Before After Aum

It’s been so long! I managed to catch Atsushi between screenings in Tokyo yesterday! Atsushi has been busy with the release in Japan (today is DAY 3!) and I’ve been preparing it to meet the world over! The in-cinema tickets sold out on Day 1, and online tickets were sold out on day 2! I wanted to drop into your feed and say hello and that we’ve been thinking of you! To catch the film in Tokyo: http://www.imageforum.co.jp/theatre/ (Japanese w/ English subtitles)and Hong Kong (maybe more online tickets will be available soon?): https://www.hkiff.org.hk/film/getdetail?fid=969Coming to Kyoto + Osaka in May! Get full access to Before After Aum at aganai.substack.com/subscribe

By the demise of the cult, executive members had killed more than 80 people. Here are the stories of the first two murders:  the' ‘accidental’ death of Majima Teruyuki in September 1988 and the cold-blooded murder Taguchi Shuji in February 1989.Listen Now (& Subscribe, Rate and Review!):Pocket Cast: https://pca.st/8es9u6ltStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/before-after-aumApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/hk/podcast/before-after-aum/id1503524725Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/before-after-aum-1088487Youtube: Thank you for taking the time to listen to our podcast. Please rate and review; it helps other people find us. But the best way is to tell your friends. If you are able, please consider supporting us by becoming a paid subscriber to our newsletter or on Patreon. All funds go towards finishing the film Me and the Cult Leader. Find us on twitter at @beforeafteraum. Get full access to Before After Aum at aganai.substack.com/subscribe

10,000 USD for a sip of Shoko Asahara’s blood, anyone? This episode we look into the diverse “initiation” specials Aum Shinrikyo offered that made them **millionaires**But what makes someone believe in miracles? More importantly, what are the repercussions of believing?Listen Now (& Subscribe, Rate and Review!):Pocket Cast: https://pca.st/8es9u6ltStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/before-after-aumApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/hk/podcast/before-after-aum/id1503524725Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/before-after-aum-1088487Youtube: Thank you for taking the time to listen to our podcast. Please rate and review; it helps other people find us. But the best way is to tell your friends. In the next episode, we’ll move onto the first days of Aum Shinrikyo. If you are able, please consider supporting us by becoming a paid subscriber to our newsletter or on Patreon. All funds go towards finishing the film Me and the Cult Leader. Find us on twitter at @beforeafteraum. Get full access to Before After Aum at aganai.substack.com/subscribe

In 1984, Shoko Asahara went to see a private investigator named Mekawa to learn about Tenrikyo, another New Religion which started in the 18th Century. Based on what he learned, he set forth to raise funds and build his own utopia where he would be recognized as the protector of the truth of the universe. Listen Now (& Subscribe, Rate and Review!):Pocket Cast: https://pca.st/8es9u6ltStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/before-after-aumApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/hk/podcast/before-after-aum/id1503524725Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/before-after-aum-1088487Youtube: https://youtu.be/SYGXb2vWcJIThank you for taking the time to listen to our podcast. Please rate and review; it helps other people find us. But the best way is to tell your friends. In the next episode, we’ll move onto the first days of Aum Shinrikyo. If you are able, please consider supporting us by becoming a paid subscriber to our newsletter or on Patreon. All funds go towards finishing the film Me and the Cult Leader. Find us on twitter at @beforeafteraum. Get full access to Before After Aum at aganai.substack.com/subscribe

In 1985-1987, Shoko Asahara goes on a number of trips to India in search of a guru to validate and guide his (so far) self-taught yoga practise. His travels take him to the ashrams of a number of Indian religious teachers including Pilot Baba and the Dalai Lama. Though his actions may seem pure, his sinister intentions soon become clear.This meeting has long been used against the Dalai Lama by his critics. We also want to be clear that our research about the meetings was sourced from interviews Fumihiko conducted with members of the Tibetan Exiles Government. These may be biased and try to present only one version of the encounters. So taking it all with a grain of salt, Atsushi and Pearl waddle through the series of meetings between the leaders of two very very different interpretations of Buddhism in the modern era. Listen Now (& Subscribe, Rate and Review!):Pocket Cast: https://pca.st/8es9u6ltStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/before-after-aumApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/hk/podcast/before-after-aum/id1503524725Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/before-after-aum-1088487Thank you for taking the time to listen to our podcast. Please rate and review; it helps other people find us. But the best way is to tell your friends. In the next episode, we’ll move onto the first days of Aum Shinrikyo. If you are able, please consider supporting us by becoming a paid subscriber to our newsletter or on Patreon. All funds go towards finishing the film Me and the Cult Leader. Find us on twitter at @beforeafteraum. Get full access to Before After Aum at aganai.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to our second bonus episode! Cintia Gil, director of the Sheffield Doc Fest speak to us on the process behind the festival! Me and the Cult Leader is world premiering at Sheffield Doc Fest's virtual 2020 edition and available in the #UK from June 10 - July 10. Last 4 days of the screening in UK!! Listen Now (& Rate and Review!)Video of the Q&A: Pocket Cast: https://pca.st/8es9u6ltStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/befo...Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/hk/podcast...Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/be...Thank you for taking the time to listen to our podcast. Please rate and review; it helps other people find us. But the best way is to tell your friends. In the next episode, we’ll move onto the first days of Aum Shinrikyo. If you are able, please consider supporting us by becoming a paid subscriber to our newsletter or on Patreon. All funds go towards finishing the film The Cult Leader and Me. Find us on twitter at @beforeafteraum. Get full access to Before After Aum at aganai.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to our first bonus episode! Director Atsushi Sakahara (and a little bit of Pearl Chan) speak to Cintia Gil, director of the Sheffield Doc Fest on the process behind the film. This is part 1 of 2; part 2 will be on the process behind the festival! Me and the Cult Leader is world premiering at Sheffield Doc Fest's virtual 2020 edition and available in the #UK from June 10 - July 10. Catch it if you can! Listen Now (& Rate and Review!)Video of the Q&A: Pocket Cast: https://pca.st/8es9u6lt Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/befo... Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/hk/podcast... Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/be... Thank you for taking the time to listen to our podcast. Please rate and review; it helps other people find us. But the best way is to tell your friends. In the next episode, we’ll move onto the first days of Aum Shinrikyo. If you are able, please consider supporting us by becoming a paid subscriber to our newsletter or on Patreon. All funds go towards finishing the film The Cult Leader and Me. Find us on twitter at @beforeafteraum. Get full access to Before After Aum at aganai.substack.com/subscribe

Note: Mentions Suicide. In 1985, Aum Shinrikyo’s recruiting efforts are paying off. This is a radio drama of one early member’s experience. Our exploration of why people join, and why they stay. Our film Me and the Cult Leader is available NOW in the UK until July 10 at the Sheffield Doc Fest! The reviews from Screen International, The Daily Beast and Eye for Film has been phenomenal, we are absolutely overjoyed! Listen Now (& Rate and Review!):Pocket Cast: https://pca.st/8es9u6ltStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/before-after-aumApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/hk/podcast/before-after-aum/id1503524725Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/before-after-aum-1088487Thank you for taking the time to listen to our podcast. Please rate and review; it helps other people find us. But the best way is to tell your friends. In the next episode, we’ll move onto the first days of Aum Shinrikyo. If you are able, please consider supporting us by becoming a paid subscriber to our newsletter or on Patreon. All funds go towards finishing the film The Cult Leader and Me. Find us on twitter at @beforeafteraum. Music from Blue Dot Sessions. Get full access to Before After Aum at aganai.substack.com/subscribe

When we think about Aum Shinrikyo, we often think about the guru Shoko Asahara or the men he was arrested with, but in 1985, in a small Shibuya flat, Aum started with 6 young women who laid the foundations for what would become a multi-million dollar organization. Note: not for the faint of heart! We talk about some pretty niche yoga practices Spoilers: Lee Chang Dong’s Secret Sunshine Listen Now (& Rate and Review!):Pocket Cast: https://pca.st/8es9u6ltStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/before-after-aumApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/hk/podcast/before-after-aum/id1503524725Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/before-after-aum-1088487Thank you for taking the time to listen to our podcast. Please rate and review; it helps other people find us. But the best way is to tell your friends. In the next episode, we’ll move onto the first days of Aum Shinrikyo. If you are able, please consider supporting us by becoming a paid subscriber to our newsletter or on Patreon. All funds go towards finishing the film The Cult Leader and Me.New release schedule: Every other Friday + the odd bonus episode! Thanks for tuning in! Get full access to Before After Aum at aganai.substack.com/subscribe

We’re back to cults! After his second pharmacy closes after a police investigation, embittered Chizuo Matsumoto knocks on the door of Shuo Nishiyama (remember him from episode 2?), answering a job ad. He doesn’t get the job, but instead, a friend, a mentor, and idea, and a new name. If you haven’t listened from the beginning, we encourage you to listen to episode 1 for information on some of the cults mentioned in passing, and episode 2 on Chizuo Matsumoto’s childhood for some of the things Nishiyama tells the writer Fumihiko. Listen Now (& Rate and Review!):Pocket Cast: https://pca.st/8es9u6ltStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/before-after-aumApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/hk/podcast/before-after-aum/id1503524725Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/before-after-aum-1088487Thank you for taking the time to listen to our podcast. Please rate and review; it helps other people find us. But the best way, is to tell your friends. In the next episode, we’ll move onto the first days of Aum Shinriyko. If you are able, please consider supporting us by becoming a paid subscriber to our newsletter or on Patreon. All funds go towards finishing the film The Cult Leader and Me.And thank you for your patience. We’re revamping our release schedule as things begin to pick up and we’re (probably) going to have some good news to share with you soon! Get full access to Before After Aum at aganai.substack.com/subscribe

June 22, 1982, Deputy Detective Takeo Shiroiwa arrives at the gate of 27 year old Chizuo Matsumoto’s home and rings the buzzer, search warrant in hand. This is a short episode including Atsushi and Pearl recreating the interrogation. Listen Now (& Rate and Review!):Pocket Cast: https://pca.st/8es9u6ltStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/before-after-aumApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/hk/podcast/before-after-aum/id1503524725Podchaser: https://www.podchaser.com/podcasts/before-after-aum-1088487Youtube: Corrections: The Nova Scotia killings murdered 22 people, not 14 as stated, on April 18-19, 2020. Music: Alone Once Again, by Daniel Birch with modification Thank you for taking the time to listen to our podcast. Please rate and review; it helps other people find us. But the best way, is to tell your friends. In the next episode, we’ll move onto Chizuo’s first police interrogation and his introduction to Agon-Shu. If you are able, please consider supporting us by becoming a paid subscriber to our newsletter or on Patreon. All funds go towards finishing the film The Cult Leader and Me. Get full access to Before After Aum at aganai.substack.com/subscribe

Before starting a doomsday cult, Chizuo Matsumoto ran an acupuncture clinic out of his first apartment with his wife and baby daughter. Before manufacturing bio-weapons, he was fined for insurance fraud. Before selling his plasma to believers, he sold $1000 tinctures labelled, “Blue Dragon Pill” to the chronically ill. These are the embryonic ideas of Chizuo Matsumoto before he became Shoko Asahara told from the perspective of his favourite sushi chef, neighbourhood gossips, and a police detective reluctantly (at first) on his heels. Includes tangents onto sushi, the connection between democracy and trash bins, and what exactly is a Buddhist messiah? Listen Now:Pocket Cast: https://pca.st/8es9u6ltStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/before-after-aumApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/hk/podcast/before-after-aum/id1503524725Thank you for taking the time to listen to our podcast. Please rate and review; it helps other people find us. But the best way, is to tell your friends. In the next episode, we’ll move onto Chizuo’s first police interrogation and his introduction to Agon-Shu. If you are able, please consider supporting us by becoming a paid subscriber here or on Patreon. All funds go towards finishing the film The Cult Leader and Me. Get full access to Before After Aum at aganai.substack.com/subscribe

Emerging from his brother's shadow, Chizuo Matsumoto gets married.For more in-depth notes, subscribe to our newsletter: www.aganai.substack.comListen Now:Pocket Cast: https://pca.st/8es9u6ltStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/before-after-aumSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78DaqYT1UtrzN0UwggDiRpApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/hk/podcast/before-after-aum/id1503524725Thank you for taking the time to listen to our podcast. Please rate and review; it helps other people find us. But the best way, is to tell your friends. In the next episode, we’ll move onto the ups and downs of Chizuo Matsumoto’s early business ventures. If you are able, please consider supporting us by becoming a paid subscriber. All funds go towards finishing the film The Cult Leader and Me. Get full access to Before After Aum at aganai.substack.com/subscribe

Chizuo is sent to a school for the blind at the age of 6. For the next 14 years, he would hope, bribe, bore, and struggle through his experience as the only sighted child at the facility. These are the early years of Aum Shinrikyo cult leader and terrorist Shoko Asahara. For more in-depth notes, subscribe to our newsletter: www.aganai.substack.comWatch Now: https://youtu.be/aZ-CVUDW1GQListen Now:Pocket Cast: https://pca.st/8es9u6ltStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/before-after-aumSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78DaqYT1UtrzN0UwggDiRpApple: https://podcasts.apple.com/hk/podcast/before-after-aum/id1503524725Thank you for taking the time to listen to our podcast. Please rate and review; it helps other people find us. But the best way, is to tell your friends. In the next episode, we’ll move onto the early years of Shoko Asahara. If you are able, please consider supporting us by becoming a paid subscriber. All funds go towards finishing the film The Cult Leader and Me. Get full access to Before After Aum at aganai.substack.com/subscribe

Ep.1 of Before / After Aum. From the religious oppression of Meji Era Japan to influx of cults in the post war periods (aka Rush Hour of the Gods), from a war criminal to prime minister of Japan, our debut episode is full of sad and surprising reveals.  Get full access to Before After Aum at aganai.substack.com/subscribe

On March 20, 1995, Toru Toyoda and Katsuya Takahashi, respectively the perpetrator and driver, planted sarin on the Hibiya line, train B711T. Toyoda boarded the train at Naka Meguro Station, punctured the sarin at Ebisu Station and got off. The next stop Hiro-o Station, then Roppongi Station, where director Atsushi Sakahara boarded. Before the next stop at Kamiyacho station, passengers began to panic. Sakahara got off at Kamiyacho Station. The train continued to Kasumigaseki with its first car empty, and then all the passengers were evacuated and the train taken out of service. Two people died, five-hundred-and-two were seriously injured. Their accomplices attacked four other trains. Together, they killed thirteen and injured over six thousand. That was 25 years ago. Episode One, “Rush Hour of the Gods” comes April 8. Get full access to Before After Aum at aganai.substack.com/subscribe

Atsushi Sakahara is an energetic man in his 50s. Though he struggles to fit into Japanese society, which he characterizes as having a village mentality, he’s the very definition of a last generation Kyoto fella. Polite and acutely aware of hierarchy, Atsushi is both down-to-earth and prone to name-dropping. I met Atsushi the beginning of 2018. At that point, he had been working the his documentary for 5 years. He’d shot it, cut it, and now, just had to fine-tune and finish it. But there was something incomplete about it, murky and convoluted. A diamond in the rough. Having grown up in this era of terrorism, I was hooked on this idea of calling up your terrorist and having a chat. After we met, he sent me his seven page life story and maybe unsurprisingly, surviving the Sarin gas attack was not the most unbelievable event of his life. As part of my work with The Hong Kong International Film Festival Collection, we signed the film for international representation and waited for the final cut. A whole year later, after many conversations we decided it had to be edited professionally. At first, he had had an editor whose cut Atsushi could not accept — “his family were Jehovah’s Witnesses, he himself had just left.” Atsushi let him go and began cutting on his own. “I don’t think I realised how bad my PTSD was until I began cutting on my own, you know,” he told me, “I would get sleepy, my body paralyzed.” On a recommendation from a Japanese producer, we reached out to Junko Watanabe. Her work was clearcut, classical, and concise. She brought us a wholly new and refreshing view of the film, like a bear after hibernation. “It’s crazy strong,” said Atsushi, after watching it for the first time. The main story was the same but the film was unrecognizable from his previous versions. On previous discussions, we had gone back on forth on how to relay information on the cult, the attack, and the media circus surrounding the event. In the final cut, we decided to stick to the core story: two men from the same area, of the same age, who attended the same school, on the great divide between terrorist and terrorized. After receiving the final cut, our plan was to send the film to festivals and grants to come up with the final money to finish post-production. We’re looking for a sound editor and a colourist (hit me up if you think you know someone) while brainstorming other ways to help the film gain traction and finance the last $35,000. After his father’s death late last year, Atsushi has also taken on caring for his elderly mother and shouldered the mortgage on their family home to help his mother age-in-place. In the last months, we’ve worked between his schedule at a print factory, a amazon-like fulfillment centre, and various other odd jobs. As COVID-19 makes navigating an increasing number of cancelled and postponed festivals even harder, we’ve decided to spend some time going over the story of the cult and the attack to provide context to the film itself. While the film focuses on the lives of two individuals, we’ve begun working on a podcast, “Before / After Aum” to deep dive into the context which gave rise to Aum and the 1995 Sarin Gas Attack. Here’s the trailer: Episode 1 coming April 8, 2020. Music: Algorithms by Chad Crouch is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 International License. Get full access to Before After Aum at aganai.substack.com/subscribe