Hitobashira Monthly

Hitobashira Monthly is a fictional zine made for a school-project on urban legends.

Hitobashira (人柱, human pillar) refers to the ancient Japanese practice of burying a human sacrifice within infrastructure, with the belief that the human sacrificed would prevent the infrastructure from collapsing.

Using this as a metaphor for over-work, Hitobashira Monthly is a satirical zine that encourages people to sacrifice their lives for work. Poking fun at corporate slaves (who support society by working at the expense of their own lives, just like a human pillar), the zine is a parody of toxic work culture and how it has been idolised in certain societies.

Part dark humour, part social commentary, Hitobashira Monthly narrates how human pillars have evolved over time - from human sacrifice to contemporary office slave.