Template:Did you know nominations/itako


 * The following is an archived discussion of the DYK nomination of the article below. Please do not modify this page. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as |this nomination's talk page, the article's talk page or Wikipedia talk:Did you know), unless there is consensus to re-open the discussion at this page. No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was: promoted by Cwmhiraeth (talk) 05:29, 31 March 2016 (UTC)

itako

 * ... that the initiation ceremonies for Japan's blind necromancers, known as itako, involve "sleeplessness, semi-starvation and intense cold"?


 * ALT1:... that only 20 of the blind Japanese necromancers, known as itako, are alive today?
 * ALT2:... that training for Japan's blind female necromancers, itako, can include days of drenching in ice-cold water, followed by a wedding ceremony?
 * Reviewed: Operation Maharat
 * Comment: Would we prefer "visually impaired" in lieu of "blind"?

5x expanded by Owlsmcgee (talk). Self-nominated at 00:48, 13 March 2016 (UTC).


 * Symbol question.svg Article passes general requirements, 5x expansion verified (though seems to have begun on 9 March rather than 12 March?). Interesting hooks (I think the mere mention of "blind Japanese necromancers" is probably interesting in itself). I don't mind the use of "blind", and no one else seems to have objected since the nomination. Great work on the article, and fascinating stuff. Some immediate problems with the hooks, though:
 * ALT0: ✅ I couldn't find the quote on the Google Books snippet view of the book, and the page number isn't given in the citation. I will see if I can check the source myself when I'm at my university library later today, but could you clarify this otherwise?
 * Fixed this myself; I found the quote in another book and swapped the citation on the article. (Some of the "Blacker" citations might be pointing to the wrong place as there's another book by Blacker which I found the quote in). This one is good to go, notwithstanding the image concern below. I'd just note that I prefer "the blind Japanese necromancers known as itako" as a stylistic matter to "Japan's blind necromancers, known as itako,".— Nizolan  (talk) 11:21, 29 March 2016 (UTC)
 * ALT1: The citation doesn't support this (the article is from 2009 and says "Junichi Tonosaki, a historian in the prefectural museum in Aomori, where Mount Osore is located, said the number of itako had fallen from about 20 a decade ago", meaning it was less). Struck, but could potentially be rewritten to conform with the source. I've changed the article to reflect the source.
 * ALT2: Not supported by the article, which says that "training ... in its most extreme form can involve complete, sustained drenching by ice-cold water for a period of several days", so it's only extreme cases and is to do with training rather than the actual initiation ritual. Struck, but again, could be rewritten. (This one would be my preference if it can be rewritten properly.)
 * Other than that, the image is fine in terms of copyright and usage, but should also be cropped to focus clearly on the itako—the close-up of the back of that person's head probably isn't necessary. — Nizolan  (talk) 08:39, 29 March 2016 (UTC)
 * Thanks. Tried re-writing ALT2 (and un-struck) to match your comments. Let me know what you think. I don't really have the option of fixing the image, I'm afraid. Maybe better to strike it? --Owlsmcgee (talk) 01:19, 30 March 2016 (UTC)
 * Symbol confirmed.svg ALT0 and ALT2 are good to go, with reservation about the image. — Nizolan  (talk) 02:34, 30 March 2016 (UTC)