Episode 345: Severed Head Stabbed On Japanese School Fence With Note In Mouth - “Let’s Play A Game”

Episodes 301 - 400 (1)
Written By Ray Chen
 

Kenta's Tuesday morning routine was always the same — a 5 a.m. breakfast of rice, miso soup, and salted salmon, followed by his walk to work at Tomogaoka Middle School, where he greeted students at the blue gates every morning.

But today was different.

Kenta took the same route as always — turned the same corner — and dropped his briefcase onto the ground. His hand flew to his mouth. Maybe he let out a scream, maybe he didn’t – and it was all just in his head.

Shaking, Kenta read the letter:

"This is the beginning of a game

You stupid police

Try and stop me if you can

Murder is something I cannot help but enjoy

There's nothing I want to see MORE than people's deaths

Let the foul vegetables be punished with death

Let there be bloody judgment for my many years of bitterness."

On the blue metal gates of the school — right next to the sign that read TOMOGAOKA MIDDLE SCHOOL — sprouting from one of the jagged metal picks of the fence - 

 The severed head of an 11-year-old.

The note was shoved in his mouth.

Full Source Notes: rottenmangopodcast.com

 

1:29 Happy Ayaka

5:14-5:20 Shinichiro leaving juvenile medical facility

SOURCES:

Books:

絶歌 (Zekka) by 元少年A (former Boy A)

「少年A」この子を生んで…… (“Boy A” Who we birthed…) by 「少年A」の父母 (“Boy A”’s parents)

淳 (Jun) by 土師 守 (Mamoru Hase)

Jun book reviews:

https://booklog.jp/item/1/4104265012

https://bookmeter.com/books/476190

https://turara-an755.hatenablog.com/entry/2017/05/25/001858

https://sessendo.blogspot.com/2017/05/blog-post_24.html

Videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZN-dq65VL4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDX52ccC828&t=294s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9qKGimbREk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_ACqfdw2bU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBMP13iMgTM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngOKy9g9Xn8

Affidavit:

http://w3sa.netlaputa.com/~gitani/the%20kenji/the-kenji.htm

Japanese sources:

https://www.ktv.jp/news/feature/220523/

https://www.npa.go.jp/hanzaihigai/kou-kei/houkoku_h30/chuou_giji_kicho.html

https://digital.asahi.com/articles/ASR5R5G1FR5LPIHB001.html

https://neutral-neutral.net/murder-scene/sakakibara-jiken/

https://bungeishunju.com/n/na0067b9d91db

https://www.kobe-c.ed.jp/_view/tmg-ms/home/index/annai/kokun

https://mainichi.jp/articles/20230119/osg/00m/040/001000d#02

https://home.gamer.com.tw/creationDetail.php?sn=4302758

https://toyokeizai.net/articles/-/74947?page=2

https://newsee-media.com/sakakibara-seito

https://haryu-korea.net/azuma-shinichiro

https://www.weblio.jp/content/%E7%A5%9E%E6%88%B8%E9%80%A3%E7%B6%9A%E5%85%90%E7%AB%A5%E6%AE%BA%E5%82%B7%E4%BA%8B%E4%BB%B6

https://ada-bana.hatenablog.com/entry/2015/06/21/233605#f-42129f8e

https://academic-box.be/archives/43808

https://www.syaanken.or.jp/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/a11328P032-052.pdf

https://neutral-neutral.net/murder-scene/sakakibara-jiken/

https://president.jp/articles/-/29559?page=1

https://bunshun.jp/articles/-/52631?page=3

https://www.dailyshincho.jp/article/2019/04120720/

https://www.kobe-np.co.jp/news/sougou/202208/0015566765.shtml

https://www.kobe-np.co.jp/news/sougou/202208/0015566761.shtml

https://www.kobe-np.co.jp/news/sougou/202204/0015187802.shtml

https://www.asagei.com/excerpt/38786

https://www2.nhk.or.jp/archives/movies/?id=D0009030282_00000

https://web.archive.org/web/19971210142824/http://www.sankei.co.jp/databox/suma/suma.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20160901163911/http://www.sonzainotaerarenaitomeisa.biz/

https://www.kobe-np.co.jp/news/sougou/202302/0016032157.shtml

https://digital.asahi.com/articles/DA3S15451083.html?_requesturl=articles%2FDA3S15451083.html

https://www.kobe-np.co.jp/news/sougou/202208/p1_0015566765.shtml

https://www.wikiwand.com/ja/%E7%A5%9E%E6%88%B8%E9%80%A3%E7%B6%9A%E5%85%90%E7%AB%A5%E6%AE%BA%E5%82%B7%E4%BA%8B%E4%BB%B6#Media/%E3%83%95%E3%82%A1%E3%82%A4%E3%83%AB:Tank-yama-syounen-A.jpg

https://www.kobe-np.co.jp/news/backnumber/201703/0012303270.shtml

https://www.kobe-np.co.jp/news/sougou/202203/0015156398.shtml

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/expert/articles/674dc75c3aad09777927053f16ad4fdad5a7926b#:~:text=%E7%B4%AF%E8%A8%88%E7%99%BA%E8%A1%8C%E9%83%A8%E6%95%B0%E3%81%AF15,%E6%89%8B%E7%B6%9A%E3%81%8D%E3%81%AE%E5%95%8F%E9%A1%8C%E3%81%AB%E3%81%82%E3%82%8B%E3%80%82

https://www.ktv.jp/news/feature/23020214%E5%9C%9F%E5%B8%AB%E6%B0%8F%E3%81%8C%E6%9C%80%E9%AB%98%E8%A3%81%E3%81%B8/

https://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q14274905184

https://mainichi.jp/articles/20230119/osg/00m/040/001000d#:~:text=%E3%81%93%E3%81%AE%E4%BA%8B%E4%BB%B6%E3%81%AA%E3%81%A9%E3%82%92%E3%81%8D%E3%81%A3%E3%81%8B%E3%81%91,%E4%BB%A5%E4%B8%8A%E3%80%8D%E3%81%B8%E5%BC%95%E3%81%8D%E4%B8%8B%E3%81%92%E3%82%89%E3%82%8C%E3%81%9F%E3%80%82

https://detail.chiebukuro.yahoo.co.jp/qa/question_detail/q12146669587

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1756061623000290


Production Note:

Rotten Mango has not done original reporting on this case. The stories are based on existing material (listed in show notes).

The RM team works hard to make sure everything you’re listening to is as accurate as possible and we try to use multiple sources to verify the facts. Creative liberties may be taken in certain cases during the presentation of the case. Please email us at rottenmangop@gmail.com if you have any questions!

 
Ray Chen
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Episode 346: The Curry Killer - She Killed 6 Of Her Husband’s Family Members With CURRY So She Could Marry Her Cousin
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Episode 344: “Lovely Bones” Author Is Sorry For Sending Wrong Guy To Jail For 16 Years After Writing a Book About Him