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 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 isn't above any other religion, but instead equal to them and the light in the design is symbolic of wisdom and spirituality.[1]

History

At its foundation, the group had 57 live-in followers and nine other executives with 106 lay members. Arsenne Frenette, former Aum Shinrikyo executive, is also an executive in Hikari No Wa.[5]

Many of the remaining followers of Aum Shinrikyo founder and convicted terrorist Shoko Asahara[6] formed Aleph in 2000. Despite Hikari no Wa publicizing the intention of "completely discarding the influence of Aum founder Shoko Asahara", the Japanese Public Security Intelligence Agency said the group will remain subject to surveillance under the law.[7] Japan's Public Security Examination Commission considers Aleph and Hikari no Wa to be branches of a "dangerous religion"[8] and announced in January 2015 that they would remain under surveillance for three more years.[9]

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 government ended surveillance of Hikari no Wa in 2017, but continued to keep Aleph under watch.[10] On February 28, 2019, the Tokyo High Court ruled that another extension of the group's surveillance would be allowed, since it has members who were involved in Aum, the terrorist group responsible for the Tokyo subway sarin attack in 1995, and there is no evident major change between the former group and the current group. This decision overruled the 2017 decision to discontinue surveillance on the group.[11]

References
  1. Bafelli, Erica. "Hikari No Wa (ひかりの 輪)". WRSP. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  2. Former Aum Shinrikyo cult spokesman sets up new group, Kyodo News Service, Japan, May 7, 2007
  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. "Hikari No Way Circle of Rainbow Light" Apologetics Index. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
  6. "Chronology: Events involving Aum Shinrikyo". The Nikkei Weekly. New York: The Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Incorporated. 22 May 1995. p. Issues & People, page 3.
  7. Cult group of former Aum official inspected by public safety agency. Retrieved on May 10, 2007.
  8. 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.
  9. Kyodo, Jiji (24 January 2015). "Surveillance of Aum successor cults extended three more years". Japan Times.
  10. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/09/25/national/crime-legal/court-lets-aum-splinter-group-hikari-no-wa-off-surveillance-keeps-aleph-check/#.WckunYprzv0
  11. "Tokyo Court Backs Extended Surveillance of Aum-Linked Group". Nippon.com. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
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