Morbid Fact Du Jour for December 3, 2014

Today’s Superstitious Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

In pre-modern Japan, there was an aesthetic that had a considerably stronger connection to ghosts and phantoms than today’s. There were many customs supposed to bring good luck. During absences of the master of the house, people in Tokonoma would hang up the painting of a ghost. In order to ensure their success, storytellers had representations of evil ghosts painted on the linings of their haori dresses. In order to ward off bad luck, some had the image of executed villains (or their heads) painted on their clothes.

Culled from: Dr. Ikkaku Ochi Collection

Naturally, I went out searching the internet for any photos of the ghost paintings of Tokonoma or the evil ghosts in haori dresses or the executed villain heads.  No luck!  If anyone else has better luck, please share!  I did find this portrait of a ghost though, that is apparently quite famous.  It’s called “The Ghost of Oyuki” and was painted by Maruyama Okyo in 1750.

Sadness and Strength

Speaking of the Dr. Ikkaku Ochi Collection book, this is a fascinating collection of medical photographs from the late 19th and early 20th century that had been collected by Dr. Ikkaku Ochi in Japan and was found in a box many years later.  There was no detailed information available for most of the photos, but the images are compelling because they show these composed portraits of people suffering through intense pain caused by conditions that in most cases would be resolved through treatment today.  There’s a sense of overwhelming sadness that comes through in these pictures, but also dignity and strength. I find them compelling and I thought I’d share photos from the book occasionally. Here’s the first – I’m not sure what condition she has.  Anyone care to guess?

Mug Shots Du Jour!

Here’s another excerpt from Death Scenes: A Homicide Detective’s Scrapbook featuring some of Los Angeles area homicide detective Jack Huddleston’s favorite mug shots. This is Part Three of a Six Part series. The captions are all Jack’s.

Part Four will be featured in tomorrow’s MFDJ.