Reviews

Very loosely based on the real events, this is a peek at the mind of the diseased Buddhist acolyte who burned down the Kinkakuji temple. Set during the final years of the Second World War, the protagonist of the story is called Mizoguchi and is a son of a buddhist priest. His father, suffering from a terminal illness, dies while Mizoguchi is still young. Mizoguchi is made an acolyte of the Kinkakuji temple, where the head priest is a friend of his father. Mizoguchi suffers from a stutter, and describes himself as ugly, and as a child he is constantly teased. But he takes refuge in his reverence of the Kinkakuji temple, which to him represents the epitome of beauty. But becoming disillusioned with the people around him and his holy surroundings, he comes to resent the temple which comes to symbolise and impossible and mocking ideal. And this eventually leads to his determination to burn it to the ground.

Mizoguchi is quintessentially neurotic, in the tradition of Dostoevsky's characters. And we see his inability to connect with those around him due to his sever inferiority complex. Knowing the biography of the author Yukio Mishima, I can't help but think that the author saw himself in the original true life arsonist of the Kinkakuji Temple. Mishima thought he could get into the mind of the arsonist and created his fictional version, Mizoguchi, to espouse his own musings on the nature of beauty and corruption. The story is set in the Buddhist temple district of the city of Kyoto, but we are shown it's seedy underbelly. One of Mizoguchi's closest friends, Kashiwagi, is constantly giving twisted yet brilliant interpretations of classic Buddhist parables. Mizoguchi also catches the Head Priest in the Geisha district. And he comes to realize that beauty is not necessarily the same as goodness. In fact, one could say that Mizoguchi becomes the enemy of beauty. At the same time, Mizoguchi seeks to elevate his social status by any means necessary. He wants people to remember him despite, or perhaps in spite of his inherent ugliness. I am certain that Mishima, the author, was projecting his own nihilistic thoughts and insecurities into the main character. And because of this, he was able to create a believable and even a sympathetic character despite his corrupted and bleak view of the world. It's a very introspective novel, and a deep character study of the protagonist/arsonist. Although I did not agree with the views of Mizoguchi, I did feel that I came to understand him by the end of the book.

the_younger_dryas's review

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dark emotional funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

nocario's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

filiparferreira's review against another edition

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4.0

Neste livro entramos na mente de um rapaz japonês, filho de um bonzo, que é também ele aprendiz de bonzo no Templo Dourado perto de Quioto, edifício que o fascina desde antes mesmo de o ter visto pela 1ª vez. Profundamente gago, tem uma extrema dificuldade em se relacionar com os outros e com o mundo que o rodeia, então o livro passa-se sobretudo dentro da sua mente, acompanhando o seu amadurecimento e as suas deambulações sobre beleza, maldade e arte. O olhar sobre si próprio é cru e sem piedade, e o mesmo acontece com as poucas pessoas com quem se relaciona. Baseado num acontecimento real, Mishima retrata aqui o Japão depois da derrota na segunda guerra mundial, uma época de transição e a sensação que se destaca é a de isolamento. Ou como por vezes se não conseguimos exprimir o que nos vai na alma, o nosso próprio pensamento nos vai envenenando.

hanlasse's review against another edition

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5.0

I loved the process reading this book. It’s hard reviewing though, because there’s so much I want to write, but I find hard articulating.

Lately I’ve been trying to get into fiction, and one of the biggest things things I like was the way it was written. Don’t know if this is simply a cultural thing in Japan or the style of the author, but I could feel the environment I was reading about.

The most thrilling was that I often got so confused. The book I dark, but quite often the darkness is portrayed as positive or exciting. But, of course, since we saw the world from the main character it totally makes sense and creates a great depth.

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