Asahara, Shoko (1955–)

Shoko Asahara is the leader of the Aum Shinrikyō cult and mastermind of the sarin gas attack on the Japanese subway.

Asahara was born Chizuo Matsumoto, the son of a poor tatami mat-maker, on March 2, 1955. Afflicted with glaucoma at birth, the disease left Asahara with only very limited vision in one eye, and his parents sent him to a school for the blind. There, his partial sight was an advantage, and Asahara used it to bully and extort money from his fellow students. An unpopular [Page 53]but ambitious child, he spoke to his classmates of his determination to become prime minister of Japan.

In the early 1980s, Asahara became deeply interested in spirituality. He devoted himself to both the Hindu-style yoga and the daily meditation of Buddhism, and dabbled in other religions. He was particularly intrigued by the Christian concept of Armageddon, a final battle between good and evil that will end the world as we know it. This mélange of Buddhist, Hindu, and Christian practices would become the primary ingredients of the Aum Shinriky-o cult's beliefs.

In 1984, Asahara and his wife set up a small store-front in Tokyo to teach yoga and hold religious seminars. In 1987, after a trip to India, Asahara began to claim he had attained Enlightenment—the first person to do so since the Buddha—and refer to himself as the “Venerable Master.” He also claimed that through following his teachings true believers could acquire the ability to levitate, read minds, and teleport. Intrigued by these claims, Asahara's seminars began to attract adherents, and the Aum Shinrikyō, or “Supreme Truth,” cult was born.

Asahara preached that the world would soon come to an end, but by purifying themselves, cult members could save humanity from the coming horror. This message, coupled with Asahara's personal magnetism, proved an extremely potent attraction to many young Japanese; graduates of Japan's top universities became members of the cult.

In 1990, Asahara and other cult leaders ran for seats in the Diet, or Japanese Parliament. Their resounding defeat was a bitter surprise to Asahara, and his message began to change; instead of purifying themselves for the rest of humanity; it would now become the duty of the cult members to help destroy the impure and the sinful, starting with those who opposed Aum. By mid-1993 Aum had constructed an automatic weapons assembly plant and a chemical and biological weapons facility.

Asahara became increasingly paranoid, believing the CIA, the Japanese National Police Force, and the United States government were attempting to kill him. In 1994, he ordered an assassination attempt on three judges whom he feared would decide a pending case against the cult. Cult members released poison gas in [Page 54]a residential neighborhood, killing seven people and injuring the judges. In March 1995, he ordered an attack on the Tokyo subway in an attempt to cripple the Japanese government. Twelve people died; thousands were injured. Evading capture for almost two months following the attacks, Asahara was arrested on May 16, 1995.

Shoko Asahara, guru of the doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyō

AFP. © Corbis.

As of this writing, Asahara is still undergoing trial on charges relating to the gas attacks and other cult crimes. Legal observers believe it almost certain that he will receive the death penalty, but proceedings may continue for several more years. Asahara continues to be regarded as the spiritual leader of the Aum Shinrikyō. Cultists have purchased dozens of properties near the jail where Asahara is held, which they regard as a holy site; rumors persist that they will attempt to help him escape should he be condemned.

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