From 'the land of the rising sun' to 'the countries of the sun': Mishima Yukio in Greece and Italy.

This article examines how the renowned Japanese author Mishima Yukio's 1952 visit to Greece and Italy deepened his philhellenism, or love of ancient Greek culture, as reflected in his travelogue *Apollo's Cup*. Mishima's fascination centered on the tangible remnants of ancient Greece—such as the ruins of Athens and the sculptures of Antinous in the Vatican—which allowed him to both physically engage with and idealize Greek culture as a counterpoint to postwar Japan's realities. The article highlights Mishima's preference for the Apollonian elements of Greek art and architecture, his contrast between Greek and Roman aesthetics, and his interpretation of Greek notions of beauty, mortality, and salvation, especially through the figure of Antinous. Mishima's journey is portrayed as both a physical and interior pilgrimage that shaped his literary work and personal philosophy, though his philhellenism remained partial and closely tied to his own psychological needs.