Issei Sagawa, the celebrity cannibal
“The public has made me the godfather of cannibalism, and I am quite happy about that.”
In 1981, at the age of 32, Issei Sagawa leapt to infamy for a cannibal murder the Japanese call Pari jinniku jiken (The Paris Human Flesh Incident). When captured, he was found mentally unfit to stand trial, and sent home amidst suggestions that his wealthy family were able to secure special treatment for him. After a year in a mental hospital, Japan’s most gruesome celebrity was free.
Pari jinniku jiken
Sagawa had been studying English literature in Paris when he became obsessed with a Dutch classmate, Renée Hartevelt. Having persuaded her to come to his house to discuss their studies, he shot her in the neck, and spent the next 2 days eating various parts of her body. He chopped up the remains and put them in a couple of suitcases, which he dumped in a park. He was spotted in the park and arrested a few days later.
Celebrity career
Although most people were appalled by what he had done, there was undeniable public fascination with Sagawa, and he has managed to make some sort of living out of his infamy:
- He has authored at least 13 books, including explicit accounts of his own experiences. In one, he describes how the Dutch girl’s flesh “melted in [his] mouth like a perfect piece of tuna”. He has also written about other people’s atrocities, including a book about the infamous child-killer Sakakibara.
- He appeared in the 1992 film Sisenjiyou no Aria (The Bedroom), in which women are drugged and subjected to bizarre sexual fetishes. Sagawa’s role as a sadistic voyeur drew directly from his public persona.
- Another example of art imitating life is in Sagawa’s own painting, which focuses on the nude bodies of Caucasian women.
- In one extraordinary display of bad taste, he was once hired by a tabloid to write restaurant reviews.
Despite his varied celebrity career, Sagawa admitted in 2006 that he was having trouble scratching together enough cash to eat a Big Mac, let alone another Dutch student. Sagawa’s decision to revel in public infamy has made sure no one forgets his horrific crime, and he has found himself unemployable. It is difficult to see how much sympathy he should expect.
- Issei Sagawa (Wikipedia)
“In interviews, Sagawa describes himself as a ‘weak, ugly and small man’ and claims that he wanted to ‘absorb her energy.’” - The Cannibal Celebrity: Issei Sagawa (Crime Library)
“He says that when he sat next to her in a class, he fell instantly in love and could not stop thinking about the white skin of her arms.” - Issei Sagawa: The Confession
Sagawa’s account of his cannibal act. Not for the faint-hearted. - Sagawa Issei: Too Much Blood
“I flipped through the childlike drawings. It was an account of his life, with the centerpiece being the two day-long orgy of mutilation, cannibalism and sexual deviance” - Police photos from the crime scene
WARNING! Some of the pictures are graphic and might be upsetting. If you’re unsure about visiting this site, please don’t. - Former celebrity cannibal struggles for next meal (MDN WaiWai)
“The fiend not only avoided prison time for his monstrous meal but managed to sashay his gruesome act into a celebrity career” - Issei Sagawa (Everything2)
“He is (or at least was) a huge celebrity and pop-culture icon in Japan, selling books, doing TV interviews and the like”
Popularity: 21% [?]
41 Comments, Comment or Ping
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lol wtf is with the cannibal man, fuck that phsycho
Feb 10th, 2008
Gregorio
I saw a show on this guy.He’s probably the creepiest human being I’ve ever seen.
Mar 2nd, 2008
xaer8
He should be dead like others who likes eating human flesh!
Jun 22nd, 2008
hopper
What the hell? I’d comment on everything that is completely wrong with this situation, but I feel I’d be stating the blatantly obvious.
Jul 8th, 2008
Kendall
not sure if “In one extraordinary display of bad taste, he was once hired by a tabloid to write restaurant reviews.” is a pun or not
Jul 10th, 2008
freedomwv
What a sick SOB! I am very shocked that he got some fame and money out of what he did.
Sep 27th, 2008
anon
just goes to show how bad french food is lol
Sep 28th, 2008
corey
Im interested in finding the title of the poem that Renée Hartevelt read. The poem by Issei’s favourite german expressionist…help?
Sep 29th, 2008
John Watson
All those Asians and Africans love the taste of Caucasians, especially the Brains.
In Southern Africa the Witch Doctors sell Albino parts from African Albinos.
Feb 1st, 2009
Anonymous
what an interesting man,i must say!
Mar 6th, 2009
anchoredwunderlust
john thats for medicine. they think that albinos can cure things. its very ignorant, but nothing to do with non-whites being obsessed with us 0_0
Mar 17th, 2009
name
what a sicko..
does it taste like chicken??
Apr 4th, 2009
Melrocks
FUCK U ISSEI uR A ABOMINATION TO MANKIND
Apr 10th, 2009
Alison
woooow this is so wrong , he should be executed but instead hes famous and he gets money for it so now he probably thinks what he did was ok and good >.>
Apr 19th, 2009
shabdx
what a creepy guy!!
makes me sick
Apr 24th, 2009
...
i want someone to cause him continuous unbearable pain
May 8th, 2009
GOD
that is not cool
May 31st, 2009
mistyken
well i read some articles about this dude b4. his father is a very wealthy banker and it is said that his father pulled some string to get him extradited back to japan. i doubt money is an issue for him, all he wants is fame…..
Jun 6th, 2009
Anonymous
That’s Japan for you!
Jun 7th, 2009
davidddd
i can kill this fucking guy …
Jun 16th, 2009
Aloysius Fozdyke
Issei Sagawa is in many ways a hero; a truly exception individual. Issei has been subject to a great and unwarranted deal of race hate. The fact that he ate a dead woman is used to mask the unspoken ethnic superiority of others as they deliver sugar-coated – if hardly disguised – xenophobic diatribes against a peaceful man trying to get on with what is left of his life. He seeks neither fame nor fortune, merely to be accepted and gently appreciated by others.
But latent racism is ever present to thwart him, ever ready to condemn and shamefacedly tireless in its aggressive hypocrisy. Have there not been a number of white race cannibals? No one heard of Albert Hamilton Fish?
By redeeming Issei from the snickering gutter-press we would be redeeming ourselves. By ceasing to parade a singular individual’s past like a dirty handkerchief and rising above the all too easy put-down and snide aside we’d be elevating ourselves as well as Issei.
More people have reached the summit of Everest than have killed and eaten another human being. More people murdered than eaten. But Issei Sagawa is one of the precious few who lives amongst us; one of those who went beyond the bounds of normalcy to touch the furthest reaches of experience and one who could do with our help.
Jul 1st, 2009
maxmillion
I can’t believe this! How can someone get away with such a horrendous crime? And to top it off, he gets celebrity status in Japan? WTF!!!
People like them make me worry like hell everyday about my wife and family and of course other woman who are not strong and cowards like these prey on them.
I can slice this guys head of myself. Good fucking riddance! We don’t need people like this around our families!
Jul 3rd, 2009
Maggie
That thing should be in a mental asylum for the criminally insane.
Jul 3rd, 2009
Anonymous
japanese are sick people! in normal society he would be hated and attacked, but in japan he’s a celebrity?! it’s so sick!
Jul 14th, 2009
Emilio
I would like to have a private session in the woods with this girly like motherfucker. I will be a pleasure to put a good old American Buck knife through his belly. I would have my hunting dogs take good care of him. We don’t need this scum on earth.
Jul 25th, 2009
Jon
Something is terribly wrong with the Japanese society. No wonder I gather other countries in Asia disliking them. Psychiatric tests in Europe where he was admitted used the world “Evil” not insane in conclusion to what this sick bastard is.
Jul 30th, 2009
Anonymous
He’s a fucking bastard, can’t believe that no one’s killed until now…
Aug 3rd, 2009
Aloysius Fozdyke
Mr. Sagawa made a mistake in the salad-days of his lonely youth. Unlike others who would take the easy course and rot in gaol, Mr. Sagawa set about transforming himself from criminal to celebrity; from misunderstood wretch to an international icon. In that regard we could all learn something. Today there are numerous websites devoted to him; he is an internationally recognised author both of integrity and humanity.
Although I don’t for one moment condone his idiosyncratic, cannibalistic action it must be admitted that his victim is largely remembered merely as an aspect of his life. And whatever recognition she gets is inextricably linked to Issei and his achievements. Cruelly, but perhaps accurately, it can be opined that although there were and remain many girls like Renée Hartevelt there is and will only ever be one Issei Sagawa. Indeed his status is such that he warps the contours of perception, moulding existence with grace, style and joy. Internationally know and nationally respected he will continue to blaze as a beacon of what is possible in a sordid world of lesser mortals and as an example for the future.
Indeed, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that in time to come people will doubt that such a man did once walk upon the Earth amongst us, for his stature grows with each passing year.
Aug 14th, 2009
Let me at him!!!!
This is for you Aloysius Fozdyke! You are worse if possible than that piece of shit! I will gladly torture you and that other ugly motherfucker for free! As a matter of fact I would pay to torture both of you!!!! You mindless jap ass-fucking little dick pussy bitch!!!!!!! Stick up for that bitch again and you will find that little ugly fuck and yourself at my dinner table!!! And guess who will be on the menu?!! Please put your address on so I can come visit!!!
Aug 29th, 2009
I can not believe Aloysius Fozdyke
How can you read about what this man has done and not feel any sympathy for his victim?! Sure you say that you do not condone what he did, but to say that there is something to be learned from his story is unbelievable. When you first tried to realate this story to race I was shoked. I am by no means saying that racisms could never have ben an issue in his life, but I see no corrilation here. The victim clearly was not prejudice towards this man as she went to his house to help him out of her own free will. And please keep in mind that of course we remember the white cannibalists, but you are commenting on an article about this one particular man so other examples will probably not be mentioned. If you want, I sure there are other places you can visit that denounce other “white” cannibles. Further more, what makes his cause particularly upsetting to people is the fact that he got away with this sick injustice, not his race. Last, prehaps the victim would be remembered in her own way had that right not been so brutally taken away from her when she was still young. Please think before you say things that make you sound inhuman and foolish. To be perfectly honest, I think you are just writting this that you know will outrage people because you think it might be funny. Either way, it is completely abhorable.
Oct 3rd, 2009
ale
it’s a shame!! tell that girl’s parentes that he’s a hero!! He was saved from french justice thanks to his rich rich father. he’an insane killer and not brave at all, like a real hero should be. I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT IT’S A SHAME. How can japanese people read his books?
Oct 27th, 2009
Ninja
Okay, I dont normally comment on shit like this but all of you people complaining about the japaness goverment and how its all fucked up is so fuckin annoying!
Look, Canniblism is something that happends WAY more then you people know about. It is not wrong. People eat animals just like animals eat animals. When humans first came to this god forsaken earth, WE DID EAT EACH OTHER to survive.
1. Being a cannible does not make you the scum of the Earth. It makes you a human fuckin being. Yeah, its not seen alot now-a-days but in this century, there are way more cannibles then you people actually know about.
2. All of you people who are saying that you would torture him or people who are on his side, wouldnt have the balls to do it anyways so shut the fuck up. You dont know what it takes to kill someone and guess what, YOU NEVER WILL. Killing is an art. The only reason people dont accept it, is because we are all suppose to “live in peace” or whatever. If you people would open your mind and take a look at this would, you wouldnt be so close-minded and stupid when it came to this subject.
3. Issei Sagawa was doing what any other human would have done. You have an urge or a desire, you satisfy it. No matter what it may be. Belive it or not, there are alot of things that can over-power our own will and i guess cannibilism is one of them.
4. Stop blaming the Japan’s society. Weather you like it or not, Mr. Sagawa is famous in America and a number of diffrent contries as well. And he isnt famous for what he did. He is famous for being able to over-come that will. No cannible has ever been able to do that before. His story is amazing. It isnt even “sick”.
Get over yourselves cause weather you know it or not, your making him more famous by reading and commenting on this.
Dec 12th, 2009
Galoux
Ignore Aloysius Fozdyke’s drivel. It’s a weak attempt at satirizing contemporary mores in the postmodern world. There are some things that just aren’t funny, and the wretchedness of any society that would elevate a cannibalistic murderer to an icon is its own condemnation; satire is pointless beside it.
Clearly, the man belongs in a mental institution and should never be let out. Clearly, the criminal justice system failed, as it so often does when wealth is involved. Clearly, there is something deeply wrong with Japanese society that is displayed in this terrible story. What remains mysterious to me is that there has not been one individual there so outraged by it that they have attempted to kill the man. Not to say that this would be the right thing to do–simply that one would expect it to have happened.
My heart cries for the poor girl and her family, and for all the victims of someone’s murderous psychopathy.
Dec 12th, 2009
Anonymous
And what would a Japanese woman taste like? Susshi? Or fried wonton?
Dec 12th, 2009
Wondered
Uhh.. Guys.. i saw that body :’( i almost vomited !! poor renée.. she didn’t have left breast and nose.. discusting, my mom just a few years younger then renée could be nowadays :’( FUCK THIS SHIT JAPANESE ASS
Dec 27th, 2009
Anonymous
He’s interesting.I would never do what he did but,i would like to meet this man.stop treating him like a monster
Jan 1st, 2010
Bob
I can’t believe the French authorities did not press the Japanese to put this wacko in jail.
Perhaps his wealthy family greased some key hands in Paris as well as Japan to secure the freedom of this wacko cannibal.
I mean duh…according the Wikipedia, the Japanese said they cannot hold him legally because they were “missing key documents from the French Courts”? Uh hello? Have these people not heard of Fed-Ex? The Japanese could simply have requested the missing documents or the French could simply have volunteered to courier the necessary documents to Japan. Why did they not do so? Bribery I tell you. Key people got bribed. Justice was denied in this twisted case.
I hope this guy rots in hell.
Jan 5th, 2010
hate bad
he just crazy guy i wud like hit n kick his ass too much! he is pop of japan because japan love to do crazy i hope bad thing come to his life
Jan 7th, 2010
Anti-ninja
Anti-ninja.
Japan is a great country-but Issei Sagawa and commentators like Ninja represent every thing that is wrong with it.
There is nothing normal or special about cannibalism-it is abnormal and abhorrent.
The Japanese government should be criticized for letting a man walk around who says he would now like to make shabu shabu or sukiyaki out of Japanese women.
Ninja is clearly representative of one of the most ugly, selfish and Ignorant aspects of modern Japanese society when he says that Issei is very special. He shames the Japanese people with such observations.
There is nothing good about Issei or Ninja either for that matter, and the world should know that he does not speak for a majority of the Japanese people.
His poor spelling and petulant aggressiveness notwithstanding are both testament to his ill-breeding, his ignorance and his gross misrepresentation of the Japanese people as a whole. With idiots like him claiming to represent the Japanese, it is no wonder that Japan is becoming increasingly marginalized in the international arena.
Jan 9th, 2010
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