Editing Chain letter (section)

=====Kōun no Tegami (幸運の手紙 - Lucky Letter)=====
[[File:Tokyo Asahi Shinbun 1922-11-20 2.jpg|thumb|An English-language "Lucky Letter" reported in the Tokyo Asahi Shimbun, 20 November 1922]]
Beginning around 1922 in Tokyo, "Kōun no Tegami" (幸運の手紙 - Lucky Letter), also called "Kōun no Hagaki" (Lucky Postcard), became popular.<ref name="歴史民俗博物館研究報告20120330_p309"/><ref name="新潮45_26(1)_p48"/> Believed to originate from the "Lucky Chain" game popular in Europe during [[World War I]] or similar chain letters in the US,<ref name="新潮45_26(1)_p48"/><ref name="モノと図像から探る怪異妖怪の東西_p94"/><ref name="モノと図像から探る怪異妖怪の東西_p106"/> these letters were translated into Japanese.<ref name="モノと図像から探る怪異妖怪の東西_p106"/> A 30 January 1922, [[Tokyo Asahi Shimbun]] article mentions a postcard mailed from London, suggesting foreign origins.<ref name="歴史民俗博物館研究報告20120330_p312"/><ref name="朝日新聞19221120m_p2"/>

[[File:Tokyo Asahi Shinbun 1922-01-27 01.jpg|thumb|A Japanese "Lucky Letter" titled "For Good Fortune" (幸運之為に), featured in the Tokyo Asahi Shimbun, 27 January 1922]]
These letters promised great fortune if the recipient copied the text onto a certain number of postcards (e.g., nine) and sent them to others within a time limit (e.g., 24 hours), but threatened "great misfortune" (大悪運, dai-aku'un) if the chain was broken.<ref name="非文字資料研究センター48_p18"/><ref name="朝日新聞19220127m_p5"/><ref name="モノと図像から探る怪異妖怪の東西_p98"/> Some included harsh warnings like "great disaster within 24 hours" for breaking the chain.<ref name="婦人ライフ1(2)_p25"/> The letters often mentioned the chain needing to circle the globe a certain number of times (e.g., nine times), reflecting the era of mail transport by ship.<ref name="非文字資料研究センター48_p18"/> An example from the 27 January 1922, Tokyo Asahi Shimbun reads:
{{Quotation|For Good Fortune

Please write these exact words on nine postcards and send them to people from whom you wish good fortune.

After nine days, great fortune will surely come your way. However, if you break this postcard chain, great misfortune will come instead.

Please write these within twenty-four hours of seeing this postcard.

This venture was started by an American officer and must circle the globe nine times.|"Handwritten letter example"|{{Harvnb|丸山|2022|pp=18-19}} citing Tokyo Asahi Shimbun}}

The phenomenon became a social issue, frequently reported in newspapers.<ref name="非文字資料研究センター48_p18"/> [[File:Tokyo Asahi Shinbun 1922-02-26.jpg|thumb|A 1922 advertisement in the Tokyo Asahi Shimbun mimicking the style of a Lucky Letter]] Politicians used them for campaigns, and businesses created advertisements mimicking the format, leveraging the free distribution network.<ref name="奇態流行史_p109"/><ref name="ムー20(11)_p82"/><ref name="歴史民俗博物館研究報告20120330_p314"/> Writer and social critic [[Miyatake Gaikotsu]] documented the trend in his 1922 book ''Kitai Ryūkōshi'' (History of Strange Fads), noting people sent them out of fear of misfortune.<ref name="奇態流行史_p109"/> (Gaikotsu stated his interest in the Lucky Letter phenomenon inspired him to write the book.)<ref name="新潮45_26(1)_p48"/><ref name="モノと図像から探る怪異妖怪の東西_p98"/> Unlike later "Unlucky Letters," the focus was theoretically on gaining luck, but the fear of incurring bad luck by breaking the chain often dominated.<ref name="モノと図像から探る怪異妖怪の東西_p106"/> While Western interpretations often focused on monetary gain/loss, Japanese interpretations tended towards physical harm, illness, or death as the consequence of misfortune.<ref name="モノと図像から探る怪異妖怪の東西_p100"/> Newspaper accounts described people overcome with anxiety, sending the letters despite skepticism.<ref name="モノと図像から探る怪異妖怪の東西_p100"/><ref name="朝日新聞19220129m_p5"/> The potential for exponential growth (one person sending nine, repeated ten times, yielding over 3.4 billion letters) was also noted as problematic.<ref name="歴史民俗博物館研究報告20120330_p310"/> The trend spread, appearing in [[Shenyang|Fengtian]] (now [[Shenyang]]), [[Manchuria]] in May 1922, where authorities attempted, unsuccessfully, to ban them.<ref name="新潮45_26(1)_p48"/> The [[1923 Great Kantō earthquake]] later led some to view the letter craze as an ill omen.<ref name="新潮45_26(1)_p48"/>

[[File:Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun 1926-08-01.jpg|thumb|The "Lucky Letter" incident involving prominent figures reported in the Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun, 1 August 1926]]
In 1926, a Lucky Letter incident involved prominent figures. Imakita Sakunosuke, head of the government's Monopoly Bureau, received an English letter via an American acquaintance and a Japanese scholar. Imakita translated it, added instructions to send to nine friends, and mailed it to influential figures in politics and finance, causing a stir.<ref name="新潮45_26(1)_p48"/><ref name="ムー20(11)_p84"/> Police investigated, finding recipients including former Tokyo mayor [[Gotō Shinpei]].<ref name="新潮45_26(1)_p48"/><ref name="実話ナックルズGOLD1_p81"/> The [[Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun]] reported the event on 1 August 1926.<ref name="ムー20(11)_p82"/><ref name="朝日新聞19260801m_p7"/> Imakita claimed his daughter sent them playfully, but some analysts question this, suggesting it might have been a pre-arranged excuse or even an early experiment in information diffusion, given the involvement of military figures and [[Gotō Shinpei]] (then president of [[NHK]]'s predecessor).<ref name="新潮45_26(1)_p48"/><ref name="実話ナックルズGOLD1_p81"/> Political scientist [[Yoshino Sakuzō]] also received one in August 1926, dismissing it as foolish but criticizing police intervention as overreach.<ref name="主張と閑談5_p291"/><ref name="主張と閑談5_p294"/><ref name="歴史民俗博物館研究報告20120330_p312"/><ref name="ムー20190124"/> Despite suppression efforts, senders were sometimes punished.<ref name="ムー20190124"/>

[[File:Tokyo Asahi Shinbun 1935-09-03.jpg|thumb|A 1935 Tokyo Asahi Shimbun article reporting an arrest related to a money-based Lucky Letter scheme]]
Although some sources claim Lucky Letters died out after the Great Kanto Earthquake due to crackdowns,<ref name="大百科事典8_p590"/> they continued to appear. In 1935, a man was arrested for attempting a money-making scheme similar to the Denver "Send-a-Dime" letter, using the phone book to mail 350 letters asking for small cash contributions.<ref name="朝日新聞20100420"/><ref name="朝日新聞19350903_p11"/>
[[File:We are already tired of war 1943.jpg|thumb|An anti-war chain letter circulated in Japan during World War II (1943)]]
During World War II (1943), an anti-war chain letter circulated, stating "We are already tired of war. Let us pray to God for peace to come soon," instructing recipients to send copies to two acquaintances (the small number possibly reflecting wartime shortages).<ref name="モノと図像から探る怪異妖怪の東西_p100"/><ref name="世界20080401_p266"/> Post-war examples include a "Fuku'un no Tegami" (福運の手紙 - Fortune Letter) in 1948–1949, promising large sums of money (e.g., ¥16 million or ¥200,000) if recipients sent a small amount (e.g., ¥2 or ¥20) to the first name on a list, updated the list, and forwarded it to others (e.g., 7 or 15 people).<ref name="まぼろしチャンネル_200308"/><ref name="婦人ライフ1(2)_p25"/> [[File:Yomiuri Shinbun 1954-10-01.jpg|thumb|A 1954 Yomiuri Shimbun article discussing the anxiety caused by Lucky Letters]] By 1954, newspapers reported on the anxiety these letters caused, with a middle school girl terrified by a threat of death for not forwarding within 12 hours, and a man seeking advice after receiving a letter claiming someone died for ignoring it.<ref name="モノと図像から探る怪異妖怪の東西_p100"/><ref name="モノと図像から探る怪異妖怪の東西_p102"/> Some letters used famous foreign figures, claiming [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] became president by sending one,<ref name="日本迷信集20211020_p120"/><ref name="新聞論調19540726_p30"/> or [[Thomas Edison]] died for not sending one.<ref name="日本迷信集20211020_p120"/>