Matsunaga Masami

Description

Kendo kyoshi 7th dan at the Saineikan training hall in the Imperial Palace grounds. Tom Bolling's resume of Yukio Mishima's sword-art career names him as Mishima's kendo and iaido teacher there from March 1966.

Students (1)

• 
  Yukio Mishima

  sports_martial_artsKendo Probable

  Probable

  Bolling's resume names Kyoshi 7-dan Matsunaga Masami as Mishima's kendo and iaido teacher at the Saineikan from March 1966. Only this one secondary source names him, and the dates conflict: Mishima's own final lecture says he had been permitted to train there 'since last year' (from about 1969), and Kobayashi's critical study reports that he declined a Saineikan invitation around October 1964.

  The evidence favours the claim and nothing credible contradicts it, but it falls short of establishing it.

  location_onSaineikan badge (1966–1970)

  fact_checkassessed by FSMverified

  Frederico Muñoz

  Researcher, Martialis

  2 sources expand_more

  fact_check

  Bolling's resume names Kyoshi 7-dan Matsunaga Masami as Mishima's kendo and iaido teacher at the Saineikan from March 1966. Only this one secondary source names him, and the dates conflict: Mishima's own final lecture says he had been permitted to train there 'since last year' (from about 1969), and Kobayashi's critical study reports that he declined a Saineikan invitation around October 1964.

  “March 1966 Mishima entered the Sainei-kan Training Hall within the Imperial Palace grounds to study Kendo and Iaido under Kendo Kyoshi 7th Dan Masami Matsunaga”

  — Salmon, Geoff. (2012-10-22). Yukio Mishima's kendo history (kendoinfo.net)link history info

  alt_routeIndirect

  “昨年から済寧館に出入りを許され”

  — 小林, 十之助. (2026-06-17). 三島由紀夫の晩年における「天皇敬愛」言説の虚構性と政治的自己演出 (note.com, 小林十之助)link info

Sources