The Nobility of Failure : Tragic Heroes in the History of Japan by Ivan Morris. This book traces a single theme throughout 16 centuries of Japanese civilization and the lives of nine of its heroes.
Morris writes the motivation for writing this thesis was as follows.
Mishima Yukio once suggested to me that my admiration for the beauty of Japanese Court culture and the tranquil world of Genji might have obscured the harsher, more tragic side of Japan. By concentrating my studies on men of action, whose brief lives were marked by struggle and turmoil, I have perhaps redressed the balance. He dedicated this book to Mishima.
The nine tragic heroes dealt with by Morris are Prince Yamato Takeru, Yorozu, Prince Arima, Sugawara Michizane, Minamoto no Yoshitsune, Kusunoki Masashige, Amakusa Shiro, Ooshio Heihachiro, Saigo Takamori. What is the definition of “hero” ? The concept of quality of “makoto” which Japanese heroes have. Hoganbiiki (which literally meant “sympathy with the Lieutenant”). As well I will discuss western viewpoints on “hero”.
I have doubts about Ooshio Heihachiro. Could he really have been a Japanese hero? If not, then why did Morris put Ooshio Heihachiro into this book? Here in this thesis, I want to consider the relation between Morris and Mishima from that point.