Oedipus’ Salute: Hikari no Wa, misogyny and why some institutions will never be progressive
“Sly, clever, and wherever you go you find your own stance in life.” Such are the words the late Tsugawa Masahiko used to define his interviewee, Joyu Fumihiro, in 2013.
He was quite the character. Two decades before that interview, Joyu had been a key member and spokesman for the Aum Shinrikyo cult, responsible for multiple chemical warfare attacks and attempted murder of its critics, who became famous for fiercely defending it even when confronted with irrefutable evidence. Appearing almost everyday on TV and newspapers by the end of 1995, he was a celebrity; an it-boy of enticing evil who convinced dozens of teenage girls to join Aum, even when its multiple crimes were being covered on a daily basis and didn’t show the slightest hint of remorse for his or his guru’s actions.
But, during that interview with Tsugawa, Joyu seemed like a changed man; after being sentenced to three years in prison for perjury in early 1996, he returned to the cult after being released and went on as its representative until 2007, when he went into conflict with the Asahara Family (related to the previous leader and guru, Asahara Shoko, who was then waiting his sentence on the death row) and founded his new, reformed organization: Hikari no Wa, or the Circle of Rainbow Light. It claimed to reject their old guru’s dogma and modernise, seeking a healthy relationship with a society that hated them.
18 years after its founding, however, this essay seeks to prove that Hikari no Wa is nothing more than a postmodern parody of its former self. A bitextual synthesis that, not exactly a ridicularisation of Aum, insists upon it and is nevertheless completely dependent on its old days not only in the context of self-promotion (we’ll see later), but in the very structure of the Circle.
This is not to say that Joyu Fumihiro is evil, nor that his organization is a cult. It’s merely an amateur view by someone who wants to point out that, however much Hikari no Wa defends itself against the accusations of the Public Security Agency, they are still extremely reliant on Aum, just not in the way they are accused of being. For instance, I tried to contact the group to no avail.
The circle
Hikari no Wa arose from a schism between Joyu, who at the time was the leader of its parent organisation, Aleph, and the later’s representatives. The conflict had been going on for some years, with Joyu being repeatedly punished by Asahara’s family for trying to reform and modernise the organisation.
The circle’s success was feeble. Very few members joined and, although they showed up in front of the cameras wearing suits and talking about re-engaging with society, this didn’t stop the media from slaughtering them and the rent for their headquarters, the Minami-Karasuyama complex, falling in the year since they moved in. As Joyu himself puts it:
It’s natural for the authorities to monitor the organisation and criticise its problems, putting the necessary pressure on in the name of national security.
However, for the followers to be able to change, perhaps what is really needed — however naïve it may seem — is something or someone who loves them more than their former leader.
I believe that repression alone is not enough.
Punishment for mistakes, vigilance to prevent further failures — all this is necessary. But at the same time, it takes patience and love to stimulate change, growth and encouragement.
In this matter, I deeply feel my own limitations.
The members of the new dissident group represent less than 20% of the organisation. This makes it clear that my leadership skills and love were not enough
Despite this, the group stood firm. A 2012 study by Erica Baffelli describes them as ‘a new religion recovering from disaster’ and, having spoken to Joyu on several occasions, the researcher was sure of his desire to reintegrate into society and pay compensation to the victims of the Subway sarin attack.
Joyu wrote an autobiography (“Confession of the 17th Year of the Aum Incident”) and gave numerous interviews to prove his guilt in contributing to Aum’s episodes of violence.
And yet…
Controversies and misogyny
The Public Security Agency believes that Hikari no Wa is an Aum derivative. They argue:
At Hikari no Wa, Buddhist paintings of Asahara are displayed in the facility, and at intensive seminars held three times a year (January, May, and August), the curriculum is practiced that maintains the basic and essential parts of Asahara’s activities.
In addition, under the name of “Sacred Land Tour,” Joyu has repeatedly visited shrines and temples that were originally positioned as “places related to Asahara.”
However, not only is there no evidence in image or speech proving that the actions are related to Asahara, the sect has repeatedly argued against the ‘witch hunt’ and the false equivalence between them and Aleph.
Another source of controversy was in July, 2018. It was revealed that Joyu Fumihiro had witnessed the murder of Yoshida Eiko in 1990, back in the days of Asahara, and had not commented on the case until the crime was statute-barred.
Disregard for women’s lives is a pattern within the allegations of the group. Nakayama Hisashi, a former member and founder of Stop Hikari no Wa, has been claiming since 2016 that not only is Hikari no Wa a cult, it abuses its faithful financially, physically and emotionally, particularly women. An interview in 2024 affirms that:
Q: That is unfortunate, but I still think it stands out. From reading various discussions of yours, it seems that there is sexual manipulation going on within Hikari no Wa. Can you tell us a bit more about it?” I saw terms such as “sexy business”.
A: It’s a technique known in Japan as ‘sexy business’. In Aum, love was also an affliction, but having romantic feelings for the Venerable Master (Asahara) was considered a good thing. Intense romantic feelings of wanting to be recognised by the Master and to keep him to oneself were considered to be a form of faith. Joyu frequently appeared in the media during the Aum Affair, which gave rise to a group of fans called “Joyu Gals”. Such Joyu fans started coming to Hikari no Wa. Not only 90s Joyu fans, but also new fans are still coming to Hikari no Wa through YouTube and events. They are taking money by cleverly utilising such fan psychology and romantic feelings. The method is to stimulate women’s romantic feelings and dominate them by saying, for example, “I have a connection with you from the past”. In Japan, there are ‘host clubs’ where men entertain women, and the sales method is similar to this. Although there was only one victim, I was consulted by a victim who said she actually had sexual relations with Joyu. But at the strong request of the victim, we don’t really take it up.
Q: I have also read that Joyu is prone to domestic violence, please elaborate on this.
A: Joyu has a strong desire for control, so he would yell at staff and others when he didn’t like something, and sometimes beat them up. When I asked someone who was actually hit, he said that he had his karma taken away (laughs). I think this is a typical example of Aum thinking, which is pro-violence. I criticised him a lot, so I don’t think he does violence now, but I think he still uses words to corner his opponents. Joyu has a male-dominated mindset, so his desire for domination over women is particularly strong, and I think it tends to lead to violence.
On a different note, Takayama Mitsuki, a former Aum member, accuses Joyu Fumihiro of assaulting a former representative of the group. It reads:
“It’s really hard to get out. For those who want to quit, long periods of isolation… ‘I’m going to try to persuade you all the time without letting you out of the room.’ If placation doesn’t work, this time it’s time to hurl abuse and verbal violence. Throwing boxes of tissues, stomping on the floor, banging on the walls. I was punched in the face…”
“Did he hit you in the face, Joyu-san?”
“I think I was punched seven or eight times… You see, it’s in a movie or something, and my mouth was cut and bled. It’s power harassment …”
“What’s that? … Hitting a woman sucks…”
I’ve reached Takayama to no avail and asked Nakayama, who confirmed the incident. Without telling her name, he confided she was known for being bad at “collecting money from followers.” However, I cannot confirm the allegations nor Meikara Daika’s existence. My job is just to publicise them, since the group has a much wider reach than its accusers.
Still more, according to Akane Yamada, an Aum archivist who maintains contact with multiple cult members, there’s two testimonies of female former members being either baited into joining the group via online friendships (1) or being emotionally harmed (2).
In my previous essay, I’ve discussed the inherent misogyny in Aum Shinrikyo and I’ll return by arguing that, given the multiple accusations mainly linked to women, it’s not important whether or not Hikari no Wa believes that Asahara could float — the gender-based violence that existed before is still present and causing victims, even if it is much less intense.
And yet it’s not only in this sense that Hikari no Wa is tied to Aum.
Sensationalist advertising
I’ll be honest: Hikari no Wa needs Aum to stay popular, and that’s its Achilles heel.
There’s not even much to write about this because the examples are clear: at least three times a month Joyu Fumihiro, sometimes dragging an representative like Hosokawa Mika or Mizuno Aiko along, says he’s going to reveal what has never been said about Aum. The postmodern sense of parody classifies it as more than a ridicule: as much as it challenges and revises the initial context, it is incapable of separating itself from it.
Whether they are insanely misogynistic or use Aum to promote themselves, the two are proof that it is impossible to separate them not by Buddhist paintings, but by Hikari no Wa’s parasitism.
Conclusion
Joyu was, according to himself, a kind of symbolic son of Asahara. Without a father, he depended on the Supreme Leader to keep him alive and sane. And, in a way, this continued his legacy.
Joyu Fumihiro, like his father, is buddhist. Joyu Fumihiro, like his father, is possibly a misogynistic abuser. Joyu Fumihiro, like his father, cannot live without the light of the cameras. In a way, his worst sin was not to have destroyed and betrayed himself for nothing — but to have done so with others.
Perhaps there will be a future where Hikari no Wa completely separates from Asahara Shoko, but that will require more than stopping believing in his powers.
