The following photograph-rich article features fortune telling (and divination), fortune teller’s shops in Coney Island, legal issues associated with fortune tellers’ business practices, prediction of Islamo fascists’ attack on America on September 11, 2001, criteria of real seers, fraud of Global Warming cult, artworks of fortune tellers & diviners, and other fascinating topics. Most of photographs featured in this article were never shown in public before. Yamada is one of the most active educators and artists in New York City and has had over 450 fine art exhibitions internationally with his paintings and sculptures. The manuscript was produced by Dr. Eriko N. Bond, noted art critic and New York City author, as told by Yamada.

TAKESHI YAMADA

ON

FORTUNE TELLING & DIVINATION

- CONEY ISLAND SIDESHOW AND BEYOND -

Article by Dr. Eriko N. Bond as told by Takeshi Yamada

Chapter 11

Portrait of Prophet Takeshi Yamada with three goddesses

32x24 inch, oil/acrylic on canvas, 2001

Coney Island Fortune Teller Shop #2

“Fortune Teller by Tammy” shown below is located at Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York. It is only seven minutes walking distance from the residence of Takeshi Yamada.

“Fortune Teller by Tammy” at Dino’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park.

Tammy at work at the front table, and her assistant with microphone is in the front right.

This shop looks more casual, cheerful, and entertaining to attract clients who visit the amusement park. The storefront sign painting featuring the images of tarot cards and a crystal ball looks very casual and playful, which matches the storefront of the surrounding game shops and food venders. Note the modern big round-shaped custom-made neon sign inside saying “TAROT CARD READINGS”.

As of 2008, Tammy (36) has been professionally working as a fortune teller for 23 years (since 13 years old). During the winter months, she runs her fortune telling business at another Brooklyn location. Fortune telling is her passion, career, and full time job. Incidentally, she does not consider herself as a witch or pretend to be one at all.

Tammy at her fortune teller shop at Deno’s Wonder Wheel amusement park.

(August 6, 2008)

The storefront of this shop, according to Yamada, is screaming out loud, “we are here to just entertain you! It’s fun! Let me read your future! Come and enjoy! Don’t take it too seriously.” It is also on the prime location for foot traffic in the area. All fortune tellers here are females and they all wear only conservative long skirts below knee (they never wear jeans!). Today, it is less common to find women wearing skirts casually in Coney Island, New York city, or anywhere in America in general (unless they are minors wearing their school uniform or traditional Jewish females). Therefore, their wearing long skirts (never short or mini-skirts) gives people a unique visual effect and psychological impact. In short, they look “classical”.  

At this fortune teller shop, three separate services can be provided at the busiest times; two are at the desks located in the front and one in the back behind the velvet curtain. In the left of this photograph, a customer on the chair is consulted by one of the fortune teller ladies, Tammy, now. The lady in the right on the chair solicits people passing by with the microphone just like barkers do at game shops near by. Readings in person start from five dollars.

Promotional color postcard of Tammy (front)

Tammy started using this colorful card in August 2008.

(August 2008)

Promotional color postcard of Tammy (back)

(August 2008)

One day, Takeshi Yamada casually suggested to Tammy that she post Harry Potter movie posters to attract more business among a younger audience but she just laughed at his idea. 

This colorful amusement park map illustrates the location of the Tammy’s fortune teller shop. 

The Ticket Booth is gone. The Portrait Studio is now replaced by a booth with a few

electric game machines inside. Over the years, many stores have came and gone here.

The Tarot

The tarot is a set of cards featuring 21 trump cards, the fool, and an extra face card per suit, in addition to the usual suit (face and pip) cards found in ordinary playing cards. The tarot is with the trump cards along with the Fool card comprising the 22 major arcana cards and the pip and four face cards the 56 minor arcana.

This deck is reproduction and based on the 1751 deck by the Swiss Claude Burdel.

His original woodblock outlines have been kept, the colors are new.

Antique Viassone Tarot, 1885.

Brera Brambilla deck (48 cards)

It was named after Giovanni Brambilla, who acquired the cards in Venice in 1900.

Tarot cards are used throughout much of Europe to simply play Tarot card games. In English-speaking countries, where the games are largely unknown, Tarot cards came to be utilized primarily for fortune telling purposes. The way tarot is used in America seems as if uninformed Americans were using Japanese hanafuda (花札. Lit ‘flower cards’) for fortune telling and divination -- hanafuda is only used for children’s playing game at New Year Holiday and adult’s illegal gambling in Japan today. Many old movies in Japan also features scenes of Yakuza (Japanese cyndicated gangs) engaving in hanafuda bakuchi  (hanafuda card gambling).   

Examples of cards of hanafuda. They are NOT used for fortune telling or divination in Japan.

A variety of tarot cards have been designed (most of them are “old and traditional’ European style) and sold all over the world. There is a body of literature, books, and websites which describe in great detail how to use the tarot for fortune telling and divination, so, it is omitted in this article.

Internationally famed eccentric Spanish contemporary artist, Salvador Dali also created his version of tarot cards reflecting his artistic creativity. His tarot cards are actually a smaller size replica from his large size mixed media works on paper.

Tarot cards designed by Salvador Dali, eccentric Spanish artist.

Japanese Tarot

Unlike here in the United Sates, far less people ever use tarot cards for fortune telling or divination purposes in Japan. There are also few Japanese anime featured scenes of fortune telling by the tarot such as DNAngel. Nevertheless, there are many tarot cards produced and they are really popular items in Japan. The reason for this cultural phenomenon is the Japanese anime boom. Those Japanese tarots cards almost always feature characters of popular manga and television anime (and even video games). In short, they are excellent character goods (novelty items), just like erasers, greeting cards, calendars, trump cards, posters, wall scrolls, and notebooks featuring the images of their manga characters. (Not all of Japanese manga tarot cards were published in Japan. For an example, Sailor Moon tarot was published in Germany.)

Examples of Japanese manga/anime tarot cards published are Ah! My Goddess, Angelique, Angelique 2, Apocripha-0, Atelier Marie, Escaflowne Movie, Gensomaden Saiyuki, Gundam Wing, Gundam Wing (Megu), Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Maya Mineo (Patarillo), Naruto, Reiko Shimizu's "Miracle",  Sailor Moon (German) , Shoujo Kakumei Utena, Sol Bianca, Summon Night, Vision of Escaflowne, Weiß Kreuz, Yukari Ichijo (Tarot Card), X/1999 CLAMP, etc. Needless to say, this is a very popular item and the list has been steadily increasing every year.

(from left to right) Evangelion (published in China), Full Metal Alchemist, Shoujo Kakumei Utena,

Sailor Moon (published in Geremany)

(from left to right) Miracle, Weiß Kreuz, Chobits, Max Lovely, One Piece

Note: The copyright of above shown anime tarot cards are belong to respectable each anime artist and anime production company.