The Most Sensational "Hanged Man" in the World (maybe)

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 25 Mar 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

kenji	25 Mar 2004
Hello all :) I'll show you an example of "the Wonders of Japan." It's a tarot deck named "O.H.Tarot". First let me introduce the creator of this deck to you. Mr. Koretaka Eguchi is the most prominent authority on Golden Dawn study in Japan. He is also well versed in tarot, and has created several versions of O.H. Tarot (O.H. is the magical order he founded). Indeed he is an amazingly erudite and eanest scholar, but at the same time...a REAL JOKER. Well, in advance, please have a look at the "Magician" card of this deck. http://www7.ocn.ne.jp/~elfindog/df58.htm The depicted character is called Oujupah, an "avatar" of Mr. Eguchi. OK, now, ladies and gentlemen, here is the most sensational "Hanged Man" card in the world... TADAH! http://www7.ocn.ne.jp/~elfindog/df69.htm Mr. Eguchi's comment on this card: "Ah, it was this very masterpiece that made the essence of O.H. Tarot revealed to the world. Just behold its wonderous realism, which neither Bonifacio Bembo, Gringonneur, Colman Smith, Frieda Harris, Sheridan nor Palladini could achieve!" (translation from Japanese by me) I'll tell you again: he is the most prominent authority on GD in Japan, whom I greatly adore. (Believe you me! :cool: )

kenji	25 Mar 2004
Of course he is not always joking. There are also some very beautiful cards by him. For example: http://www7.ocn.ne.jp/~elfindog/vex14.htm http://www7.ocn.ne.jp/~elfindog/vex17.htm http://www7.ocn.ne.jp/~elfindog/vex20.htm http://www7.ocn.ne.jp/~elfindog/evex21.htm (comments in English) Fantastic, aren't they? :)

Cerulean	25 Mar 2004
Always fun to hear about different decks. Yes, very beautiful. Best, Mari H.

HudsonGray	25 Mar 2004
There was just some thread going about why the hanged man's clothing didn't fall down funny in that position. Talk about serendipity.

Shalott	25 Mar 2004
Couldn't really see if those were his long undies, but was their hair stubble on his legs? HA!!!

Jewel-ry	26 Mar 2004
What is it with these tarot deck creators and ... boxer shorts, has this guy been talking to Major Tom?? Seriously though kenji, it looks quite a fascinating deck. Thanks for sharing it. J :)

diane drizzy	26 Mar 2004
Way cool! Made me smile

Le_Corsair	26 Mar 2004
Now that is how I have always pictured the Hanged Man in my mind! Bob :THERM

kenji	26 Mar 2004
Thanks for your responses :) You can get access to the other cards on the following page: http://www7.ocn.ne.jp/~elfindog/rotaorigin.htm Have fun!! ;)

Moongold	08 Jul 2004
They are great. Also you may have just blown away a huge misconception of mine. I thought the Tarot was mainly a western practice. Is it very well known in Japan? Pardon my ignorance :). I mainly hang out in the Your readings or Reading Exchange Forums.

Cerulean	08 Jul 2004
...I do have a subset collection of Japanese decks. One of the fun decks I originally started with was the 1982 Ukiyoe Tarot collaboration with Angel Playing Cards of Japan and U.S. Games. The designs are based on Ukiyoe art in the majors and courts and there's a strong resemblance in the 40 suited minors to the Hanafuda Japanese playing card suits of landscape and bird/flower/insect motifs. U.S. Games and Angel Playing Cards also distribute the Angel Tarot, a modified Marseilles design in warm earthy tones. I think manga/anime tarot decks and beautiful cover art by illustrators made into tarot cards started becoming popular in the 1990s...let me know if you want to know the names of some Japanese art and manga decks available to Western collectors....happy to be a helper in that way! Regards Cerulean Mari

roppo	09 Jul 2004
kenji, I'll get you for this! Well, it is safely asserted that Japanese younger generations, I mean, under 40, know more about Tarot than they do about the I-Ching. Exoticism plays big part in the occultism and the linguistic barriar hardly mattered in the case of Tarot because it is a series of pictures. And the Japanese feels no religious hesitation in the divination or fortune-telling. Simply, "anything goes". The first tarot appeared in Japanese mass media, namely TV CF, was a kind of gift or supplement to an icecream. It was small sized 22 arcana only type, which resembled the Alfred Douglas deck. It was 1974 or so and since then many tarot images were appeared in Japan and some of them were published as real cards. From 80's anime and manga tarots increased their numbers and as to these joyful worlds please turn to Cerulean-san (hello, I'm roppo, douzo-yorosiku!) All in all, I believe the tarot situation in Japan is not so different from any other countries. Of course, sincere students are comparatively few, those sincere enough to study French in order to read de Geblin in original text. But such must be a few party in every countrly, I suppose.

tao51	09 Jul 2004
I guess I had never thought of it--but when I used to hang upside down on the climbping bars my shirt would fall down also. Although I had shorts or pants on underneath. The illustrations are wonderful. Thanks--Tao

The The Most Sensational "Hanged Man" in the World (maybe) thread was originally posted on 25 Mar 2004 in the Tarot Decks board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Tarot Decks, or read more archived threads.