Located in the far western Shimane prefecture in Japan, Matsue has a rich and proud history dating back centuries. In fact, according to its official tourism website, it was once a feudal stronghold. The entire city formed around one of the original castles of Japan, Matsue Castle. As one might imagine, the residents are proud of their samurai heritage and celebrate this history where possible and appropriate. Unfortunately, one local event organizer took that samurai spirit too far by attempting to host a “seppuku contest.”
Seppuku Background
If you’re unfamiliar with the practice, seppuku is an ancient act of ritual suicide where a samurai would cut into his belly and slice himself open. If the samurai had a second or assistant, that person would complete the act by beheading the bleeding warrior. It’s not the most painless or glamorous way to go out! But when the daimyo says jump and all that jazz.
So, imagine the residents’ shock after they opened their newspaper and saw an ad for an event announcing it would hold a “seppuku contest” on city grounds! The ad read in full:
Seeking participants
Seppuku Contest
We are seeking participants for a seppuku contest to be held at the Dandan Terrace at Matsue City Hall on December 14 (Saturday). After committing seppuku with a plastic sword, please demonstrate your acting skills by writhing around for 30 seconds to one minute. The person with the most vivid performance will be named the champion! *The use of fake blood is prohibited.
The ad ended with an email address for people to register with. It also included a warning stating that if interest were too extreme, that registration could close early.
Contest Aftermath
The ad quickly spread across Japan via social media, logging various responses. Some people found it amusing, but others not so much. That included the government officials who had no idea such an event would happen. According to their records, they had issued a permit for a flea market.
After becoming aware of the contest, city officials spoke with the event organizer, forcing him to issue a statement canceling the “seppuku contest:”
Our core concern for this event [the flea market] was how to attract customers. I’ve organized various events with vendors, and the idea [for the seppuku contest] came from a girl in one group who stabbed herself in the stomach with a retractable [toy] sword that she was selling. We thought it would be interesting to use the toy for that kind of acting performance.
I would like to apologize to the involved party at city hall for causing such a disturbance from something we intended to serve as entertainment. On the other hand, we have also received emails from people saying they approve of the idea and want to participate, but we feel that holding it could contribute to a loss of trust from city hall, and so we are cancelling the contest.
This certainly would’ve been an intriguing way to draw attention to the permitted event (i.e., the flea market). It really is for the best that authorities canceled a mass seppuku event. Even without the use of fake blood, just how many people can you watch stabbing themselves with a plastic sword and writhe around in “pain” for 30 to 60 seconds?
Would you like a bit of samurai spirit in your home? Then J-List has this awesome Elusive Samurai Nendoroid figure up for preorder now!
Sources: SoraNews24, OtakuUSA
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