A competition offering its participants the role of samurai writhing in pain after seppuku, a suicide ritual by disembowelment, has been canceled in Japan after coming under fire from criticism.
Named “Seppuku Competition”, the event was to take place in December in the town of Matsue (west), known in the archipelago as an ancient town of feudal lords. “Show us your incredible acting skills as you agonize for about a minute after cutting your stomach open with a plastic sword.”said the ad in a local newspaper last week. “The author of the strongest performance will win the first prize”she clarified.
The event quickly came under fire from multiple critics on social media, with some saying that death by self-evisceration should not be considered entertainment.
The contest organizer, who only gave his last name, Ogawa, said Thursday that the contest had been canceled after “received many comments” who judged him “inappropriate”. “We thought this competition might encourage some people to become actors or even create something new in the weird festival genre”said the organizer in an email.
While he had initially thought the event would simply be entertaining, he recognized that the term seppuku was “still widely associated with death and murder”. “We are sorry” for having aroused such emotion, he added.
The announcement also indicated that the performances were to take place in front of Matsue town hall, a detail which took city officials by surprise. “We didn’t know anything about it”said Tomokazu Honda, a city official, explaining that the organizer had first proposed a “flea market”.
Shocked, the officials complained to the organizer that the competition was not suitable for the venue and that it could “embarrass many people”said Mr. Honda.
“Turning the life and death of a person into a spectacle in a place like a city hall is questionable”he still estimated.
japan unusual competition Seppuku
