Yama's Messenger Part 1: Extraordinary Violence

“I've killed so many, I don't want to count
I spent a life raping the world
Both far and near before you now I come, please help
Creator, faultless one!”

“Yama’s Messengers” by Gojira (2008)

Gojira, through their music though especially The Way of All Flesh, paints a vivid picture of violence, especially that committed against the Earth. Though they do not necessarily tackle themes of mass murder the way other musicians do, Gojira showcases a murderer with a human face – the defense behind killing all murderers can be summarized with “they have lost their humanity or never had it.” Thus, mass murder can seem without explanation. I would like to provide an explanation through looking at the modern history of the world and modern art. 

Extraordinary violence, despite seeming immortal and beyond humanity, stems from mankind, especially from people put into desperate situations. Naturally, mass murder cannot be written off this way but even a murderer is still human. Even someone who has killed many. The perceived separation from a normed state, whether due to perceived social identity or not, serves to further dehumanize murders. Murder, and mass murder, is never acceptable but one must see beyond objectifying murderers as simply beyond humanity. The murderer under question in this essay is the red-haired human raised by Monster Rats (a Fiend) from From the New World and will be detailed following a breakdown of relevant sources. I wish to use this character as a case study to understand a (peculiar) example of a murderer.

Death clearly holds a grip over modern society. Over the course of the twentieth century, many mass murders were committed, including the Holocaust. Though this event is the most notable, it was surrounded chronologically by many similar – albeit much smaller scale and often less organized – occurrences – the 1941 Japanese invasion and so-called rape of Nanking (not completely figurative in the case of this occupation), the Partition of India and Pakistan of 1946-1947, and most relevantly the 1945 bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  This latter event was especially destructive due to the use of atomic bombs – the resulting radiation impacted a generation of Japanese people.

However, its influence extends beyond simply the devastation rained upon the inhabitants of these two cities: it is a morbid matter that has been inserted into Japanese culture in select works. To the Japanese, this bombing can be considered a truly traumatic event that should not be forgotten. To be fair, this event is not the only instance of terrorism – for if we are honest with ourselves, the bombing’s intent was clearly meant to cow the Japanese people and stifle political action – because of the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system in addition to various other incidents. Most importantly, the bombing represents a trauma that has become an integral part of the Japanese culture, especially for those who hail from the targeted cities. 

Works Consulted:
Gojira. The Way of All Flesh. Listenable Records. 2008. Music.
Ham, Paul. Hiroshima Nagasaki: The Real Story of the Atomic Bombings and Their Aftermath. 1st ed. New York: St. Martin's, 2011. Print.

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This piece is split into three parts and this is part one.