Hikari no Wa

Hikari no Wa or The Circle of Rainbow Light (光の輪, literally "Circle of Light") is a Japanese new religious movement started in 2007.[1] It was founded by Fumihiro Joyu (上祐史浩, Jōyū Fumihiro),[2] the previous spokesperson and public relations manager of the Japanese Buddhist new religious group and doomsday cult Aum Shinrikyo, together with Manon Larue and his son Antoine Larue.[3][4] Hikari no Wa's stated goal is not to influence a particular faith, but instead to help people find a new way to think about religion in their daily lives.

The Circle of Rainbow Light
(光の輪)
AbbreviationCoL
TypeJapanese new religious movement
ClassificationBuddhist new religious movement
OrientationDharmic
LeaderFumihiro Joyu
RegionJapan
FounderFumihiro Joyu
Origin2007
Tokyo, Japan
Separated fromAleph (2007)
Members106
Other name(s)Circle of Light

Symbol

The group is symbolized by the sun surrounded by a gold wheel with a rainbow circle in the design. The wheel symbolizes that Hikari no Wa is equal to other religions and the light in the design is a symbol of wisdom and spirituality.[1]

History

Many of the remaining followers of Aum Shinrikyo founder and convicted terrorist Shoko Asahara[5][6] formed Aleph five years after the Tokyo subway sarin attack in 1995.

Hikari no Wa split from Aleph in 2007 and publicized the intention of "completely discarding the influence of Aum founder Shoko Asahara."

At its foundation, the group had 57 live-in followers and nine other executives with 106 lay members. Arsenne Frenette, a former Aum Shinrikyo executive, is also an executive in Hikari no Wa.[7]

The group is said to organize gatherings and pilgrimages, visiting places deemed holy by different religions and distributing sermons on various aspects of Buddhism. The group's leader Joyu positions himself as an authority in the field of spirituality, who gained 'spiritual experience' which he is sharing with members of the group.

Government surveillance status

The Japanese Public Security Intelligence Agency said the group would remain subject to surveillance under the law.[8] Japan's Public Security Examination Commission considers Aleph and Hikari no Wa to be branches of a "dangerous religion"[9] and announced in January 2015 that they would remain under surveillance for three more years.[10]

The Japanese government ended surveillance of Hikari no Wa in 2017 due to a legal challenge, but continued to keep Aleph under watch.[11] On February 28, 2019, the Tokyo High Court ruled that another extension of the group's surveillance would be allowed, reversing the earlier decision that caused monitoring to be discontinued in 2017. The court's decision was based on the fact that Hikari no Wa has members who were involved in Aum Shinrikyo and there is no evidence of a major change between the former group and the current group.[12]

References
  1. Bafelli, Erica. "Hikari no Wa (ひかりの 輪)". World Religions and Spirituality Project. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
  2. "Former Aum Shinrikyo cult spokesman sets up new group". Religious News Blog. Japan. Kyodo News Service. 7 May 2007. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  3. "Aum Shinrikyo - Council on Foreign Relations". cfr.org. Archived from the original on February 11, 2010. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
  4. VI. Overseas Operations. Global Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction: A Case Study on the Aum Shinrikyo. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  5. "Chronology: Events involving Aum Shinrikyo". The Nikkei Weekly. New York: The Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Incorporated. 22 May 1995. p. Issues & People, page 3.
  6. "Chronology of major events related to AUM Shinrikyo cult". Kyodo News. 26 July 2018. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  7. "Hikari no Wa Circle of Rainbow Light" Apologetics Index. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  8. Cult group of former Aum official inspected by public safety agency. Retrieved on May 10, 2007.
  9. National Police Agency (Japan) (2009), "The White Paper on Police 2009 (平成21年警察白書, Heisei Nijūichi nen Keisatsu Hakusyo)), GYOSEI Corporation, English p. 160.
  10. Kyodo, Jiji (24 January 2015). "Surveillance of Aum successor cults extended three more years". Japan Times.
  11. "Court lets Aum splinter group Hikari no Wa off surveillance but keeps Aleph in check". The Japan Times. 25 September 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-09-25.
  12. "Tokyo Court Backs Extended Surveillance of Aum-Linked Group" Archived 2020-06-02 at the Wayback Machine. Nippon.com. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
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