Yukio Mishima on it through the end of World War II. In January 1946, he visited famed writer Yasunari Kawabata in Kamakura, taking with him the manuscripts for and "Tabako", and asking for Kawabata's advice and assistance. In June 1946, following Kawabata's recommendations, "Tabako" was published in the new literary magazine . Also in 1946, Mishima began his first novel, , a story about two young members of the aristocracy drawn towards suicide. It was published in 1948, placing Mishima in the ranks of the Second Generation of Postwar Writers. He followed with "Confessions of a Mask", a semi-autobiographical account of a
Tatenokai Ito and Shunichi Nishio – were believed to have been former members of the Tatenokai. Tatenokai The or Shield Society was a private militia in Japan dedicated to traditional Japanese values and veneration of the Emperor. It was founded and led by the author Yukio Mishima. The Tatenokai was created on October 5, 1968, recruiting its membership primarily from the staff of "Ronsō Journal", an obscure right-wing college newspaper. In an unusual move, the Tatenokai was granted the right to train with the nation's armed forces, the Japan Self-Defense Forces. On November 25, 1970 Mishima and four Tatenokai members briefly