Chizuo Matsumoto
| Shoko Asahara | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Chizuo Matsumoto March 2, 1955 Yatsushiro, Kumamoto, Japan |
| Occupation | Religious leader, founder of Aum Shinrikyo |
| Criminal charge | Murder, terrorism |
| Criminal penalty | Death by hanging |
| Criminal status | Incarcerated, awaiting execution |
| Spouse(s) | Tomoko |
| Children | 12–15 |
Shoko Asahara (麻原 彰晃 Asahara Shōkō, born March 2, 1955 as Chizuo Matsumoto (松本 智津夫 Matsumoto Chizuo)) is the founder of the Japanese doomsday cult group Aum Shinrikyo. Asahara was convicted for being the mastermind behind the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway and several other crimes, for which he was sentenced to death in 2004. In June 2012, his execution was postponed due to further arrests of Aum Shinrikyo members.
Asahara was born into a large, poor family of tatami mat makers in Japan's Kumamoto Prefecture. Afflicted at birth with infantile glaucoma, he lost all sight in his left eye and went partially blind in his right eye at a young age, and was thus enrolled in a school for the blind. Asahara graduated in 1977 and turned to the study of acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine, which were common careers for the blind in Japan. He married the following year and eventually fathered 12 children, the oldest of whom was born in 1978. However, Asahara's fourth daughter insists that he has 15 children. In 2015, two of his daughters apologized to victims of the sarin gas attacks.
In 1981, Asahara was convicted of practicing pharmacy without a license and selling unregulated drugs, for which he was fined ¥200,000 (US$1838.36).
Asahara's interest in religion reportedly started at this time. Recently married, worked to support his large and growing family. He dedicated his free time to the study of various religious concepts, starting with Chinese astrology and Taoism. Later, Asahara practiced western esotericism, yoga, meditation, esoteric Buddhism, and esoteric Christianity.
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