A chain letter is a message that ostensibly attempts to convince the recipient to make a number of copies and pass them on to a certain number of recipients. The "chain" is an exponentially growing pyramid (a tree graph) that cannot be sustained.
Common methods used in chain letters include emotionally manipulative stories, get-rich-quick pyramid schemes, and the exploitation of superstition to threaten the recipient with misfortune or promise good luck. Originally, chain letters were letters sent by mail; modern chain letters are often sent electronically via email, social network sites, and text messages.
Types There are two main types of chain letter:
Hoaxes: Hoaxes attempt to trick or defraud users. A hoax could be malicious, instructing users to delete a file necessary to the operating system by claiming it is a virus. It could also be a scam that convinces users to spread the letter to other people for a specific reason, or send money or personal information. Phishing attacks could fall into this category. Get-rich-quick pyramid schemes promising a substantial return for sending money to people on a list are a common form of hoax chain letter. Luck- or superstition-based letters: These letters ostensibly promise good luck for forwarding the message or threaten bad luck (or even death) if the chain is broken or the letter is not forwarded. These often prey on superstition. This category includes urban legends designed to be redistributed, usually warning users of a threat or claiming to be notifying them of important or urgent information. It is often assumed that the language and attempt to convince the reader to continue the chain are sincere but is also sometimes interpreted ironically as mocking a person who actually takes the statement literally. Another common form are emails that ostensibly promise users monetary rewards for forwarding the message or suggest that they are signing something that will be submitted to a particular group. These usually have no negative effect aside from wasted time and potential anxiety for the recipient.
In the United States, chain letters that request money or other items of value and promise a substantial return to the participants (such as the infamous Make Money Fast scheme) are illegal.Chain Letters. United States Postal Inspection Service. Archived from the original on 8 May 2012. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service cites when it asserts that chain letters are "illegal if they request money or other items of value and promise a substantial return to the participants, pursuant to , the Postal Lottery Statute". Some colleges and military bases have passed regulations stating that in the private mail of college students and military personnel, respectively, chain letters are not authorized and will be thrown out. However, it is often difficult to distinguish chain letters from genuine correspondence.
Channels
The oldest known channel for chain letters is written, or printed, on letters on paper. These might be exchanged hand-to-hand or distributed through the mail.
Early examples and precursors In Europe, letters known as "Himmelsbrief" (; ) existed, with examples dating back as early as the 6th century. Purported to have fallen from heaven, delivered by God or an agent thereof, they often urged adherence to Christian teachings and promised protection from misfortune to those who possessed the letter. By the 20th century, these evolved to include instructions: copying the letter and sending it to a set number of people would bring good fortune, while failing to do so would bring misfortune. Eventually, the religious elements faded, leaving simple instructions to circulate the letter for good luck or face bad luck. Already in the nineteenth century, similar chain letters were known to have circulated among Muslim pilgrims going on the hajj to Mecca. Those chain letters promised blessings or curses and required replication.
One notorious early example of a money-based chain letter was the "Prosperity Club" or "Send-a-Dime" letter. This letter started in Denver, Colorado in 1935, based on an earlier luck letter. It instructed recipients to send a dime to the person at the top of a list of names, remove that name, add their own to the bottom, and mail the letter to five others, warning of misfortune for breaking the chain. It soon swamped the Denver post office with up to 100,000 letters per day before spilling into St. Louis and other cities. Some consider this a precursor to the Japanese "Fukou no Tegami" (Unlucky Letter).
In 1964, the head of the United States Postal Inspection Service ordered a nationwide crackdown on violators of postal fraud and lottery laws due to an increase of chain letters reported around college towns in the United States. The typical letters included a list of names and instructed the recipient to send money to the name at the top of the list, remove that name, add their own name to the bottom of the list, and forward the letters to two more people.
Chain letters in Japan
Japan has a long history of practices resembling chain letters, often tied to warding off misfortune or attracting good luck through specific, shared actions. During the Edo period (Bunsei era, 1818–1830), sending printed images of Daikokuten with instructions to distribute them to 100 homes for good luck became popular, eventually banned by the shogunate but resurfacing in the early Meiji period. Other historical examples include rumors in 1813 that seeing a specific star meant death unless one ate botamochi, and rumors during World War II involving the mythical creature Kudan predicting protection from air raids if one ate azuki rice or ohagi, or Takami Jun's diary entry about eating only rakkyō for breakfast to avoid bombings, provided the information was shared. This cultural background of sharing methods to attract luck or avoid disaster is seen as a foundation for the later popularity of chain letters in Japan.
Kōun no Tegami (幸運の手紙 - Lucky Letter)
Beginning around 1922 in Tokyo, "Kōun no Tegami" (幸運の手紙 - Lucky Letter), also called "Kōun no Hagaki" (Lucky Postcard), became popular. Believed to originate from the "Lucky Chain" game popular in Europe during World War I or similar chain letters in the US, these letters were translated into Japanese. A 30 January 1922, Tokyo Asahi Shimbun article mentions a postcard mailed from London, suggesting foreign origins.
These letters promised great fortune if the recipient copied the text onto a certain number of postcards (e.g., nine) and sent them to others within a time limit (e.g., 24 hours), but threatened "great misfortune" (大悪運, dai-aku'un) if the chain was broken. Some included harsh warnings like "great disaster within 24 hours" for breaking the chain. The letters often mentioned the chain needing to circle the globe a certain number of times (e.g., nine times), reflecting the era of mail transport by ship. An example from the 27 January 1922, Tokyo Asahi Shimbun reads:
The phenomenon became a social issue, frequently reported in newspapers. Politicians used them for campaigns, and businesses created advertisements mimicking the format, leveraging the free distribution network. Writer and social critic Miyatake Gaikotsu documented the trend in his 1922 book Kitai Ryūkōshi (History of Strange Fads), noting people sent them out of fear of misfortune. (Gaikotsu stated his interest in the Lucky Letter phenomenon inspired him to write the book.) Unlike later "Unlucky Letters," the focus was theoretically on gaining luck, but the fear of incurring bad luck by breaking the chain often dominated. While Western interpretations often focused on monetary gain/loss, Japanese interpretations tended towards physical harm, illness, or death as the consequence of misfortune. Newspaper accounts described people overcome with anxiety, sending the letters despite skepticism. The potential for exponential growth (one person sending nine, repeated ten times, yielding over 3.4 billion letters) was also noted as problematic. The trend spread, appearing in Fengtian (now Shenyang), Manchuria in May 1922, where authorities attempted, unsuccessfully, to ban them. The 1923 Great Kantō earthquake later led some to view the letter craze as an ill omen.
In 1926, a Lucky Letter incident involved prominent figures. Imakita Sakunosuke, head of the government's Monopoly Bureau, received an English letter via an American acquaintance and a Japanese scholar. Imakita translated it, added instructions to send to nine friends, and mailed it to influential figures in politics and finance, causing a stir. Police investigated, finding recipients including former Tokyo mayor Gotō Shinpei. The Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun reported the event on 1 August 1926. Imakita claimed his daughter sent them playfully, but some analysts question this, suggesting it might have been a pre-arranged excuse or even an early experiment in information diffusion, given the involvement of military figures and Gotō Shinpei (then president of NHK's predecessor). Political scientist Yoshino Sakuzō also received one in August 1926, dismissing it as foolish but criticizing police intervention as overreach. Despite suppression efforts, senders were sometimes punished.
Although some sources claim Lucky Letters died out after the Great Kanto Earthquake due to crackdowns, they continued to appear. In 1935, a man was arrested for attempting a money-making scheme similar to the Denver "Send-a-Dime" letter, using the phone book to mail 350 letters asking for small cash contributions.
During World War II (1943), an anti-war chain letter circulated, stating "We are already tired of war. Let us pray to God for peace to come soon," instructing recipients to send copies to two acquaintances (the small number possibly reflecting wartime shortages). Post-war examples include a "Fuku'un no Tegami" (福運の手紙 - Fortune Letter) in 1948–1949, promising large sums of money (e.g., ¥16 million or ¥200,000) if recipients sent a small amount (e.g., ¥2 or ¥20) to the first name on a list, updated the list, and forwarded it to others (e.g., 7 or 15 people). By 1954, newspapers reported on the anxiety these letters caused, with a middle school girl terrified by a threat of death for not forwarding within 12 hours, and a man seeking advice after receiving a letter claiming someone died for ignoring it. Some letters used famous foreign figures, claiming Franklin D. Roosevelt became president by sending one, or Thomas Edison died for not sending one.
Fukou no Tegami (不幸の手紙 - Unlucky Letter)
The "Fukou no Tegami" (不幸の手紙 - Unlucky Letter) phenomenon is thought to have emerged when the "good luck" aspect of earlier letters disappeared, leaving only the threat of misfortune. Some suggest it began as a simple prank, replacing "good luck" with "bad luck" in existing templates. Research suggests it started trending around 1969 or 1970. Newspaper articles from late 1970 and 1972 trace its spread from Kyushu through Osaka, Nagoya, and Tokyo starting around 1969. Other accounts place the start slightly earlier, around 1965.
By summer 1970, it was prevalent in Tokyo, spreading to the Kinki region (centering on Kyoto) by November 1970, and becoming a nationwide phenomenon that same month. A Yomiuri Shimbun article on 26 November 1970 reported receiving over a hundred complaints since early October. Typical wording included: