Danica Davidson
November 14, 2024 
Some people involved with a flea market in Japan came up with an unusual way to bring in customers: offering a “seppuku contest.” Seppuku, a.k.a. harakiri, was a traditional form of samurai ritual suicide that involved disembowelment and maybe beheading. Why would something like this be at a flea market?
Well, first of all, while it’s called a “seppuku contest,” it’s really an acting contest. People would pretend to stab themselves with toy swords and then, according to the ad for the event, they ask you to “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, which soon circulated online, received mixed messages. There were people who found it funny. There were people who found it distasteful. But at the end of the day, Matsue City Hall, where the event was supposed to happen, did not like the idea. This resulted in the cancellation of the event. After, the organizer behind the contest stated publicly:
Our core concern for this event 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 though 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.
Would a fake seppuku contest maybe get you more interested in a flea market, or maybe turn your stomach? What do you think?
Source: SoraNews24
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, plus its sequel, Manga Art for Everyone, and the first-of-its-kind manga chalk book Chalk Art Manga, both illustrated by professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
