# The Sea of Fertility

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Series of novels by Yukio Mishima

This article is about the novels series. For the lunar mare, see [Mare Fecunditatis](/source/Mare_Fecunditatis).

First edition covers

***The Sea of Fertility*** (豊饒の海, ***Hōjō no Umi***) is a [tetralogy](/source/Tetralogy) of novels written by the [Japanese](/source/Japan) author [Yukio Mishima](/source/Yukio_Mishima). The four novels are *[Spring Snow](/source/Spring_Snow)* (1969),[1] *[Runaway Horses](/source/Runaway_Horses)* (1969), *[The Temple of Dawn](/source/The_Temple_of_Dawn)* (1970), and *[The Decay of the Angel](/source/The_Decay_of_the_Angel)* (1971).[2] The series, which Mishima began writing in 1964 and which was his final work, is usually thought of as his masterpiece. Its title refers to the [Mare Fecunditatis](/source/Mare_Fecunditatis), a [lunar mare](/source/Lunar_mare). The first English translated editions by [Alfred A. Knopf](/source/Alfred_A._Knopf) and the [Charles E. Tuttle Company](/source/Charles_E._Tuttle_Company) featured cover designs by the graphic artist [Joseph del Gaudio](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Joseph_del_Gaudio&action=edit&redlink=1).

## Plot

The main timeline of the story stretches from 1912 to 1975. The viewpoint of all four books is that of Shigekuni Honda, a law student in *Spring Snow* who eventually becomes a wealthy retired judge in *The Decay of the Angel*. Each of the novels depicts what Honda comes to believe are successive reincarnations of his schoolfriend Kiyoaki Matsugae, and Honda's attempts to save them from the early deaths to which they seem to be condemned by karma. This results in both personal and professional embarrassment for Honda, and eventually destroys him.

The friend's successive reincarnations are:

1. Kiyoaki Matsugae, an emotionally turbulent aristocrat

1. Isao Iinuma, a nationalist influenced by the story of the [Shinpūren rebellion](/source/Shinp%C5%ABren_rebellion)

1. Ying Chan, a physically beautiful and indolent Thai princess

1. Tōru Yasunaga, a brilliant yet manipulative and sadistic orphan

Other characters who appear in more than one book include Satoko Ayakura (Kiyoaki's lover), Tadeshina (Satoko's maid), Imperial Prince Toin, Shigeyuki Iinuma (Kiyoaki's servant and Isao's father), Keiko Hisamatsu, and Rié (Honda's wife).

## Background

Although *The Temple of Dawn* contains lengthy arguments in favour of the concept of [reincarnation](/source/Reincarnation), Mishima's biographers note that he did not believe in it himself.[3] An earlier work of about the same length, *[Kyoko's House](/source/Kyoko's_House)*, had been spurned by critics; it has been conjectured that he embarked on *The Sea of Fertility* in defiant response. It expresses many of Mishima's deepest-held convictions about the nature and purposes of human life, and the last book is thought to encapsulate an (extremely negative) personal assessment of himself and his own legacy.[4]

## Response

The tetralogy was described by [Paul Theroux](/source/Paul_Theroux) as "the most complete vision we have of Japan in the twentieth century". Charles Solomon wrote in 1990 that "the four novels remain one of the outstanding works of 20th-Century literature and a summary of the author's life and work."[5] Although the first book, *Spring Snow*, is a loving recreation of Japan in the brief [Taishō period](/source/Taish%C5%8D_period), and is well-grounded in its time and place, references to current affairs are generally tangential to what is later to become Honda's obsessive quest to understand the workings of individual fate and to save his friend.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] Richard T. Kelly wrote that the tetralogy reveals "all his gifts – an eye for detail and scene-making, a sensuous regard for the physical, and a cool detachment that could be terrifying in its terseness."[6]

Yasser Nasser of *The Bubble* said that "the first book is by far the best, presenting a vision of Japan that is both alien and relatable to the Western reader."[7]

## Volumes

1. *[Spring Snow](/source/Spring_Snow)* (春の雪, *Haru no Yuki*), 1965–1967, published 1969

1. *[Runaway Horses](/source/Runaway_Horses)* (奔馬, *Honba*), 1967–1968, published 1969

1. *[The Temple of Dawn](/source/The_Temple_of_Dawn)* (暁の寺, *Akatsuki no Tera*), 1968–1970, published 1970

1. *[The Decay of the Angel](/source/The_Decay_of_the_Angel)* (天人五衰, *Tennin Gosui*), 1970–1971, published 1971

## See also

- [Mitama](/source/Mitama)

## Further reading

- *Exquisite Nothingness: The Novels of Yukio Mishima* by David Vernon (Endellion Press, 2025, [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1739136130](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1739136130)), chapters 11-15, pp.257-379.

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Sato, Hideaki; Inoue, Takashi (2005). 決定版 三島由紀夫全集・第42巻・年譜・書誌 [*Final edition-Yukio Mishima complete works No.42-Biographical sketch and Bibliography*] (in Japanese). [Shinchosha](/source/Shinchosha). pp. 304, 550.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-cyb_2-0)** [The Yukio Mishima Cyber Museum](http://www.vill.yamanakako.yamanashi.jp/bungaku/mishima/nenpu/his65_70.html). Village Yamanaka. Accessed May 22, 2008.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["The Decay of the Angel"](https://www.nytimes.com/books/98/10/25/specials/mishima-angel.html). *The New York Times*. Retrieved March 10, 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** John Nathan (1974). [*Mishima: A Biography*](https://archive.org/details/mishimabiography00nath). Boston, Little, Brown and Company. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-316-59844-5](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-316-59844-5).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Solomon, Charles (1990-05-13). ["Spring Snow Runaway Horses The Temple of Dawn The Decay of the Angel by Yukio Mishima (Vintage: $10.95 each)"](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-05-13-bk-118-story.html). *Los Angeles Times*. Retrieved 2020-10-07.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Kelly, Richard T. (2011-06-03). ["Rereading: The Sea of Fertility tetralogy by Yukio Mishima"](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/jun/03/rereading-yukio-mishima-sea-of-fertility-tetralogy). *The Guardian*. Retrieved 2020-10-07.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Nasser, Yasser (2014-05-14). ["Spring Snow"](https://www.thebubble.org.uk/culture/literature/spring-snow/). *The Bubble*. Retrieved 2020-10-07.

v t e Yukio Mishima Bibliography Novels Confessions of a Mask (1949) Thirst for Love (1950) Forbidden Colors (1951, 1953) The Sound of Waves (1954) The Temple of the Golden Pavilion (1956) Kyoko's House (1959) After the Banquet (1960) The Frolic of the Beasts (1961) Beautiful Star (1962) The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea (1963) The School of Flesh (1964) Silk and Insight (1964) Acts of Worship (1965) Life for Sale (1968) The Sea of Fertility Spring Snow (1969) Runaway Horses (1969) The Temple of Dawn (1970) The Decay of the Angel (1971) Short stories "Death in Midsummer" (1952) "Patriotism" (1960) "Star" (1960) "Acts of Worship" (1965) "Voices of the Fallen Heroes" (1966) Death in Midsummer and Other Stories (1966 collection) Drama Five Modern Noh Plays (1950–1955) Sotoba Komachi (1952) The Lady Aoi (1954) Iwashi Uri Koi Hikiami (1954) Rokumeikan (1956) Madame de Sade (1965) My Friend Hitler (1968) Raiō no Terasu (1969) Other works Sun and Steel (1965–1968 essay) Patriotism (1966 film) Geki (1970 manifesto) Works about The Moon in the Water (1979) Mishima: A Vision of the Void (1981) Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (1985) 11:25 The Day He Chose His Own Fate (2012) Persona: A Biography of Yukio Mishima (2012) Mishima: The Last Debate (2020) Related persons Sadatarō Hiraoka Masakatsu Morita Hiroyasu Koga Related topics Tatenokai Mishima Incident Yukio Mishima Prize The Lady Aoi (Bahram Beyzai production)

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