The Purgatory Museum

I’m not sure what I’m looking at.

A rectangular slab of wood bears two burn marks–one in the shape of a cross, the other resembles a human hand. Nearby are other items–a shirt, a prayer book, a pillow–all with burns that look like they’ve been made by fiery fingers.

I’m in Rome’s smallest and strangest museum, the Piccolo Museo del Purgatorio, the Little Museum of Purgatory. Housed in the church of Santo Cuore del Suffragio, which is dedicated to relieving the souls tortured in Purgatory, it stands barely ten minutes’ walk from the Vatican. Small it certainly is, just one long case along a single wall, but the questions it raises are at the center of an increasingly acrimonious debate that’s dividing Western civilization.

Purgatory is a halfway point between Heaven and Hell, a place for the souls of people who lived good enough lives to avoid eternal damnation, but not quite good enough to join the angels. In Purgatory these souls suffer torment for enough time for their sins to be forgiven, a sort of celestial spanking with no Child Protective Services to intervene.

But there is hope. Prayers by the living can reduce a soul’s time in Purgatory. Faithful relatives offer up prayers or even pay for entire masses to be said for the departed. Others neglect this spiritual duty, and it is said that sometimes a tormented soul will return to Earth and ask for help.

During the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries these visitations happened fairly often and took on a common pattern. A spirit would appear to a relative or friend, reveal it was in torment, and ask for prayers to shorten its time in the cleansing fires. As proof that the spirit had been there, it would touch its burning hand to a nearby object. These events were one of many types of miracles common in the Catholic world such as apparitions of the Virgin Mary and bleeding statues of Jesus.

The Purgatory Museum collects these soul burns and tells their story. The hand and cross that I am seeing was left on a table by Fr. Panzini, former Abbot Olivetano of Mantua. In 1731 he appeared to Venerable Mother Isabella Fornari, abbess of the Poor Clares of the Monastery of St. Francis in Todi. He appeared to her on November 1, 1731 (All Saints Day) and said he was suffering in Purgatory. To prove his claim, he touched his flaming hand to her table and etched a burning cross in it too. He also touched her sleeve and left scorches and bloodstains.

%Gallery-101999%I have to admit I’m skeptical. I am an agnostic, and while I can’t disprove the existence of some sort of deity, I’m having trouble believing this story. The hand doesn’t look quite right. I take several photos, including the negative black and white image shown here. On this image details become clear that aren’t easily spotted with the naked eye. The burnt hand and cross are made up of a series of circular patterns as if they were made with some sort of hot poker. Other objects, whose images and stories can be seen in the attached gallery, appear more convincing but could still easily have been made with a bit of flame and ingenuity.

This doesn’t dissuade the two guys I’m seeing the museum with. They are a devoutly Catholic gay couple here in Rome on pilgrimage, something I find far more mysterious than a few burns on a nightcap. They go from object to object with wonder in their eyes. Looking at that same hand they don’t see its shape as odd, and they don’t see the circular patterns that make it up as a sign of forgery. A burning hand, of course, would have flames coming out of it, which would distort its shape and lead to some areas of the imprint being more scorched than others.

And that, I realize, is what the Purgatory Museum has to teach. For the faithful, it is yet more proof of Divine Judgment. For an atheist, it is proof of the gullibility of religious people and the nasty web of lies that supports organized religion. For the agnostic standing between two fundamentalisms, it proves nothing. Personally I think these objects are the products of overzealous fraudsters wanting to make converts by any means necessary, yet debunking them doesn’t disprove the existence of spirits any more than showing there’s no life on Mars would disprove the possibility of aliens on other planets.

As I stand there wondering where the whole debate over religion is going to lead, an attractive young American nun walks in, hands me a pendant of the Virgin Mary, and hurries off before I can ask her what the Latin inscription says. This sort of thing happens a lot in Rome. The inscription reads, “O MARIA CONCEPITA SENZA PECCATO PREGATE PER NOI CHE RECORRIAMO A VOI” and bears the date 1850. Translation, anyone?

So I leave the same as I entered, “knowing” nothing but insatiably curious about everything. That’s a pretty good place to be, I think. Walking down the nave I see one of the gay Catholics gazing upon a reclining figure of the crucified Jesus. His face is transfixed with reverence, wonder, and sadness as he bends down and kisses the statue’s feet. His visit to Rome will be very different than mine.

This starts a new series called Vacation with the Dead: Exploring Rome’s Sinister Side. I will be looking at the Eternal City’s obsession with death, from grandiose tombs to saints’ relics, from early Christian catacombs to mummified monks. Tune in tomorrow for The Tombs of Rome!

Daily Pampering: Swarovski crystal-encrusted Hello Kitty bottled water

Remember when you were in third grade, and instead of working on your multiplication tables you furtively traded Hello Kitty puffy stickers for bubble gum-scented Hello Kitty erasers? No? Well, if you missed out on that iconic elementary school experience, fear not, because the Sanrio empire has expanded its line of high-end adult goods in commemoration of the megalocephalic cat’s 35th anniversary.

The folks at Sanrio have just released Swarovski crystal-encrusted bottles of Hello Kitty luxury water. At a mere $100 a pop, this is one indulgence water aficionados of all ages won’t want to miss. Produced by Japanese “jewelry water” company Fillico, the contents come from a natural spring at the base of Kobe’s Mt. Rokko.

The appearance of the water vessels will also strike a nostalgic chord with Boomers and Gen-X’ers who recall the cone-shaped pump hairsprays of the ’70’s and early ’80’s. The waters come in five different colors (or flavors, depending upon which vague marketing blurb you happen to read): red, for “friendship”; pink for “cute”; yellow for “heartful,” green for “wish,” and lavender, for “sweet.” You can even have them engraved, for that personal touch. The top of each bottle is capped with a crystal crown, with a color-corresponding crystal bow around the neck. Even the Hello Kitty moniker sports a wee little crystal bow on her head.

We still have some Hello Kitty puffy stickers lying around if anyone wants to trade us for one of these crystal bottles. Anyone?

Want more? Get your dose of daily pampering right here.

Big in Japan: Hello Kitty is Japan’s new tourism ambassador

If you thought that the political world of international diplomacy was dry and boring, then guess again….

This week in Japan, government leaders shocked the media by announcing that their latest ambassador to the world is a giant anime cat. Of course, we’re not just talking about any old cat, but none other than Hello Kitty ( ??????????????????; Har? Kiti), that lovable feline that has appeared on everything from bento boxes and chopsticks to cell phones and designer tennis shoes.

According to the Japanese government, Hello Kitty will soon begin serving as the tourism ambassador to China and Hong Kong in a bid to attract more foreign visitors. At a light-hearted public event, a kimono-clad Hello Kitty received a certificate to commemorate her appointment from Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Tetsuzo Fuyushiba.

Hello Kitty is no stranger to politics. Since 1983, she’s served as the Children’s Ambassador for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). However, her new appointment is much more monetary in focus, especially since Japan is hoping to raise its tourism revenue by attracting more than 10 million overseas visitors each year. At present, tourists from China and Hong Kong comprise more than 15 percent of foreign visitors to Japan.

Hello Kitty was created in 1974 by Sanrio – the very first product was a clear vinyl coin purse bearing the face of Hello Kitty, which sold for 240 yen or approximately two dollars. Surprisingly, Hello Kitty was intended to be named ‘Kitty White’ after one of Alice’s cats in the Lewis Carroll classic Through the Looking-Glass. At the time, British culture was the height of fashion amongst Japanese girls, and Hello Kitty was never intended to have any appeal beyond the pre-adolescent female market.

Of course, the designers at Sanrio failed to fully appreciate the Japanese obsession with all things cute!

Interestingly enough, Hello Kitty is the second anime cat to receive an official government title. This past March, Japan’s foreign minister, namely Masahiko Komura, appointed a giant stuffed Doraemon as Japan’s first ‘anime ambassador,’ tasked with making friends by traveling around the world. According to Mr. Komura: “As an anime ambassador, Doraemon will deepen people’s understanding of Japan so they will become friends with Japan.”

On a serious note, the recent appointments of cartoon cats to government posts couldn’t come at a better time, especially since Japan’s international popularity has waned significantly following a number of controversies including various World War II denial scandals and increased whaling efforts. So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Japanese government is extremely keen to promote the country’s strong cultural attributes, such as the weird and wonderful world of manga.

So, I’d like to join the chorus of well-wishers by congratulating Hello Kitty-san on her sexy new job as Japan’s tourism ambassador. 心から本とにおめでとうございます!!

(Special thanks to my sister for uncovering this amusing little news item!)

** Top photo taken by Koji Sasahara (AP)**

Big in Japan: Hello Kitty goes macho

Easily one of the Japan’s most recognizable cartoon characters, Harō Kiti (Hello Kitty, ハローキティ) is known and loved the world over.

Created in 1974 by Sanrio, the very first Hello Kitty product was a clear vinyl coin purse bearing the face of the smiling feline, which sold for 240 yen or approximately two dollars.

Originally, Hello Kitty was intended to be named ‘Kitty White’ after one of Alice’s cats in the Lewis Carroll classic ‘Through the Looking-Glass.’

At the time, British culture was the height of fashion amongst Japanese girls, and Hello Kitty was never intended to have any appeal beyond the pre-adolescent female market.

Of course, the designers at Sanrio failed to fully appreciate the Japanese obsession with all things cute.

More than thirty years later, graying salarymen think nothing of dangling a hot pint Hello Kitty strap from their cell phone, while middle-aged housewives swear that the Hello Kitty toaster is the best on the market.

(And, truth be told, I’ve been known to rock out some Hello Kitty chopsticks from time to time).

Of course, all of this is about to change as Hello Kitty is getting an image change and going macho.

This week, Sanrio announced that the face of Hello Kitty will soon be stamped on T-shirts, bags, watches and other products targeting young men.

According to a company spokesperson, “Young men these days grew up with character goods. That generation feels no embarrassment about wearing Hello Kitty.”

The for-men products will go on sale in Japan next month, and will likely be sold soon in the United States, Europe and other Asian nations assuming the new line is a success.

So what exactly will the new face of Hello Kitty look like?

The new line of man-focused Hello Kitty products will have a “rugged, cool look” to appeal to men in their teens and early twenties.

One of the first products will be the face of the famous feline on a black T-shirt with the words, “hello kitty”, instead of the usual dots for the eyes and nose.

But, no matter how much Hello Kitty changes over the coming years, one thing is for certain – she’s here to stay.

Today, Hello Kitty is a global trademark that is appeals to virtually all age groups and both sexes. According to estimates, Hello Kitty adorns over 22,000 products worldwide, and earns almost a billion dollars a year in revenue for the Sanrio Company of Japan.

Since 1983, she’s held the position as the US Children’s Ambassador for UNICEF, and has been sported by celebrities as diverse as Mariah Carey, Cameron Diaz and Paris Hilton.

Sanrio stores can be found across the globe, and the face of Hello Kitty adorns everything from clothing and stationary to jewelry and electronics.

Despite her syrupy sweet image, Hello Kitty has even appeared on adult underwear, wedding dresses and even a signature line of sex toys.

Hello Kitty – she’s not just for little girls anymore.

Big in Japan: Hello Kitty and the Culture of Cute (Part II)

This post is the continuation of yesterday’s column on Hello Kitty and the Culture of Cute.

You don’t have to look too hard in Japan to find something cute.

From ruffled clothing and dollhouse shoes to smiling mascots and anime characters, evidence of kawaisa (cuteness, ??????) is everywhere in Japan. Even beyond consumer goods, being cute has become something of a national obsession, with women (and increasingly men) of all ages striving to achieve their own unique expression of kawaisa.

Surprisingly, cute culture is increasingly being accepted as a part of the national identity. Indeed, there is a growing sense of pride in the fact that cute things are immediately thought of as being ‘Japanese.’

In recent years, kawaisa has even been successfully exported to neighboring Asian countries and to a lesser extent the West. Beyond Hello Kitty, Japanese super-cute fashion is all the rage in Taiwan, South Korea and parts of China, and even Americans can now identify Harajuku Girls thanks to the pop sensation Gwen Stefani.

Of course, this brings about the question: why do the Japanese love cute things?

Much has been written about this subject, and sadly I don’t have the time or the space to outline everything here. But, there is no shortage of theories out there trying to explain this surprisingly profound question.

For instance, some academics claim that kawaisa is the modern manifestation of the Japanese obsession with harmony and order. Then again, when I ask my students why they dress in bright pink and neon green, they usually reply, ‘It just makes me feel very very very happy.’

With that said, there is a growing minority of Japanese people that hate the idea of kawaisa, and find cute culture to be extremely juvenile and degrading to the society. This opposition to the mainstream is not hard to understand, given that past Japanese culture focused on restraint and minimalism. Consider for a moment the time and skill it takes to study calligraphy, tea ceremony, zen meditation, karate or any of Japan’s traditional arts.

So, is it possible for a culture to simultaneously embrace sumo wrestling and Pokemon?

Clearly, modern Japan is in a state of flux, which is one of the reasons why it’s such an interesting place to live. In the span of a few hours, it’s possible to take in an afternoon performance of live kabuki theatre, and then blow a few thousand yen playing the latest arcade games.

But, no matter what happens to mainstream Japanese culture in the years to come, one thing is for sure – Hello Kitty is here to stay. Since 1983, she’s held the position as the US Children’s Ambassador for UNICEF, and has been sported by celebrities as diverse as Mariah Carey, Cameron Diaz and Paris Hilton. Sanrio stores can be found across the globe, and the face of Hello Kitty adorns everything from clothing and stationary to jewelry and electronics. Despite her syrupy sweet image, Hello Kitty has even appeared on adult underwear, wedding dresses and even a, well, how should I say this – ‘personal massager.’

Hello Kitty – she’s not just for children anymore.

(Hello Kitty Vibrator picture sourced from www.jlist.com. If you’re over 21, yes – you can buy one).

** Special thanks to Flickr users Beggs (Cosupre Girl) and Morbuto (Alice in Wonderland) **