In this week’s episode, Shelby and Charlie jump the international border once again to explore the life of Chizuo Matsumoto, the man who would become the leader of the infamous cult Aum Shinrikyo. Born blind and raised in an impoverished household, Chizuo would attend a special school for blind students where his inclination for violence and control would blossom and run rampant. Always longing for something more, Chizuo would get into proto-guruism, eventually creating Aum Shinsen no Kai and the Aum Corporation before finally changing the name to Aum Shinrikyo, and his name to Shoko Asahara.

Opening music licensed from Peder B. Helland

Song: Strange Wind

Album: It's Halloween

Sources:

Destroying the World to Save It by Robert Jay Lifton

Underground: The Tokyo Attack and The Japanese Psyche by Haruki Murakami

Cults, Death Cults, and Their Leaders by Leo Hardy

http://www.patreon.com/cyspodcast

http://www.esty.com/shop/CiteYourSources

http://www.redbubble.com/people/CiteYourSources

https://allthatsinteresting.com/aum-shinrikyo

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleph_(Japanese_cult)

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35975069

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-43395483

https://www.belfercenter.org/sites/default/files/legacy/files/consequence_management_in_the_1995_sarin_attacks_on_the_japanese

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/tokyo-subways-are-attacked-with-sarin-gas

https://www.wired.com/1996/07/aum/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoko_Asahara

https://www.gwern.net/docs/eva/2008-gardner.pdf