柘榴舘 Zine Vol.2
Things that I know: There is said to be at least six volumes made, running from 1998~1999 (maybe up to 2000). It was sold at Territory Occult Shop in Osaka and at Doll Aoyama/ K1-doll in Nagoya. Later issues were sold at somewhere called PINK HAZARD in Tokyo (seems to be an SM bar now, though I can’t be sure it was one in the 90s). It was published by 憂鬱の解剖舎- the anatomy of melancholy? *Webmaster note- I can’t understand Japanese (T_T)
| I the copies that I own are Vol.2, Vol.4 and Vol.5. I posted Vol.2 when on my instagram when I first got it but I will re-introduce its pages in more detail below. Volume 2 ‘Special feature ~Black Thought~’ Issued in November 1998. | ||
(Pg 6-9) are musings about ‘black thought’ which give this volume its title. They are non decorated pages with writing about nihilism and existence, mentioning Kafka and Kant. It’s pretty surface level and plain so I didn’t feel the need to include it.
A profile of the authors, Hime and Maho-chan..? And our first mention of lolita! Hime wears Hysteric Glamour and Milk. She reads kiss. (I’m assuming it is Maki Kusumoto’s Kiss xxxx) and CUTiE. Her dream is to be an illustrator and poet.♥️♣️♦️♠️
Interview with the legendary Taiki about his occult shop Territory in Osaka. I was v excited about this. Taiki has been in the Japanese underground scene for a very long time. He started out in the hardcore punk scene and branched into DJing in the goth and club scene, most notably the gothic event Black Veil which many lolitas attended back in the day. It’s still active although Taiki is sadly deceased. Black Veil and Territory is still kept alive in his memory. The interview is mostly about his introduction to the otherworldly and stories about his occult experiences such as being drawn to make a devil’s altar adorned with garlic in place of a buddhist altar at his home. I liked how he said about him being suspicious in the past of a person with long black hair and a black hood facing an altar, but now that has become his own appearance.
Illustration by EBIWO who also did the cover art.
(Pg 15, 16 & 17) are writings about Nietzsche and religion. I’ll share pg15.
The other pages share thoughts about devil worship and the author identifies themselves as a witch. They reject the arrogance of a God. Fitting to be sold at a place like Territory.
(Pg 18 & 19 and pg 20) A poem or sentences about death and Judgement. They might be excerpts from somewhere else, I don’t know. Pg20 shows some kind of satanic diagram which i’m intrigued by but unfamiliar with.
Dolls by Rose Child? 薔薇子
(Pg 22 & 23)
I am showing both pages so that you can see what I see and try to make sense of it. Includes another drawing by EBIWO and angsty writings based on Alice. Is the text on pg23 upside down? It might be a stylistic choice.
(Pg 24)
Info about the upcoming Volume 3. The theme is Sexual Perversion. Includes an interview with ‘a man with the desire of slavery’ and ‘a man who has a habit of cross-dressing’. As you can tell, these zines are not a traditional lolita publication. It is more geared towards gothic and general counter-culture. It is unsurprising that themes of fetish would appear. A homogenous and fiercely repressed society like Japan is ~bound~ to have a deep culture of sexual perversion. Mwahaha. Bad joke.
Editor’s note about her retirement from working at a bookstore in order to focus on her training as a witch and her writing. Lots of thoughts about her future and the decision that she is making, but she hopes that the reader will stay with her for a while. At least, that is my google translated understanding.
(Pg 26) is the publishing and business info of the manufacturer.
(Back cover)
Starring the EGA icon, Nosferatu!
LINKS: Territory Osaka’s official site. Territory and its history, Black Veil and Bar Sabbat can be explored further.
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