A relic tied to one of Japan’s most peculiar sports superstitions has met its end. A statue of KFC’s iconic Colonel Sanders, which had garnered a reputation for being “cursed,” was ceremoniously destroyed at Sumiyosha Grand Shrine in Osaka, Japan. This effigy had been at the root of the “Curse of the Colonel,” linked to a series of unfortunate events for the Hanshin Tigers baseball team.
The story of the curse began in 1985 when exuberant Hanshin Tigers fans celebrated a rare victory by jumping into the Dotonbori river. In the heat of celebrations, lacking a physical representation for the team’s American player, Randy Bass, they chose to substitute a plastic statue of Colonel Sanders. This peculiar act was thought to have sparked the curse, as the Tigers faced an 18-year losing streak following the incident.
In numerous attempts to reverse their ill fate, fans and the team sought to recover the statue from the depths of the river. After much effort, the statue resurfaced in 2009 but the team’s luck seemingly remained unchanged until 2023. That year marked the end of the curse when the Tigers clinched their first Japan Series championship since the infamous incident. Interestingly, instead of repeating history, they chose to celebrate by dunking a Colonel Sanders impersonator into the river.
Over the years, the curse has captivated the imagination and made its way into various forms of popular culture, including anime series and video games. References to the myth have appeared in productions such as “Sonic Adventure,” “Kill la Kill,” and “Yakuza 0 (Like a Dragon 0: The Place of Oath).”
However, with the curse’s power diminished after the Tigers’ latest victory, and due to the statue’s deteriorating condition, it was deemed time for the Colonel to retire. Reports suggest the statue had become challenging to preserve, prompting the decision to hold a ceremonial “doll-burning” ritual to put the Colonel to rest. This symbolic act was meant to honor and lay to rest the statue that held a special if somewhat fraught, place in the hearts of both KFC aficionados and Hanshin Tigers fans alike.
The Colonel’s memorial service was documented and shared by news outlets, giving fans and interested parties a glimpse into the final moments of the infamous statue that had sparked both joy and apprehension over the years. Now, with the effigy destroyed, perhaps the Hanshin Tigers can look forward to a future of victory unshadowed by superstition.
