JAPANESE TALES OF MYSTERY AND IMAGINATION
>> by Edogawa Rampo
>> Tuttle Publishing (June 1956) >> 232 pages paperback

One of the most intriguing visuals associated with Gothic Lolita fashion is Ero-Guro, or the erotic-grotesque. This sensibility has its roots in the Taisho era (1912-26), during which the Japanese experienced World War I and struggled to make sense of the West after centuries of isolation. The disturbed mood of the times was captured in the mystery stories of Edogawa Rampo (a pseudonym inspired by Edgar Allan Poe). An English compilation, dubbed Japanese Tales of Mystery & Imagination, includes:

>> The chilling story of a quadruple amputee living in isolation with his perverse wife;
>> The weird record of a man obsessed with optics who creates a chamber of mirrors and descends into insanity;
>> The morbid confession of a maniac who envisioned a career of foolproof “psychological” murders;
>> The eerie encounter with a portrait that appears to be alive;
>> The twisted psyche of a somnambulist who commits murder in his sleep;
>> The bizarre tale of the chair-maker who buried himself inside an armchair and enjoyed a sordid career of “loves” with the women who sat on him.

The fetishistic impulses of Ero-Guro are laid bare in “The Caterpillar,” a story of a lieutenant horribly disfigured by a shell. “His arms and legs had been amputated so closely that not even stumps remained, but only four lumps of flesh to mark where his limbs had been. Often he would lie on his great belly and, using these lumps to propel himself, manage to spin round and round – a top made of living flesh. (P74)” His wife must devote every minute to caring for this fragment of a man, who can only express himself through round, child-like eyes. And she finds herself wrestling with strange and perverse sensations: “The very disgust and ugliness […] seemed to excite all her pent-up passions and to paralyze her nerves. (P75)”

The wife’s reaction is disturbing, but perhaps not so surprising. There is something captivating about a cute, helpless baby doll that is simultaneously grotesque and gory. Guro-Lolita fashion flirts with this tension:

If you’re a fan of Sherlock Holmes, Dostoyevsky, and Poe, check out Edogawa Rampo’s fast-paced stories. They’ll chill your blood – and give you a glimpse into the cultural background of Gothic Lolita.

JAPANESE SCHOOLGIRL INFERNO: Toyko Teen Fashion Subculture Handbook
>> by Izumi Evers and Patrick Macias; illustrated by Kazumi Nonaka
>> Chronicle Books (May 3, 2007) >> 144 pages paperback

I was charmed by this cheeky guide to Japanese schoolgirl style, from the sailor-suit gangstas of the 70s to the Dracula maidens of today. About twenty pages are dedicated to Goth Lolis and their precursors, the Nagomu indie chicks of the 80s. This section begins with an in-depth, photo-packed history, followed by an illustrated Profile (must-have items, ideal boyfriend, a day in the life). Key designers such as Moi-même-Moitié, Alice Auaa, Baby, The Star Shine Bright, and Vivienne Westwood are discussed.

Without question, most of these subcultures would never fly outside of Japan. A Kigurumin in Pikachu pajamas might be mistaken for a furry fetishist. A Gonguro, in blackface and six-inch-platforms, would get an angry call from the NAACP. Gothic Lolita, however, wouldn’t look too much out of place in the West. (Of course, the foof would have to be toned down; we have a lower tolerance for cuteness than the Japanese.)

But will Gothic Lolita gain hold in America, where Goth kids are tagged as school shooters or reduced to objects of ridicule on South Park? I’m optimistic. While there are points of convergence, Gothic Lolita is stylistically very different from Western Goth. When a survey asked “What is the purpose of your interest in Gothic Lolita?”, most girls responded “To have a sense of beauty. (P125)” Another answered, “Every girl simply wants to dress up and look cute. Lolita fashion is the tool to totally transform myself into something else. (P126)” Now isn’t that something we can all relate to?