Confessions of a Mask is Japanese author Yukio Mishima's first novel. Published in 1949, it launched him to national fame though he was only in his early twenties. The main protagonist is referred to in the story as Kochan. Being raised during Japan’s era of right-wing militarism and Imperialism, he struggles from a very early age to fit into society. Like Mishima, Kochan was born with a less-than-ideal body in terms of physical fitness and robustness, and throughout the first half of the book struggles intensely to fit into Japanese society. Due to his weakness, Kochan is kept away... from boys his own age as he is raised, and is thus not exposed to the norm. This is what likely led to his future fascinations and fantasies of death, violence, and sex. In this way of thinking, some have posited that Mishima is similar. Kochan is a homosexual, and in the context of Imperial Japan he struggles to keep it to himself. In the early portion of the novel, Kochan does not yet openly admit that he is attracted to men, but indeed professes that he admires masculinity and strength.
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| Author: | Yukio Mishima |
| Genre: | Novel, Fiction |
| Year published: | 1948 |
| Number of editions: | 6 |