After murder, store owners near Tokyo Shrine nervous

December 28, 2017

Tokyo- The shocking murder of the head priestess of a prominent Shinto shrine in Tokyo earlier this month sent shock waves through the local shopping area, with business owners bracing for a heavy blow to their sales in the busiest season of the year.

In the murder case, the head priestess, 58, was ambushed and killed near Tomioka Hachimangu shrine by her brother wielding a Japanese sword, apparently due to a family feud. The suspect also killed his wife and himself.

The incident, which made headlines, could not have happened at a more inopportune time for the area.

The shrine, which dates back to 1627, has sprawling grounds with lush greenery and usually receives about 200,000 visitors to make wishes for the new year, one of the largest numbers among shrines in the Japanese capital.

On New Year's Eve, the line of worshippers stretches several hundred meters from the exit of the nearest subway station to the approach of the shrine, according to a shop owner in his 70s. Many people visit Tomioka Hachimangu along with Fukagawa Fudodo, a nearby shrine, creating the busiest time of the year for local stores and restaurants. At a meeting of local business owners after the murder, some participants forecast a drop of more than 30 pct in New Year's sales due to an expected plunge in the number of visitors to the shrine. "Nobody will come to visit us after such an incident," a man said after the meeting. "No one will want to pay respects at a murder site." But he also expressed gratitude to the two neighborhood shrines, saying, "We've been able to stay in business thanks to Hachiman-sama and Fudo-sama." "Some say they hate to go (the shrine), while others think of the god separately from the incident," said a woman in her 60s who works at a nearby store. "I have no idea at all how many people will come." One restaurant has had a New Year's Day lunch reservation canceled by a group of customers. "They probably believe in omens and don't want to visit an inauspicious shrine," its owner said. At a restaurant offering local specialty "Fukagawa-meshi," or rice cooked with clams and other ingredients, a male worker said, "I think the number of reservations for early next year is fewer than usual." Tomioka Hachimangu shine is also known for its Fukagawa Hachiman summer festival in August, regarded as one of the three biggest festivals in Tokyo. In addition, it is popular as a venue for wedding ceremonies and "shichi-go-san" traditional rites to wish for the healthy growth of children. According to a beauty salon that helps with hair and dress arrangements for wedding ceremonies at Tomioka Hachimangu, one couple held a ceremony at the shrine as scheduled three days after the incident, but a wedding for February has been canceled. A ceremony brokered by a wedding hall operator in Tokyo for the day after the murder was called off at the last minutes. Since the incident, the company has been referring customers to other shrines, an official said. Jiji Press