Thank you most sincerely for visiting this page.
Viscera is an online journal of thought and letters, compiled by volunteer members of the Seishūkai.
Published in a space where reality and fiction interbreed and contaminate one another, Viscera deals broadly with literature, thought, art, criticism, diaries, records, images, video, fictional persons, fictional books, fictional cultures, and more. It is also a place for quietly reexamining established distinctions—human and machine, high and low, normal and abnormal—and, where necessary, for mixing and rearranging them.
Viscera is at once a journal of ideas, a literary magazine, a critical review, an archive, a theater, and an advertisement. Some of the texts published here are fact, and some are fiction. The boundary between them is not always made explicit. We wish to inform you in advance that the very existence of this journal involves a certain degree of staging. This policy does not, however, apply to articles intended to withstand use as reference material. Such articles are classified as ATTESTED: their factual statements are based on existing, verifiable sources, and, as far as possible, they distinguish between facts that can be confirmed from sources, the views of third parties, and the author’s own inferences, interpretations, and evaluations. Where they include the author’s own criticism or reflections, these are never presented as confirmed facts, and nonexistent sources, persons, organizations, events, or the like are never introduced as real-world facts.
Viscera is edited by volunteer members of the Seishūkai, but not every text published here is written from within the society. We accept outside contributions under anonymity or pseudonyms where appropriate, and, as a matter of editorial policy, we may refrain from disclosing contributors’ names, affiliations, or past activities.
Viscera also respects diverse sensibilities and the freedom of expression. For this reason, we do not regard eros, pornography, the grotesque, the vulgar, the bizarre, the perverse, the obscene, the cruel, bad taste, or any other elements that society is inclined to deem harmful or toxic as things simply to be excluded and banished. The society holds that impurity is not something to be uniformly rejected; rather, by taking it in appropriately, quietly observing it as an inner movement, and listening closely to its changes and transitions, one may find in it an occasion for a deeper purification and wholeness. Likewise, properly excreting and releasing what has stagnated and been held down within oneself is not mere removal but a practice that regulates the body’s circulation and fosters sensitivity, communion, and the cultivation of sexual vital energy. Dialogue with microbial others, and even harmony with cosmic rhythms, are likewise to be found within this cycle of intake and discharge.
The society endeavors to promote the exchange of knowledge and fellowship among its members. To all who have shown an interest, we hope that your contact with this journal has brought some measure of order to your thoughts and senses. We humbly ask for your continued understanding and cooperation.