32-Year-Old Man Steals ‘Pure Gold Tea Bowl Worth Over 10 Million Yen’ After Entering and Exiting Venue with Alternative Intentions

“The golden tea bowl caught my eye, and when I thought I could take it, the case moved, so I stole it.”

“I thought I could take something else, so I entered and left the venue several times.”

The arrested man reportedly stated this during police questioning.

On April 13, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s Investigation Division 3 arrested Daiki Horie (32), of unknown occupation, in Koto Ward, Tokyo, on suspicion of theft. Horie is suspected of stealing a pure gold matcha tea bowl made by goldsmith Koichi Ishikawa, priced at 10,406,000 yen, from an exhibition sales event called the “Dai-Kogane Exhibition” held on the 8th floor of Nihonbashi Takashimaya in Chuo Ward on April 11.

“The plastic case containing the bowl was not locked, and there was no alarm. Horie allegedly opened the case, put the bowl in his backpack, and took it away. The security camera footage showed a person believed to be Horie wearing glasses, a gray sweatshirt, and black pants.

After stealing the bowl, Horie stayed at the scene for about 30 minutes. It is known that he then moved from Nihonbashi Station on the Tokyo Metro Tozai Line to Kiba Station near his home, presumably searching for other items he could take.” (National newspaper social affairs reporter)

 

Over 10 million yen for 1.8 million yen

About 30 minutes after the crime, a store employee noticed that the tea bowl was missing and called 110. Two days after the incident, on April 13, investigators found Horie, who was wearing almost the same clothes as he was during the crime, near Kiba Station. They followed him for about four and a half hours and questioned him during his duty in a building in Marunouchi, where he admitted to the crime, saying, “There is no mistake.”

 

Our magazine’s photographer captured the scene immediately after the arrest, but Horie’s expression in the back seat of the transport vehicle did not reveal any signs of remorse.

“According to Horie’s statement, he sold the tea bowl to a buy-back shop in Koto Ward for about 1.8 million yen. At the time of his arrest, Horie had about 1.3 million yen on him. Presumably, it was resold by the shop after the sale. On April 15, the tea bowl was found at an antique dealer in Taito Ward. Fortunately, there were no damages such as scratches.” (Same source)

Why did Horie steal such an expensive tea bowl worth over 10 million yen?

“Horie has been unemployed for about two years. He has been physically weak and had difficulty finding a stable job. His life was probably very tough. Regarding his motive for the crime, he explained, ‘I initially thought of drinking tea from the stolen bowl, but then reconsidered and thought it would be better to exchange it for cash.'” (Same source)

Following Horie’s arrest, Takashimaya released a statement expressing their intention to strengthen security measures and work to prevent recurrence.