Photoshoot of Yukio Mishima Adds Mystery to "Rashomon Effect"

A famous photoshoot involving Japanese writer Yukio Mishima has reignited discussion about the so-called “Rashomon Effect,” the idea that people involved in the same event can offer contradictory interpretations.

The iconic photoshoot between photographer Eikoh Hosoe and Mishima produced the photo collection “Ordeal by Roses.” (Photo: © Hosoe Eikō)

The concept derives from the short story “In a Grove” (“Yabu no Naka”) by Ryunosuke Akutagawa, which recounts the death of a samurai through conflicting perspectives.

The story was later combined with another Akutagawa work, “Rashomon,” and adapted into the 1950 film Rashomon by Akira Kurosawa.

Writing for Mainichi Japan, scholar Daniel Flanagan argued that the concept also applies when only one side of a story survives.

Flanagan revisited the iconic photoshoot between photographer Eikoh Hosoe and Mishima between autumn 1961 and spring 1962, which produced the photo collection “Ordeal by Roses.”

He questioned Hosoe’s claim of creative control, arguing that many images appeared laden with symbolism meaningful primarily to Mishima.

Flanagan pointed to imagery that may reference philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, whom Mishima admired, including one image featuring a mallet — possibly alluding to Nietzsche’s phrase about “philosophizing with a hammer.”

According to Flanagan, Mishima may have subtly shaped the artistic direction of the project while allowing Hosoe to believe he remained fully in control.