And the Girls Worried Terribly (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781934819326)

Why did the girls worry terribly? The title was found in Oliver Statler's book, The Black Ship Scroll. This has been an important book to Devota's partner, Brandon Shimoda. A caption beneath a sketch of two women in kimonos reads: "The foreigners said they wanted to take pictures of beautiful Japanese ladies, so the government officials ordered that some of the singing girls be chosen as subjects. Later a rumor spread that anyone who was photographed would die within three years, and the girls worried terribly." There was a deep-rooted superstition about having one's portrait made: the soul might leave to take up residence in the "new self," causing the fatal "shadow-sickness."