means "outrageous" or "preposterous" + "book" in
Japanese. Recently the word has gained another meaning thanks to the activity of Togakkai (the Academy of Tondemo books) which annually award Nihon Tondemo-bon Taisho (Japan Tondemo Book Award), which is similar to the
Golden Raspberry Award
The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies and Razzie Awards) is a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic under-achievements. Co-founded by UCLA film graduates and film industry veterans John J. B. Wilson and Mo Murphy, ...
or the
Ig Nobel Prize. Tondemo-bon is defined by the academy as "something amusing from a perspective that differs from what the author intends." The award covers not just conspiracy theory or pseudoscience but also includes
historical revisionism
In historiography, historical revisionism is the reinterpretation of a historical account. It usually involves challenging the orthodox (established, accepted or traditional) views held by professional scholars about a historical event or times ...
as well as atheists or scientific sceptics who make rather biased attacks toward the former. The members of Togakkai included religious figures as well as scientists and other academics. In Japan, this genre has superseded similar activities of scientific sceptics.
Some winners of the Nihon Tondemo-bon Taisho (Japan Tondemo Book Award):
*''Ninja, Its Origin and Technique'', an ostensibly scholarly exploration of the history of
ninja techniques, including the secret
magic
Magic or Magick most commonly refers to:
* Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces
* Ceremonial magic, encompasses a wide variety of rituals of magic
* Magical thinking, the belief that unrela ...
al hand gestures
*''Amazing Science Fiction Weapons'', a notoriously poorly researched book detailing the weapons and plots of science fiction series
*''A Final Warning from Mother Earth'', a guide to the future based on the knowledge of the ancients of
Atlantis and other civilizations
See also
*
Conspiracy theory
A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy by sinister and powerful groups, often political in motivation, when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources:
*
*
*
* The term has a nega ...
*
UFO conspiracy theory
*
Hollow Earth
*
Pseudoscience
External links
Togakkai (the Academy of Outrageous Books){{in lang, ja
Japanese words and phrases
Pseudoscience