Suicide methods method of suicide, practiced mostly in the medieval era, though some isolated cases appear in modern times. For example, Yukio Mishima died by seppuku in 1970 after a failed "coup d'état" intended to restore full power to the Japanese emperor. Unlike other methods of suicide, this was regarded as a way of preserving one's honor. The ritual is part of "bushido", the code of the "samurai". As originally performed solely by an individual, it was an extremely painful method by which to die. Dressed ceremonially, with his sword placed in front of him and sometimes seated on special cloth, the
Yukio Mishima which was published in 1954, and drew inspiration from the Greek legend of Daphnis and Chloe. Mishima made use of contemporary events in many of his works. "The Temple of the Golden Pavilion" published in 1956 is a fictionalization of the burning of the famous temple in Kyoto. "Utage no ato" ("After the Banquet"), published in 1960, so closely followed the events surrounding politician Hachirō Arita's campaign to become governor of Tokyo that Mishima was sued for invasion of privacy. In 1962, Mishima's most avant-garde work, "Utsukushii hoshi" ("Beautiful Star"), which at times comes close to science fiction, was published