First published in 1969, “Runaway Horses” is considered by some to be the best Japanese novel of all times. With stunning lyricism and philosophical depth, it shows Yukio Mishima at the peak of his artistry.
Set in 1932, the story follows the aging Osaka judge Shigekuni Honda as he befriends Isao Iinuma, a young kendo talent obsessed with a group of revolutionaries, The League of the Divine Wind. Like his martyred heroes, Iinuma gathers a band of assassins to lash out against financial elites and corrupt government officials. With steely resolve and the help of a right-wing lieutenant, he aims to restore the honor of the Emperor and stop “the poison spewed out by the factory of Western European ideals.”
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