Yasunari Kawabata had Parkinson's disease), a possible illicit love affair, or the shock caused by the suicide of his friend Yukio Mishima in 1970. Unlike Mishima, Kawabata left no note, and since (again unlike Mishima) he had not discussed significantly in his writings the topic of taking his own life, his motives remain unclear. However, his Japanese biographer, Takeo Okuno, has related how he had nightmares about Mishima for two or three hundred nights in a row, and was incessantly haunted by the specter of Mishima. In a persistently depressed state of mind, he would tell friends during his last years that
Mishima Taisha Cultural Property. Mishima Taisha has a small museum. The most important object is a Japanese lacquerware wooden box with "maki-e" decoration. The box contains numerous utensils and articles used for women’s cosmetics in the late Heian period and was donated to the shrine by Hōjō Masako. It is listed as one of the National Treasures of Japan. In addition its "Honden", Mishima Taisha also has four other items which are registered as National Important Cultural Properties: In addition, a 1200-year-old Osmanthus fragrans tree in the shrine precincts is protected by the national government as a natural monument. Mishima Taisha The