The Tsuyama massacre (津山事件, Tsuyama jiken) was a revenge spree killing that occurred on 21 May 1938 in the rural village of Kamo close to Tsuyama in Okayama, Empire of Japan.
Tsuyama massacre
Mutsuo Toi, the 21-year-old responsible for the Tsuyama massacre, pictured before 1938
Mutsuo Toi cut the electricity line to the village of Kamo on the evening of 20 May, which left the community in darkness. At around 1:30 a.m. on 21 May, he killed his 76-year-old grandmother by decapitating her with an axe in her sleep.[2] Armed with a modified shotgun, a katana, an axe, several daggers and 200 rounds of ammunition,[3] he strapped two flashlights to his head and prowled through the village like a youth engaged in "night-crawling" or "Yobai" (夜這い), entering the homes of his neighbors. He killed 29 neighbors (27 of whom died at the scene of the incident, while two others were fatally wounded, dying of their injuries later)[4] and seriously injured three others in about an hour and half. This was almost half of the residents of the small community.[2] At dawn he committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest on a nearby mountain.[5][6]
Mutsuo Toi
Mutsuo Toi (都井 睦雄, Toi Mutsuo, 5 March 1917 – 21 May 1938) was born in Okayama Prefecture to well-off parents. His parents died of tuberculosis when he was a baby, so he and his sister were brought up by their grandmother. He was originally outgoing, but at the age of 17 he became socially withdrawn after his sister married in 1934.
He was interested in the story of Sada Abe, the prostitute who, in May 1936, strangled her lover then severed his genitals. He had started writing a novel, Yūtokaiōmaru (雄図海王丸).[citation needed]
He took part in "Yobai" (夜這い) or "night-crawling", a rural custom which involved creeping into young women's bedrooms during the night to seek sexual intercourse.[4]
From his suicide notes it appears that after May 1937 when he was diagnosed as suffering from tuberculosis, the young women in the village rejected his sexual advances.
Location
The massacre was carried out in the small village of Kamocho Kurami, in the now city of Tsuyama. The village has since been merged with different towns and cities over the years due to depopulation. The village's population at the time of the massacre was 23 households and 111 people, but as of 2010 is 13 households and 37 people. After the massacre, some families moved away. Most of the residents in the village are now over 65 years old and have stated that no one has moved to Kurami since the massacre.
The house that Mutsuo Toi lived in was demolished in 2015, after sitting abandoned for years. The coordinates of this location are at the top of the page.
Suicide notes
Toi left several long notes which revealed that he was concerned about the social impact of his tuberculosis, which in the 1930s was an incurable fatal illness. He felt that his female neighbors became cold towards him once they knew of his illness, and that he was despised as hypersexual, and he also stated in the notes that neighbors insulted and treated him badly after he was found to have tuberculosis.
For revenge, he decided to enter their homes and kill them. He waited for the time when the women returned to their houses. The authorities were concerned, and his gun license was revoked. He however prepared swords and guns secretly.
He regretted that he would not be able to shoot some people he wanted to, as that would have involved killing people he regarded as innocent. He also wrote that he killed his grandmother because he could not bear leaving her alive to face the shame and social stigma that would be associated with being a "murderer's grandmother".
Films
The 1983 Japanese film, Ushimitsu no mura (Village of Doom), was based on the massacre. It stars Masato Furuoya as Tsugio Inumaru, an emotionally distraught young man who goes on a violent killing spree after his tuberculosis keeps him from serving in World War II. Furuoya committed suicide by hanging on 25 March 2003, twenty years after the film's release.[7]
^ (in Japanese). Sports Hochi. 9 June 2008. Archived from the original on 13 June 2008. Retrieved 13 June 2008.
^ ab. foreignpolicy.com. Archived from the original on 29 April 2007. Mutsuo Toi, a 21-year-old from a wealthy family, had been shunned by women and rejected from military service for having tuberculosis. Finally one night, he snapped. He cut the electricity to his village, bound two flashlights to his head, and shot or stabbed nearly half of the small community over the course of 90 minutes before then shooting himself at dawn. Before embarking on his rampage, he decapitated his grandmother with an ax. Aftermath: Toi left notes complaining of being ostracized for his disease. His bizarre attack has inspired at least four books, several films, and at least one play. Until 1982, his rampage was known as the world’s worst massacre by a single individual.
^中時新聞網. "日本史上最大規模殺人案「津山三十人屠殺」 - 歷史". 中時新聞網 (in Chinese). Retrieved 2022-08-13.
^ ab (in Japanese). 無限回廊. Archived from the original on 26 May 2008. Retrieved 13 June 2008.
^"LUNATIC KILLS 27 IN JAPAN; Young Man Shoots Sleeping Men, Women and Children". The New York Times. 22 May 1938. Retrieved 22 April 2009.(subscription required)
^"Furuoya's Death Believed Suicide | Japan Zone". www.japan-zone.com. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
Bibliography
O'Reilly-Fleming, Thomas, ed. (1996). Serial and Mass Murder: Theory, Research and Policy. Canadian Scholars Press. ISBN1-55130-066-4.
Tsukuba, Akira (2005). 津山三十人殺し―日本犯罪史上空前の惨劇 [The Thirty Murders of Tsuyama - An unprecedented tragedy in the history of Japanese crime] (in Japanese). Tokyo: Shinchōsha. ISBN978-4-10-121841-0.
January 08, 2023
tsuyama, massacre, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, 2021, le. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Tsuyama massacre news newspapers books scholar JSTOR May 2021 Learn how and when to remove this template message Coordinates 35 14 52 8 N 134 02 22 2 E 35 248000 N 134 039500 E 35 248000 134 039500 The Tsuyama massacre 津山事件 Tsuyama jiken was a revenge spree killing that occurred on 21 May 1938 in the rural village of Kamo close to Tsuyama in Okayama Empire of Japan Tsuyama massacreMutsuo Toi the 21 year old responsible for the Tsuyama massacre pictured before 1938LocationKamo Tsuyama Okayama Prefecture Empire of JapanDate21 May 1938 1938 05 21 1 30 a m 3 00 a m TargetVillagersAttack typeMass murder murder suicideWeaponsRemington M11 shotgun Japanese sword axeDeaths31 including the perpetrator Injured3PerpetratorMutsuo ToiMotiveRevenge for sexual and social rejectionMutsuo Toi 都井 睦雄 Toi Mutsuo a 21 year old man killed 30 people 1 including his grandmother with a Browning shotgun katana and axe and seriously injured three others before killing himself with the shotgun It is the deadliest shooting by a lone gunman in Japanese history Contents 1 Massacre 2 Mutsuo Toi 3 Location 4 Suicide notes 5 Films 6 See also 7 References 7 1 Notes 7 2 BibliographyMassacre EditMutsuo Toi cut the electricity line to the village of Kamo on the evening of 20 May which left the community in darkness At around 1 30 a m on 21 May he killed his 76 year old grandmother by decapitating her with an axe in her sleep 2 Armed with a modified shotgun a katana an axe several daggers and 200 rounds of ammunition 3 he strapped two flashlights to his head and prowled through the village like a youth engaged in night crawling or Yobai 夜這い entering the homes of his neighbors He killed 29 neighbors 27 of whom died at the scene of the incident while two others were fatally wounded dying of their injuries later 4 and seriously injured three others in about an hour and half This was almost half of the residents of the small community 2 At dawn he committed suicide by shooting himself in the chest on a nearby mountain 5 6 Mutsuo Toi EditMutsuo Toi 都井 睦雄 Toi Mutsuo 5 March 1917 21 May 1938 was born in Okayama Prefecture to well off parents His parents died of tuberculosis when he was a baby so he and his sister were brought up by their grandmother He was originally outgoing but at the age of 17 he became socially withdrawn after his sister married in 1934 He was interested in the story of Sada Abe the prostitute who in May 1936 strangled her lover then severed his genitals He had started writing a novel Yutokaiōmaru 雄図海王丸 citation needed He took part in Yobai 夜這い or night crawling a rural custom which involved creeping into young women s bedrooms during the night to seek sexual intercourse 4 From his suicide notes it appears that after May 1937 when he was diagnosed as suffering from tuberculosis the young women in the village rejected his sexual advances Location EditThe massacre was carried out in the small village of Kamocho Kurami in the now city of Tsuyama The village has since been merged with different towns and cities over the years due to depopulation The village s population at the time of the massacre was 23 households and 111 people but as of 2010 is 13 households and 37 people After the massacre some families moved away Most of the residents in the village are now over 65 years old and have stated that no one has moved to Kurami since the massacre The house that Mutsuo Toi lived in was demolished in 2015 after sitting abandoned for years The coordinates of this location are at the top of the page Suicide notes EditToi left several long notes which revealed that he was concerned about the social impact of his tuberculosis which in the 1930s was an incurable fatal illness He felt that his female neighbors became cold towards him once they knew of his illness and that he was despised as hypersexual and he also stated in the notes that neighbors insulted and treated him badly after he was found to have tuberculosis For revenge he decided to enter their homes and kill them He waited for the time when the women returned to their houses The authorities were concerned and his gun license was revoked He however prepared swords and guns secretly He regretted that he would not be able to shoot some people he wanted to as that would have involved killing people he regarded as innocent He also wrote that he killed his grandmother because he could not bear leaving her alive to face the shame and social stigma that would be associated with being a murderer s grandmother Films EditThe 1983 Japanese film Ushimitsu no mura Village of Doom was based on the massacre It stars Masato Furuoya as Tsugio Inumaru an emotionally distraught young man who goes on a violent killing spree after his tuberculosis keeps him from serving in World War II Furuoya committed suicide by hanging on 25 March 2003 twenty years after the film s release 7 Fukushuki 1969 Vengeance Demon 復讐鬼 The 8 Tomb Village 1951 The 8 Tomb Village 1977 The 8 Tomb Village 1996See also Edit Japan portalList of massacres in Japan List of rampage killersReferences EditNotes Edit 理不尽な凶行 遺族ら 無念 秋葉原無差別殺傷事件 in Japanese Sports Hochi 9 June 2008 Archived from the original on 13 June 2008 Retrieved 13 June 2008 a b The List The World s Worst Shooting Rampages foreignpolicy com Archived from the original on 29 April 2007 Mutsuo Toi a 21 year old from a wealthy family had been shunned by women and rejected from military service for having tuberculosis Finally one night he snapped He cut the electricity to his village bound two flashlights to his head and shot or stabbed nearly half of the small community over the course of 90 minutes before then shooting himself at dawn Before embarking on his rampage he decapitated his grandmother with an ax Aftermath Toi left notes complaining of being ostracized for his disease His bizarre attack has inspired at least four books several films and at least one play Until 1982 his rampage was known as the world s worst massacre by a single individual 中時新聞網 日本史上最大規模殺人案 津山三十人屠殺 歷史 中時新聞網 in Chinese Retrieved 2022 08 13 a b 津山事件 in Japanese 無限回廊 Archived from the original on 26 May 2008 Retrieved 13 June 2008 LUNATIC KILLS 27 IN JAPAN Young Man Shoots Sleeping Men Women and Children The New York Times 22 May 1938 Retrieved 22 April 2009 subscription required 新 小池 21歳の青年が猟銃と日本刀で30人を襲撃 82年前の世界的事件 津山三十人殺し とは 文春オンライン Retrieved 2022 08 13 Furuoya s Death Believed Suicide Japan Zone www japan zone com Retrieved 23 July 2020 Bibliography Edit O Reilly Fleming Thomas ed 1996 Serial and Mass Murder Theory Research and Policy Canadian Scholars Press ISBN 1 55130 066 4 Tsukuba Akira 2005 津山三十人殺し 日本犯罪史上空前の惨劇 The Thirty Murders of Tsuyama An unprecedented tragedy in the history of Japanese crime in Japanese Tokyo Shinchōsha ISBN 978 4 10 121841 0 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Tsuyama massacre amp oldid 1109992465, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
