History chindogu — the most useless and absurd inventions from Japan

You've probably seen on the network dozens of useless Japanese inventions: rags for cleaning the floor, on clothing, umbrellas for shoes and toothbrushes that are worn on the fingers. This phenomenon is called chindogu, and it has a special philosophy, and came up with his student-anarchist Kenji Kawakami, who worked in "gazelles".

Pencil sort of adhesive, only filled with oil, to make it easier to spread on bread.

He studied at the aircraft, but dropped out (in another version — was expelled for political reasons). The young student is much more pleasant to read the works of Marx and anarchists like Kropotkin than to attend classes. Being without means of existence, Kawakami was employed part-time at two jobs: in the children's TV program and magazine products Mail Order Life in the spirit "store on the couch".

Children's program taught him not to be ashamed of immediacy, and the magazine Mail Order Life — the fact that people are willing to buy all sorts of unnecessary things, especially if they will be delivered directly to the house. As a natural born anarchist, Kawakami resented how pointless his compatriots are spending money. So he invented comic the protest, which was to remain a one-time hooligan trick.

In secret from the Japanese leadership began to place in a magazine of his own invention, useless to the point of absurdity: fan for noodle or tray for cats, performing the functions of a Zen garden.

It turned out that readers are willing to buy even such stupid products. Kenji came up with for their inventions name — chindogu (literally "strange things") and plunged into the absurd. He even had followers, and in Japan there are about 50 thousand people. Society of inventors chindogu protests against mindless mass consumption, creating things, beautiful in its futility. Thanks friend Kenji, editor-in-chief of Tokyo Journal of Papia Dan, the idea was picked up in the West, and so on chindogu found all over the world.

The community chindogu even had its own commandments, which must be strictly observed.

1. Chindogu in any case can not be really useful. It should solve the problem, but to be too impractical. 2. Chindogu must be translated materially, it has brought to the prototype stage. Just the idea doesn't count. 3. In chindogu should be the spirit of anarchy, she must break the traditional ideas about the usefulness. 4. Chindogu is certainly things to life and daily use. 5. Chindogu you cannot sell or receive money for them, even as a joke. It is considered stupidity and commercialization. 6. Clean joke is not a sufficient reason to create chindogu. 7. Chindogu should not be propaganda, it cannot be used for satirical criticism. 8. Chindogu shouldn't touch taboo topics: cheap vulgar humor or sex. 9. Chindogu should not be patented. This is your gift to the world. 10. Chindogu for everyone, no prejudices.

Sam Kawakami wrote about chindogu two books that became best sellers: "101 useless Japanese invention" and "99 more useless inventions: the art chindogu".

Self-stick Kawakami invented in 1995 to make fun of fools. Then he did not patented, as required by the rules created by him. Now this invention that was created as nonsense, used by hundreds of thousands of people.