In Japanese legends, the last thoughts of a dying man were believed to have irresistible powers. Lafcadio Hearn tells the story of a samurai who condemned one of his slaves to death by beheading. The slave, convinced of the injustice of the sentence, bitterly told his master, at his execution, that he would take revenge. The samurai’s family were terrified, because they understood the power of a dying man’s final thoughts. Continue reading →