I know if I were the prisoner, I'd be steamed!It is steamed bun(饅頭). A Chinese staple food similar to bread eaten in the West. It is said that whenever a prisoner is executed, the executioner sells some steamed bun that dipped in the prisoner's blood. People believed that eating these steamed bun soaked in blood could cure diseases.It looks like there's a lot of steamed bun there for the executioner to make a lot of money.
Thanks Ruoliuming. I recognised the Chinese steamer, and thought they might be the kind of bun that sometimes served with soup in Chinese restaurants, but I couldn't imagine what they were doing on the execution platform. You've added to my knowledge of Oriental customs!It is steamed bun(饅頭). A Chinese staple food similar to bread eaten in the West. It is said that whenever a prisoner is executed, the executioner sells some steamed bun that dipped in the prisoner's blood. People believed that eating these steamed bun soaked in blood could cure diseases.
Although it is true that human blood was once used as medicine in ancient China, but this practice stopped during the Ming Dynasty(1368-1644). I think that human blood steamed bun is a continuation of this kind of usage in the folk, this custom disappeared in the early years of the Republic of China at the latest. The modern Chinese writer Lu Xun(魯迅) once described and satirized this foolish practice in his work <Medicine>(藥).
Hm, tried to visualise it.... I am little worried about the visitor on the right side.
at https://www.google.co.jp ...
japanthis.com
| Suzugamori Execution Ground "Located on the beach of Ōmori in the Shinagawa area. This was site was warning to travelers coming into the capital by sea. Many high profile executions took place here. The area that is preserved today is allegedly the actual killing floor. As such there are many Buddhist monuments which have been erected to “soothe the lost souls” that inhabit the area. Yaoya O-shichi, the crazy bitch that tried to burn down Edo was supposedly burned at the stake here. A stone 台 dai post hole for 火刑 kakei burning at the stake is preserved at the site. A stone 台 dai post hole for crucifixion can also be seen here. When westerners think of crucifixion, they think of the stylized Christian symbol that comes down to us from Roman Catholicism. But even that isn’t an accurate representation of what Roman crucifixion was. Japanese crucifixion is a similar ordeal to the Roman style. While the Roman’s typically emphasized exposure to the elements and starvation as a mechanism of death, the Japanese tended to be a little more officious about the whole thing. They’d tie you to a few stakes and eventually a pair of dudes armed with halberds would come forth to stab the condemned 20-30 times and then dispatch them by cutting their throat. The body would be left exposed for about 3 days." 
Suzugamori Execution Ground - JAPAN THIS!Suzugamori Execution Ground was one the most notorious site in Edo. Located on a highway outside of the captital, it was a warning to all.
japanthis.com
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japanthis.com
great
link to the manga
I would really like to know where that third picture came from. I've been looking for Chinese Donkey images for a while now and found several stories, but this one is nowhere to be found. Seeing how the donkey looks I am wondering if Feather was inspired by this or if this was inspired on Feather's works.
