An author can create sadness, or anger, or beauty, but cannot create a feeling of shared suffering. Since suffering and pain only comes from a risk of death or association with it, he notes that such a group must be a band of warriors. Uniformed men united in one cause, working together, going through the same pain and acting as one.

Evola and Spengler both wrote about the warrior caste, and how society declined as rule shifted into the hands of the merchants and common men. I've talked a bit on here about the Mannerbund, and how society has attacked any organizations that give men opportunities to take part in a shared struggle. Boy Scouts, the military, sports teams, fraternities, all are united in that they are male only (at least until they were attacked) organizations where men could go through shared pain and victory. To me, any right wing organization IRL should start like that.

The Epilogue- Mishima sums up his ideas. Death is the most obvious point when the spirit and the body are one, when the two are united. However; he describes the moment when he felt closest to that, when he was a pessenger on an F104 jet. He initially describes the take off as "phallic", likening them shooting into the sky with the ejaculation that creates life. As he soared above Earth, he finally felt his body was with his spirit. Previously, especially while writing, his body had been left behind to provide oxygen while his mind went to lofty ideas. Now, his body and spirit were united, since higher atmospheres are near-death. I'll end with an incredible quote he uses, one good enough to make someone with a lifelong fear of heights think of flight as beautiful.

"The inner world and the outer world have had invaded each other, had become completely interchangeable. This simple realm of cloud, sea, and setting sun was a majestic panorama, such as I had never seen before, of my own inner world. At the same time, every event that occured within me had slipped the fetters of mind and emotion, becoming great letters freely inscribed across the heavens."