Kamikuishiki, Yamanashi
Kamikuishiki (上九一色村; -mura) was a
village located in
Nishiyatsushiro District,
Yamanashi Prefecture,
Japan.
As of
2006, the village had an estimated
population of 1,501 and a
density of 17 persons per
km². The total area was 86.59 km².
Kamikuishiki achieved nationwide fame in Japan for the mayor-backed campaign to evict the followers of
Aum Shinrikyo that build the religious center there. The campaign that lasted several years and included a wide range of measures from picketeering to disconnecting the water supply, resulted in closure of the Aum-owned facilities in 1995. Group founder and then leader
Shoko Asahara was arrested in Kamikuishiki on March 1, 1996. "After evacuating their facilities at Kamikuishiki, AUM followers necessarily had to look for other places to live" (Tsukuru, 1999).
Six years after the arrest of Asahara, also on March 1, 2006, the northern part of Kamikuishiki (
Furuseki, Kakehashi) merged into the city of
Kofu, the southern part (
Fujigane, Motosu, Shoji) merged into the town of
Fujikawaguchiko in
Minamitsuru District. The village officially ceased to exist.
The once famous mayor resigned long before the dissolution of Kamiku due to mental illness. According to the last mayor Makoto Kobayashi, "financial reasons" made the decision inevitable. Economic decline make the villagers leave for larger areas where jobs are more readily available. Reduced tax collections and aging population also played their role.
*Shojiko and Motosuko, two of the famous
Fuji Five Lakes, are in Kamikuishiki. The place is historically known for beautiful views, unspoiled by byproducts of advancing industrial civilization and calm, traditionally relaxed general attitude of inhabitants towards life, typical for Japan's countryside.
*
Kamikuishiki official website (in Japanese)
*
The 'De-nationalization' of AUM Followers: Its Hidden Political Purpose' ('Tsukuru', November 1999 - in English)
