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Sada AbeJapanese woman strangled her partner Kichizo Ishida
Date of Birth: 28.05.1905
Country:  Japan |
Content:
Biography of Sada Abe
Sada Abe, a Japanese woman, gained notoriety for strangling her partner Kichizo Ishida for the purpose of sexual pleasure on May 18, 1936. She then severed his penis and testicles and carried them in her handbag. The story became a national sensation in Japan, receiving widespread coverage in the press and becoming surrounded by mystical details. It also served as the inspiration for numerous works by artists, philosophers, writers, and filmmakers.
Early Life
Sada Abe was the seventh of eight children born to Sigeo and Katsu Abe, a middle-class family involved in tatami production in the Tokyo suburb of Kanda. Out of all the children, only four survived to adulthood, with Sada being the youngest among them. Her father, Sigeo Abe, was originally from Chiba Prefecture and was an adopted child in the family whose business he later inherited. He was described in police records as a "worthy and honest person." Sada's mother, Katsu Abe, despite being characterized by acquaintances as egocentric and extravagant, also had no complaints from authorities or the police.
Sada Abe was born in 1905 and, as the youngest daughter, received special treatment from her mother, who indulged her whims. It was her mother who supported her in taking singing and shamisen lessons, activities traditionally associated with geishas and prostitutes rather than classical music lessons. Geishas were seen as glamorous celebrities, and charmed by this image, Sada skipped school to attend such lessons and wore appropriate makeup to match the image. Over time, the family faced certain problems related to Sada's brother, Shintaro, and sister, Teruko. During such moments, Sada was sent away from home alone. One of those days, when Sada was 15 years old, she was sexually assaulted by an acquaintance in the house of mutual friends. Despite all the support from her parents, Sada grew up as a troubled teenager.
Life as a Geisha and Prostitute
When Sada Abe grew up and became practically uncontrollable, her parents sent her to a geisha school in Yokohama in 1922, hoping that she would find her place in society. Sada's older sister, Toko Abe, later claimed that Sada had dreamed of becoming a geisha. However, Sada herself believed that her father had made her a geisha as a punishment for her promiscuous sex life.
Sada's impression of geisha life changed drastically soon after starting her education. To become a star among geishas, it required a lot of hard work, discipline, and years of training from early childhood. Instead, she became a matigesya, a quasi-geisha whose duties only included sexual pleasure. She worked in this role for five years before contracting syphilis. Realizing that she would now be regularly checked and examined, Sada Abe decided to change professions and find a better-paying job, which she found as a licensed prostitute.
Abe began working in the famous Tobita district in Osaka but soon gained a reputation as a troublesome girl. She stole money from clients and attempted to escape the brothel several times, but she was regularly caught and returned due to the well-organized and regulated system of legal prostitution. However, after two years, she finally managed to escape and left her prostitution activities to become a waitress in a cafe. The income from such work was meager and unsatisfactory for her, so after some time, she returned to prostitution. In 1932, she joined an illegal brothel in Osaka. In January of the following year, her mother passed away, and she went to Tokyo to visit her father and her mother's grave. In Tokyo, she joined the local prostitution market and became a paid mistress for the first time.
In 1934, her father fell seriously ill, and she diligently took care of him for ten days until his death. In October 1934, Sada Abe was arrested by the police during a raid on illegal brothels. Thanks to influential friends of the brothel owner, the women were able to be released. One of those who helped was Kinnozuke Kasahara, who had a great liking for Sada Abe. Soon, she became his mistress. On December 20, 1934, Kasahara bought her a house and provided her with money. In subsequent police testimonies, he stated that when Sada Abe proposed that he leave his wife and marry her, he refused. She then asked Kasahara for permission to have another lover, but he also denied her. After this, their relationship ended, and Sada escaped from him to Nagoya. Kasahara concluded his testimony about Abe with the remark, "She is a whore and a prostitute. From what she has done, it becomes obvious that men should beware of her." Sada Abe, in turn, spoke of him using equally harsh words: "He didn't love me and treated me like an animal. He is a scoundrel who groveled at my feet as soon as I said we should part ways."
