# Is "Confessions of a Mask (Kamen no Kokuhaku)" by Yukio Mishima a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Confessions of a Mask (Kamen no Kokuhaku) by Yukio Mishima (New Directions, 1958) is identified by: First American edition, first printing, translated by Meredith Weatherby. The New Directions US edition of 1958 is the true first English-language edition, ahead of the UK (Peter Owen, 1960).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First American edition, first printing, translated by Meredith Weatherby
- New Directions imprint with no later-printing statement; bound in publisher's maroon cloth lettered in white
- Original dust jacket
- This was Mishima's first novel issued in English, though not his first book in English (The Sound of Waves, Knopf 1956, preceded it)
- Publisher imprint reads New Directions
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Yukio Mishima |
| Publisher | New Directions |
| Year | 1958 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First American edition, first printing, translated by Meredith Weatherby |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First American edition, first printing, translated by Meredith Weatherby. New Directions imprint with no later-printing statement; bound in publisher's maroon cloth lettered in white. Original dust jacket. This was Mishima's first novel issued in English, though not his first book in English (The Sound of Waves, Knopf 1956, preceded it).

## Is this the true first?
The New Directions US edition of 1958 is the true first English-language edition, ahead of the UK (Peter Owen, 1960). The Japanese original dates to 1949 (Kawade Shobo).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Peter Owen UK 1960 edition is a later first-thus. New Directions Paperbook (NDP) issues and later impressions carry printing codes. Reprints may add cover blurbs from Vidal, Baldwin, or Isherwood.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Confessions of a Mask (Kamen no Kokuhaku)* by Yukio Mishima a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/confessions-of-a-mask-kamen-no-kokuhaku
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.