Thursday, January 26, 2017

Live by the sword, die by the sword: Stunning 130-year-old images show a glimpse of life for Japanese Samurai warriors - and how they proved their honour by stabbing themselves to death

The pictures show the Japanese Samurai warriors from as far back as 150 years ago in their traditional attire
Included in the amazing photographs are some showing warriors appearing to commit suicide
The ceremonial disembowelment, known as Harakiri or Seppuku, is usually performed in front of a crowd
Warriors would voluntarily kill themselves by plunging a knife into their stomachs and slicing it open

PUBLISHED: 12:20 EST, 26 January 2017 | UPDATED: 15:01 EST, 26 January 2017

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A fascinating set of photographs dating back 150 years show life inside the Japanese Samurai warrior tribes.

They include a display of their tradition of Harakiri, also known as Seppuku. It was used by warriors who wanted to die with honour - either voluntarily or if they had been caught by the enemy.

The ceremonial disembowelment was usually part of a more elaborate ritual and performed in front of spectators. The most startling image shows one warrior soaked in blood with his eyes staring as the sword is plunged into his stomach. It is not known if the image captured a genuine suicide, or if it was staged for early cameras.

The man is seen appearing to plunge a blade into the abdomen, with blood marks on his face.

A Samurai warrior appears to commit Seppuku or Harakiri in Japan - the ritual of taking one's life through disembowelment

A Harakiri scene of the Samurai - warriors overseeing the ritual suicide of one of their own (dressed in white)

The Samurai originated in the Heian period dating back to 710 and in particular campaigns to subdue the native Emirishi in the Tohuku region of the northern part of Honshu.

Over the centuries they became more and more powerful and eventually became the 'warrior nobility' of Japan, making up the ruling class from about the 12th to the 19th century.

The Samurai followed a set of Confucian influenced rules that came to be known as bushido - literally 'the way of the warrior'.

The unwritten and unspoken code emphasised frugality, loyalty, martial arts mastery, and honor unto death.

But the code also evolved to stress heroic bravery, fierce family pride, and selfless, at times senseless devotion of master and man.

A group of Samurai or Japanese warriors with their ancient arms and armour, circa 1870

A photograph taken and coloured by Felice Beato of women in a traditional Japanese shop back in the 19th century

One of the first war photographers Venetian-born Felice Beato took this photo around the time of 1862

During the 15th and 16th centuries there were many warring factions, but later wars reduced in number.

The fearsome warriors wore plate armour and a vast array of weapons including the bow and arrow, spears, guns, and of course, the Samurai sword.

But as peace seemed to endure during the Edo period, many became teachers, artists or bureaucrats as the need for martial skills became less important.

And when Emperor Meiji came to power in 1868 he began to abolish the Samurai's powers.

Firstly, he stripped their right to be the only armed force in Japan and began to introduce a western style conscripted army from 1873.

A Group of Samurai circa 1890 - an Illustration from the the booklet Au Japon, Types, Costumes and Moeurs

A Samurai warrior in Japan poses in traditional armour and footwear blowing into a shell

Three Japanese Samurai warriors in armour and ready for battle with their weapons on stand-by

Three Japanese Samurai warriors pictured in their colourful war attire and equiped with a number of swords circa 1990

The Samurai became the shizoku, merging with another social class under Meiji reforms and the right to wear a katana (sword) was lost along with the power to execute anyone who disrespected them in public.

The name shizoku continued to be a part of Japanese culture until the end of World War Two but was outlawed in 1947.

Despite the Samurai making up no more than 10 per cent of the Japanese population at its height, its influence is still heavily seen in Japanese culture, in particular modern martial arts

Monday, January 23, 2017

'I want to break the taboo': Belgian model reveals she's intersex

Hanne Gaby Odiele has revealed that she is intersex in a new interview with USA Today
The Belgian model, who is married to a man, says she was born with a syndrome that caused her to have undescended testes
Those testes were removed in a surgery at age 10, without her consent
She is now speaking out about her intersex status in hopes of breaking the taboo
She says she wants to see doctors stop performing cosmetic surgeries on intersex children, until they are able to consent

By Ashley Collman For Dailymail.com

PUBLISHED: 07:59 EST, 23 January 2017 | UPDATED: 11:59 EST, 23 January 2017

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Top fashion model Hanne Gaby Odiele has revealed that she is intersex.

The married Belgian model, 29, said she is speaking out about her intersex status to break the taboo and discourage parents from putting their children through perhaps unnecessary surgeries.

'It is very important to me in my life right now to break the taboo. At this point, in this day and age, it should be perfectly all right to talk about this.' Odiele told USA Today in an exclusive interview.

According to the United Nations, about 1.7 per cent of the world population is born with intersex traits - which is about the same as the number of redheads. Intersex persons are born with sex characteristics that are not exclusively male or female.

Model Hanne Gaby Odiele has revealed in an interview with USA Today that she is intersex

In Odiele's case, she was born with Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome, which meant that she has some XY chromosomes, instead of all female XX chromosomes. This resulted in her being born with a set of undescended testes. Her parents had them removed in a surgery at age 10, after doctors warned that they could cause cancer and keep her from developing as a female.

But Odiele was not informed about the true reason for the surgery until she demanded answers a few years later, around age 12 or 13.

She says she underwent yet another surgery at age 18 to reconstruct her vagina, which also left her in agony.

Odiele, 29, is pictured above with her husband, fellow model John Swiatek

The Belgian model with born wit undescended testes that were removed in a surgery at age 10, without her consent

'I am proud to be intersex, but very angry that these surgeries are still happening,' Odiele said.

'If they were just honest from the beginning...it became a trauma because of what they did,' Odiele said.

Sue Stred, a professor of pediatrics at SUNY Upstate Medical University, says parents often feel compelled to have their intersex children undergo surgery so they look more typical. But in many cases they may just be cosmetic, while carrying lifelong repercussions - such as infertility and a reliance on hormone replacement medications. Stred says the threat of cancer has also been 'vastly overwrought'.

Odiele pictured at her wedding last year to Swiatek. She wore white slacks with a long, flowing top

Odiele was discovered at a Belgian music festival at the age of 17, but has only begun to talk about her intersex status with close friends in the industry in the past year. So far, she says she has not experienced any kind of backlash.

Odiele's husband, John Swiatek, is also a model and says he is 'incredibly proud and happy' his wife is speaking out.

'I am very impressed with her decision to advocate for intersex children in order to give them an opportunity to make up their own minds about their bodies, unlike the lack of options and information Hanne and her family (and many others) were given,' he says.

Odiele will also talk about being intersex in this month's issue of Vogue magazine. She is partnering with interACT Advocates for Intersex Youth to raise awareness and champion against childhood surgeries.

Odiele is pictured on the left at the Tommy Hilfiger runway show in September 2015. She's pictured on the right at the start of her career, modeling for Marc Jacobs in 2006

Model Hanne Gaby Odiele reveals she is intersex

Friday, January 20, 2017

This Simple White Mug Is Hiding a Secret That Film Geeks Will Love

Rebecca OConnell

filed under: Movies, shopping

IMAGE CREDIT:

FIREBOX

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(Warning: This article contains spoilers from a 22-year-old movie.)

Nearly a quarter-century after its initial release, Bryan Singer's The Usual Suspects still manages to surprise audiences—and make it onto just about every list of "The Best Movie Endings of All Time" ever compiled. As AMC wrote in just such a list, where the film nabbed the number 21 spot, "For two hours, Kevin Spacey’s spineless Verbal plays helpless lamb being lured to Chazz Palminteri’s slaughter. But with the drop of a coffee cup, and the shaking off of a limp, the true identity of a criminal mastermind is revealed."

For fans who want to reenact the pivotal moment in which Palminteri's customs agent Dave Kujan learned he's been duped by Spacey, this simple white Kobayashi mug is the perfect prop. It's dishwasher- and microwave-safe—and yes, it comes in one piece. Of course, if you plan on dropping it dramatically to chase after Keyser Söze, you're going to have to do it in one take (or stock up and buy a couple). You can score one of the elegantly minimalist mugs on Firebox for only $13.

January 18, 2017 - 6:30am