Sada Abe

Born

May 28, 1905

Died

January 1, 1972

Biography

Sada Abe is mainly remembered for erotically asphyxiating her lover, Kichizo Ishida, on May 18, 1936, and then cutting off his penis and testicles and carrying them around with her in her handbag. The story became a national sensation in Japan, acquiring mythic overtones, and has since been interpreted by artists, philosophers, novelists and filmmakers.