Prepared charcoal briquettes for the trouble of barring officers… “President of the cemetery company suspected of murdering the chief priest” of the famous temple of nearly 500 years, a shivering true face photo.

The normally quiet Sunday morning became noisy as police cars and ambulances wailed.

I was surprised,” said Saito. It’s a venerable temple. I didn’t expect such a big incident.

One of the neighbors of the “historic temple” recalls, “I had no idea that such a big incident would happen. The residents describe a “major incident” that took place at a famous temple with a history of nearly 500 years. ……

On October 7, the Metropolitan Police Department’s Investigation Division 1 arrested Ryuta Saito, 50, president of the cemetery development company Kenshodo (Kamagaya City, Chiba Prefecture), and Junko Aoki, 63, an officer of the company, on suspicion of murder and breaking into a building. In July of this year, they allegedly killed Shinomasa Otani, then 70, the chief priest of Genshoji Temple in Adachi Ward, Tokyo, by poisoning him with carbon monoxide.

According to the Adachi Ward website, Genshoji Temple is a temple of the Jodo sect of Buddhism. It was founded in 1532 during the Muromachi period (1333-1573) and has a history of nearly 500 years. The Taishido Hall, dedicated to Prince Shotoku, was designated as a tangible cultural property of Adachi Ward in 1982. Mr. Otani is the 41st chief priest of the temple,” said an Adachi Ward official.

Entering the underground ossuary: ……

The incident at the venerable temple occurred shortly after 8:00 a.m. on July 23 this year. Mr. Otani entered the underground ossuary via a ladder to prepare for a tree burial ceremony scheduled for that day, and noticed something unusual. On top of two stupas on the floor, he found a large number of charcoal briquettes that he did not recognize.

The ossuary was 4 meters wide, 4 meters deep, and 3 meters high, with a glass door attached to the ground for access. The charcoal briquettes had been lit and the room was filled with carbon monoxide.

While attempting to remove the charcoal briquettes, Mr. Otani collapsed and became unconscious due to carbon monoxide inhalation. He was confirmed dead at the hospital where he was taken. His wife, daughter, and three other relatives who were nearby and tried to help him were also rushed to the hospital, but they are expected to survive.

The suspects who came up in the line of investigation were Saito and Aoki. Security cameras showed the two men coming and going from Gensho-ji with flashlights on the night of the 22nd, the day before. A passenger car owned by the Saito suspects was also seen driving by. Since it was also discovered that they had purchased 28 charcoal briquettes and gasoline at a home improvement center a few days earlier, the police determined that they were involved in the case.

The suspects are believed to have entered the ossuary on the night of the 22nd and set fire to the charcoal briquettes. They probably knew what Mr. Otani was going to do and planned to do it. The charcoal briquettes were placed on top of the stupa to allow better ventilation and to burn for a longer period of time. He has denied the charges when questioned by the police.

It seems that the relationship between the suspects and Ms. Otani had been deteriorating for some time.

It is said that Mr. Otani met the Saito suspects around the fall of 2007. It seems that Mr. Otani and Mr. Saito hit it off with the suspect, who was working on a cemetery with innovative ideas. In September 2008, Genshoji opened Adachi Cemetery Park, an English garden-style cemetery. Kubushodo, of which Saito serves as president, was commissioned to sell headstones along with five other stone companies. Kesshodo” had its staff stationed in an office on the premises and was said to have undertaken sales and management.

At first, “Kesshodo” seemed to be trying to sell cemeteries to many people regardless of religion or denomination. However, Mr. Otani protested that the target audience was limited to Buddhists. The trouble between the two continued for more than a year, and the temple banned the suspect, Aoki, from the premises. Sales of the cemetery and headstones were not good. The police believe that the deteriorating relationship led to the incident.

According to neighbors, Mr. Otani greeted them in a friendly manner and was active in the temple’s operations. The police are investigating the detailed background and motive of both suspects in the incident.