“Flower cultivation always carries the scent of revenge.”
- January 14, 1925 – November 25, 1970
- Born in Japan
- Novelist, playwright, critic, political activist
- He became a representative figure of postwar Japanese literature, and was highly acclaimed both at home and abroad. He pursued his own unique aesthetic with themes of beauty and death, and ultimately committed seppuku at a Self-Defense Forces garrison. His life, which combined literature with action, continues to have a strong influence today.
Japanese
「花作りというものにはみんな復讐の匂いがする。」
English
“Flower cultivation always carries the scent of revenge.”
Explanation
In this quote, Mishima evokes a strange and dark view of flower cultivation, suggesting that beneath its outward beauty and serenity, it holds an undercurrent of revenge. Flowers, often associated with beauty, growth, and life, here take on a more sinister meaning. Mishima implies that creating beauty—whether it be through art, nature, or other forms of creation—can be linked to negative emotions such as resentment, anger, or revenge. In the act of carefully cultivating flowers, one might be subconsciously transforming pain or loss into something visually pleasing, much like how individuals sometimes create beauty from their internal struggles or desires for retribution.
Mishima’s statement suggests that the process of cultivating flowers, though seemingly an innocent and peaceful pursuit, might carry deeper emotional motivations, including a need to overcome or confront the past. The idea that flower cultivation holds the “scent of revenge” introduces a contrast between outward beauty and internal turmoil, a recurring theme in Mishima’s work. He often explored the duality between the external appearance of peace and beauty, and the internal forces of conflict, resentment, or passion. By applying this duality to the act of flower cultivation, Mishima challenges the idealization of beauty and suggests that even the most delicate and refined pursuits may have hidden motivations that stem from deeper, often unacknowledged emotions.
In a modern context, Mishima’s words can speak to how individuals today may mask or transform their negative emotions or traumas into seemingly positive or aesthetic endeavors. Whether through creating art, pursuing beauty, or even in the cultivation of relationships, there is often an element of emotional healing or self-expression that arises from more painful or repressed experiences. Mishima’s quote invites reflection on how the desire for revenge, healing, or resolution might shape our creative and emotional lives, and how even the most beautiful aspects of life may arise from a place of inner conflict or resolution.
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