slide 1: Mannequin heads creep out crows and individuals
If you are traveling around Japans countryside at the end of summer time
you shouldnt be alarmed if you notice a lot of creepy mannequin heads looking
to you in the fields.
They are for that wild birds.
Dennis Doucet a Canadian professional photographer whos resided in Kobe
Japan for 26 years was out trying to find egrets and herons within the grain
paddies near his neighborhood earlier this year as he spotted the spooky heads.
The result is macabre he states especially during the night once the heads
catch the sunshine in the passing cars.
"The sudden appearance of the items appear like bodiless zombie heads
floating within the darkness can provide one quite the scare" Doucet writes on
CNN iReport.
"Also because the heads become moldy or bleached through the sun they
become much more frightening. Most non-farming Japanese appear to agree
the heads are most likely more frightening to humans rather than the unwanted
pests you have used them to stay away"
Japanese scarecrows known as "kakashi" occupy a storied history in farming
culture with lots of legends surrounding their use within the grain fields.
Within their latest incarnation Japanese maqui berry farmers take mannequin
heads remaining from hairstylists and only make existence-sized scarecrows or
just impale them on stays with discourage sparrows Doucet learned from locals.
"The heads are existence-sized and incredibly realistic" Doucet writes. "The
hair is permanently applied to ensure that when the hair continues to be cut the
mind will be useless towards the original owner."
slide 2: Kensuke Okada a professor in the College of Tokyos Worldwide Enter in
Farming Development Studies states scarecrows are "considered to be an
ineffective method for safeguard the crops from wild birds nor its broadly
practiced in Japan."
But Doucet visited two maqui berry farmers who was adamant they have
found scarecrows is the best technique for repelling nervous sparrows lacking air
cannons that are so loud they make an annoyance for neighbors.
Driving round the area he saw the mannequin heads in a minimum of twelve
different paddies in various areas.
One large land owner a 15th-generation player stated he began while using
mannequins about 5 years ago when certainly one of his part-time workers was
studying to become a hair stylist.
"He stated the timing of utilizing the heads was the important thing.
"Hed place them out just time once the grain involved to become harvested
-- this is time of the very most crop damage by sparrows. He strongly supported
the potency of the mannequin kakashi."
Lee Chapman another Tokyo japan professional photographer that has
photographed many mannequin scarecrows through the years "in various
clothing and positions" states hes observed they merely emerge in mid- to late-
August to safeguard the grain thats nearing harvest.
Once harvesting starts they are packed away until the year after.