Started by Chizuo Matsumoto, the Aum Shinrikyo was responsible for the infamous sarin attacks in a Tokyo subway in 1995.

Matsumoto’s career began as a bully in a school for the blind, he was only half-blind and was at a distinct advantage over the other children. After failing to enter college, he then opened an acupuncture clinic and sold fake miracle cures to his clients. He then began to delve into his spirituality and during this time that he conceived the notion that he was destined for greatness.

He tried to enter a religious sect that would suit him but didn’t find any that suited him. He, therefore, decided to create his own, the Aum Association of Mountain Wizards, who’s source of income was the sale of questionable health drinks.

He then opened a yoga school and was able to gain a following through the media by doing a yoga meditation trick. The follower’s, awed by this, began to flock in. He was able to open several more schools.

During a vacation, he came to believe that he was anointed to become the leader of a pure race that would survive Armageddon and he, alone, would save the world. To match his new position, he changed his name to Shoko Asahara. The Aum Association of Mountain Wizards became the Aum Supreme Truth.

He became obsessed with a concept of Armageddon derived from Christian and Hindu beliefs. Hundreds of Japanese would pay to hear his rants and receive his blessings which, they believed would give them supernatural powers or improved their abilities. He preached that the only people to survive the holocaust would be his followers. Naturally, hundreds of weak-minded individuals believed him.

Asahara made his followers believe in the effects of bizarre rituals and made them pay to be able to benefit from these and gain “scientifically proven” magical abilities and properties. These involved paying enormous sums of money for such items as: small portions of his blood for drinking, his used bath water, tea made from his beard clippings and his “blessed” tap water.

The cult spread internationally and it’s financial base grew to the extent that it was able to purchase a good chunk of land at the foot of Mt. Fuji to build their temple and international headquarters in.

Many people abandoned their jobs and families to pay a large sum of money and stay near the Asahara in his temple, as demanded by his teachings. Followers would donate all their worldly possessions to the cult, leaving nothing for themselves and their futures to the cult and follow the oath, “I entrust my spiritual and physical self and all assets to Aum.”

Their stay in the temple consisted of meager provisions and a constant bombardment of brainwashing through recordings of Asahara’s teachings.

One would expect only the simple-minded to join such an organization, however, like all organized religion, the Aum Supreme Truth was able to gather some educated, albeit gullible, minds. Scientists who later created gadgets to further trick the dim-witted followers of the cult. None of these would come cheaply, but the brainwashed followers purchased them, earning the cult millions.

As his profits grew, Asahara applied for religious status to become exempt from taxation. This was initially rejected but Aum followers harassed the government until it caved in. As governments are wont to do when it comes to matters of religion.

Any opposition to the cult by the media and private citizens was also dealt with through unrelenting harassment by the members. If the opposition was to great, the cult would kill the enemy. Fearing criticism, the government did nothing. As governments are wont to do when it comes to matters of religion.

Any opposition from within, was, predictably, a death sentence.

All these crimes were considered by the Aum Supreme Truth as “holy work.”

After a failed political maneuver by the cult resulted in the loss of all twenty-five of it’s candidates, the Aum Supreme Truth was hungry for revenge. The cult began to militarize itself, seeking knowledge from followers gained in Russia of former soviet technologies. The cult built laboratories for the creation of biological weapons and worked on procuring conventional weapons, including tanks and aircraft, going so far as creating their own weapons factory and inquiring into the purchase of nuclear weaponry. All members were required to undergo military training.

After many failed attempts at biological weaponry, Aum scientists finally produced a massive amount of sarin. Enough sarin to exterminate the entire planet. Through trial, error and failure, they also had a means of spreading it. This was proven during an attack against some of the cults enemies in which seven people were killed by airborne sarin in a residential neighborhood.

On March 20, 1995, at 8:00 a.m. in the middle of the morning rush hour. Five of Asahara’s loyal followers on five trains converging on the busy Kasumigaseki station in Tokyo, released sarin into the air from specialized bags they had brought on board. Twelve people died and 5,000 were injured, many permanently and irrevocably.

Asahara and his followers destroyed as much evidence of their actions as they could and quickly dispersed amidst numerous raids on all of the cults properties.

He was arrested two months after the attack, his top henchmen falling shortly before he did. Several, smaller terror attempts were made after his capture. None of them were particularly successful.

The trial is estimated to last for the next 30 years, even though several of the cults leaders have already pleaded guilty.

The cult is still alive an well today, known as Aleph, and it continues to grow in spite of Asahara’s incarceration. It’s followers still remain loyal under the leadership of Asahara’s daughter, Rika Matsumoto.

So far 11 of the 189 cult members tried have been given death sentences but none have been carried out. Three leaders remain at large.

On February 27, 2004, Shoko Asahara, the founder of the Aum Shinrikyo cult had been sentenced to death in the Tokyo District Court after being convicted on 13 charges that claimed the lives of 27 victims. He showed no remorse.

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