Japan - Miyazawa family of 4 murdered, Setagaya, Tokyo, 30 Dec 2000 #3

[Cryptic]

Its far more easier to tie his hankies around instead of the less pliable saitary pads. He could have easily disinfected the hankies as well, so why he chose sanitary pads over the hankies in his hip bag is certainly interesting.

As others have pointed out, the use of sanitary pads could point to military experience.

Military bandages come in two general types (with alot of sub types): A. Hankie style B. Woman's sanitary pad style. Likewise, some bandages may combine features of both. They are also individually wrapped in packaging that can resemble sanitary products.

Evidently military medics in developing countries turn to sanitary products when the probably far more expensive military bandages run low.

Going out on a creaking limb....

I come from a traditional background with unwritten cultural taboos. Women's cycles and associated products are simply not part of the male "domain" and are not discussed openly. I have purchased them say, twice in 20 years for severe uhmmm "emergencies". I dont even know exactly where the products are kept in my house.

Despite my Reserve experience, I would instinctually reach for dish cloths and paper towels for a deep cut. Sanitary pads are just not in my mind. Yet.... the perpetrator reached for sanitary pads. This could suggest:

A. Active duty military experience in a combat branch (most military personnel rarely train with bandages) -or-

B. Comes from a more progressive family, and /or has had live in girl friends where cycles and products are no longer taboo for males. Thus has a more well, month to month connection with sanitary products.

 

[Charlot123]

As others have pointed out, the use of sanitary pads could point to military experience.

Military bandages come in two general types (with alot of sub types): A. Hankie style B. Woman's sanitary pad style. Likewise, some bandages may combine features of both. They are also individually wrapped in packaging that can resemble sanitary products.

Evidently military medics in developing countries turn to sanitary products when the probably far more expensive military bandages run low.

Going out on a creaking limb....

I come from a traditional background with unwritten cultural taboos. Women's cycles and associated products are simply not part of the male "domain" and are not discussed openly. I have purchased them say, twice in 20 years for severe uhmmm "emergencies". I dont even know exactly where the products are kept in my house.

Despite my Reserve experience, I would instinctually reach for dish cloths and paper towels for a deep cut. Sanitary pads are just not in my mind. Yet.... the perpetrator reached for sanitary pads. This could suggest:

A. Active duty military experience in a combat branch (most military personnel rarely train with bandages) -or-

B. Comes from a more progressive family, and /or has had live in girl friends where cycles and products are no longer taboo for males. Thus has a more well, month to month connection with sanitary products.

1) it is likely, a house where Japanese-made sanitary pads are used
2) depending on a situation, he either has older sisters and he is interested in female bodies when growing up, or even has a blended family where the women growing up are close to him, evoke intense interest, but are not his biosisters
3) or, he is raised by a single mom and boundaries are poorly drawn. Not on purpose, but perhaps, mom is overwhelmed and can't organize own life.

 

[FlowersInBloom]

As others have pointed out, the use of sanitary pads could point to military experience.

Military bandages come in two general types (with alot of sub types): A. Hankie style B. Woman's sanitary pad style. Likewise, some bandages may combine features of both. They are also individually wrapped in packaging that can resemble sanitary products.

Evidently military medics in developing countries turn to sanitary products when the probably far more expensive military bandages run low.

Going out on a creaking limb....

I come from a traditional background with unwritten cultural taboos. Women's cycles and associated products are simply not part of the male "domain" and are not discussed openly. I have purchased them say, twice in 20 years for severe uhmmm "emergencies". I dont even know exactly where the products are kept in my house.

Despite my Reserve experience, I would instinctually reach for dish cloths and paper towels for a deep cut. Sanitary pads are just not in my mind. Yet.... the perpetrator reached for sanitary pads. This could suggest:

A. Active duty military experience in a combat branch (most military personnel rarely train with bandages) -or-

B. Comes from a more progressive family, and /or has had live in girl friends where cycles and products are no longer taboo for males. Thus has a more well, month to month connection with sanitary products.

I agree with this. If he were a teenage boy of 15-18 from a regular family, even with sisters, I would still hesitate to say he knew how to open and use one. Growing up I had 2 brothers, and when they were teenagers they found tampons hilarious because of how much liquid it could retain. They had no idea how it all worked.
To me, a teenage boy reaching for and using sanitary pads on a wound says more to me than he had a sister or a mother… it highly suggests prior knowledge of how to dress a wound with a sanitary pad. Not beyond the realms of possibility that he learned how to do this himself from training of some kind, but to me it really suggests something to do with the military… whether he himself had military training or he learned it from his father who was military.
Of course the other reasons listed could be possible, I just find it a bit hard to believe… JMO.

 

[BatataPoha]

I agree with this. If he were a teenage boy of 15-18 from a regular family, even with sisters, I would still hesitate to say he knew how to open and use one. Growing up I had 2 brothers, and when they were teenagers they found tampons hilarious because of how much liquid it could retain. They had no idea how it all worked.
To me, a teenage boy reaching for and using sanitary pads on a wound says more to me than he had a sister or a mother… it highly suggests prior knowledge of how to dress a wound with a sanitary pad. Not beyond the realms of possibility that he learned how to do this himself from training of some kind, but to me it really suggests something to do with the military… whether he himself had military training or he learned it from his father who was military.
Of course the other reasons listed could be possible, I just find it a bit hard to believe… JMO.

Agreed.

Mostly considering how taboo the subject of menstruation is made to be and women in general are probably not being very open about it to others and especially young teenagers makes it seem more probable that this kinda training came not just from some anecdotal experience but maybe a more practical one.

 

[BatataPoha]

As others have pointed out, the use of sanitary pads could point to military experience.

Military bandages come in two general types (with alot of sub types): A. Hankie style B. Woman's sanitary pad style. Likewise, some bandages may combine features of both. They are also individually wrapped in packaging that can resemble sanitary products.

Evidently military medics in developing countries turn to sanitary products when the probably far more expensive military bandages run low.

Going out on a creaking limb....

I come from a traditional background with unwritten cultural taboos. Women's cycles and associated products are simply not part of the male "domain" and are not discussed openly. I have purchased them say, twice in 20 years for severe uhmmm "emergencies". I dont even know exactly where the products are kept in my house.

Despite my Reserve experience, I would instinctually reach for dish cloths and paper towels for a deep cut. Sanitary pads are just not in my mind. Yet.... the perpetrator reached for sanitary pads. This could suggest:

A. Active duty military experience in a combat branch (most military personnel rarely train with bandages) -or-

B. Comes from a more progressive family, and /or has had live in girl friends where cycles and products are no longer taboo for males. Thus has a more well, month to month connection with sanitary products.

His choice of knife and knifing skills in general don’t really suggest an active military background to me.

The second possibility is certainly possible but how dunno how practical it is irl when you are in a time crunch to act out on things like these.

 

[Sor Juana]

One more consideration. About the hand injuries and blood loss.

My biggest loss of blood was from a small wound on my big toe. I managed to cut an artery.

Arterial blood is pumped under high pressure. What naturally stops the blood is our own blood clot. But the pressure in the arterial system washes the clot off.

However, most cuts go through veins. So if the killer cut himself but the blood was venous, with low blood pressure in the venous system, it indeed would have been enough to use a sanitary product, press it tightly for a while, and the bleeding would stop. So I doubt that he was all that bloodied when he left the house. The scar is probably noticeable because the wound penetrated into the dermis, but unless the person is prone to extensive scarring, it might attract no attention. One wonders how he might know about the clotting, but one prior injury and someone knowledgeable helping him could be enough.

I attempted to reconstruct how the killer might have gotten his cut, at least one of them. I believe it happened when he attacked Mikio from above, and the knife got stuck in the skull. These two pictures illustrate how he held that knife and the likely cut he sustained (all speculation on my part):



I would also note that after his knife attack on Mikio, he executed another knife attack on the women and also used his fists to bash them. Being right-handed, it’s evident that his injured hand was still functional and he had no issues using it. That said, I don’t think he had too much wrapped around the cut to attract attention. The location of the cut is such that it can barely be seen from the front and is only visible if the hand is lifted. Otherwise, the cut can be hidden under a sleeve. JMO.

 

[Sor Juana]

I see thank you, I had read that some temples also offer services on the 31st as the new year often attracts several million people on the day and the days after… or perhaps they would be readying their services on that day too. Either way, I would find it to be not the smartest move to try and head to or hide out at a temple on December 31st in Tokyo.
I also think wherever home is, he went there and went there quickly after leaving the Miyazawa house.

I have seen that news channels on TV were already running the story of the murder by the evening of the 31st. I wonder how quickly it was reported about the killer’s belongings that were left behind. People of Tokyo could have potentially known details of the murder the very same day the family was discovered and began to think about who they saw that morning.

Buddhist temples vary in size. The two temples I mentioned earlier have monk quarters and are situated on large plots of land. The grounds include the actual temple, other buildings, and some natural strips. It seems unlikely that the killer rushed to the temple to pray, although who knows. He could have been in the residential area amongst [other] monks. Which means he could have been a monk, or become one after the murder. This would never have occurred to me in my wildest dreams if I hadn’t read this article: Some criminals are known to take refuge in monkhood as they lay low from the outside world.

JMO

 

[Sor Juana]

Well, if - if! - Richard Allen is proven to be the Delphi killer, here is your example. As average as can be, nondescript, local, living nearby, still, six years after the murders. This is what I mean. Either this, or someone whose “bisiness” makes him invisible but allows to get next to many houses.

I don’t dispute that a serial killer, or even a murderer, can be an average person. However, the difference with "our" killer is that he killed four people, which qualifies him as a mass murderer. This places him in a different profile category. As you might have read in the US press, the generalised profile of a mass shooter or mass murderer is rarely that of an average person. They may appear average, but there is usually something more distinctive about them, like you mentioned, an introverted nature, which is too broad a term.

In the Setagaya case, though, I think the murderer had a purpose when he broke in, was interrupted by Mikio, and then, overkilled because he was inexperienced and Yasuko was protecting her daughter. A mixture of intense anger and fear.

I think so, too.

Probably the behavior will be similar to that of the perpetrator in Idaho murders. Could, however, the fear on seeing own blood make the Setagaya killer hyperventilate and that caused dissociation? Maybe?

I'm not sure about that. I picture him as rather less perceptive and more basic than borderline. That said, I don't have a firm opinion on this. My focus is on id-ing and locating him, and what could help profile and find him.

About the temples that you kindly linked. Would any of them be accessible if he took a shortcut through the Setagaya park? Would they have bird feeders? Do you suppose that either could be located close to that place where Zelkowa trees grow in Tokyo?

I believe so, yes. The territory should be accessible, as well as the monk residences. I am unsure about the actual temple, though; it might be locked overnight.

Re: birds, good question. Buddhists indeed have something to do with birds. In some traditions, birds are kept in cages temporarily for ceremonial purposes. Like, for example there is a practice known as "life release" (fangsheng in Mandarin, Sōkō in Japanese), birds and other animals are released as an act of compassion and to generate positive karma. These birds are typically purchased from markets where they are sold for food or other purposes and are then released into the wild. It is believed that performing life release generates good karma and contributes to spiritual merit. Temples may hold special ceremonies dedicated to life release.

That place (surely not the only one) was at Seikei Uni

Seikei University is a private university located in Kichijoji, about 10-15 minutes walk from Kichijoji Station. Established in 1949, the university is famous for its beautiful zelkova trees, besides being known for its high standards of education.

There is also a small Buddhist temple on the campus called Kichijoji. There is also a museum of animation nearby:

Ghibli Museum is located at the southwest end of Inokashira Park. It is an art and animation museum of Ghibli Studio, one of the most famous animation studios of Japan. Owned by Miyazaki Hayao, the famous animation film maker, the museum features a variety of anime work and child-oriented fine art.

 

[Incoherent]

I don’t dispute that a serial killer, or even a murderer, can be an average person. However, the difference with "our" killer is that he killed four people, which qualifies him as a mass murderer. This places him in a different profile category. As you might have read in the US press, the generalised profile of a mass shooter or mass murderer is rarely that of an average person. They may appear average, but there is usually something more distinctive about them, like you mentioned, an introverted nature, which is too broad a term.

I think so, too.

I'm not sure about that. I picture him as rather less perceptive and more basic than borderline. That said, I don't have a firm opinion on this. My focus is on id-ing and locating him, and what could help profile and find him.

I believe so, yes. The territory should be accessible, as well as the monk residences. I am unsure about the actual temple, though; it might be locked overnight.

Re: birds, good question. Buddhists indeed have something to do with birds. In some traditions, birds are kept in cages temporarily for ceremonial purposes. Like, for example there is a practice known as "life release" (fangsheng in Mandarin, Sōkō in Japanese), birds and other animals are released as an act of compassion and to generate positive karma. These birds are typically purchased from markets where they are sold for food or other purposes and are then released into the wild. It is believed that performing life release generates good karma and contributes to spiritual merit. Temples may hold special ceremonies dedicated to life release.

That place (surely not the only one) was at Seikei Uni.

There is also a small Buddhist temple on the campus called Kichijōji. There is also a museum of animation nearby:

You are confusing the university close to Kichijoji station, in the Kichijoji area of Musashino city, Tokyo, with Kichijoji temple in the Tone district of Gunma prefecture. They are 138 kilometres (86 miles) apart.

 

[Sor Juana]

Re: #628
Correction: the Buddhist temple on the campus of Seikei University in Kichijoji is called Kōyō-ji (光陽寺).

 

[Cryptic]

His choice of knife and knifing skills in general don’t really suggest an active military background to me.

I think there are misconceptions about the modern military.

A very significant majority of active servicemen have no idea how to select a knife and have no knifing skills what so ever. As a side note, a significant majority of servicemen have also only received very general training with fire arms.

Even most infantry soldiers would have been exposed to only very general training with knives. The only exceptions to the no knifing, or very limited knifing would be a very small number of Special Forces soldiers and forces such as the USMC that may traditionally present knife fighting at a moderate level to a relatively larger percentage of enlistees.

But... in the end, modern militaries are just not big on knives. Time spent on knifing skills is almost always spent far more efficiently on other military skills.

 

[annemc2]

The sanitary pad aspect is baffling to me. I had seen similar used for wound care in nursing school where they were called ABD pads. My husband is a physician and I can't imagine (well until now, anyway) either of us hunting down a pad when there is blood. A kitchen towel would be a go-to and after that, we'd get something out of the huge box of "surgical" supplies that we have (dressings, gauze, needles, stitches, etc). Growing up, my dad who was a family practice doctor also had a tote filled with the same sort of supplies.

It seems like the knowledge of using a tampon for GSW or other penetrating trauma is much more commonplace. I admit that during peak allergy season I have stuffed them up my nose (as some do for nosebleeds). Either he'd learned about pads being used this way in a similar manner, or he's pretty resourceful when it comes to rummaging through an unfamiliar bathroom while looking for something to staunch significant bleeding. Most people would go for towels, imo. It's just such an odd little piece of this gigantic puzzle that it's hard to put aside.

 

[Janitor101]

Where were the sanitary pads stored? For some reason, I thought there was one in the first aid kit?

I was thinking he grabbed supplies from that first aid kit that the two female victims had attempted to use before he attacked them a second time. There are usually some adequate thickness pads in those to stem bleeding.

 

[Charlot123]

Buddhist temples vary in size. The two temples I mentioned earlier have monk quarters and are situated on large plots of land. The grounds include the actual temple, other buildings, and some natural strips. It seems unlikely that the killer rushed to the temple to pray, although who knows. He could have been in the residential area amongst [other] monks. Which means he could have been a monk, or become one after the murder. This would never have occurred to me in my wildest dreams if I hadn’t read this article: Some criminals are known to take refuge in monkhood as they lay low from the outside world.

JMO

Theoretically, any monkhood it is a very convenient way to conceal oneself from the world. It puts a natural barrier between oneself and the world, too. And, as I understand, no one would get into a temple to check the fingerprints, either.

 

[Charlot123]

I attempted to reconstruct how the killer might have gotten his cut, at least one of them. I believe it happened when he attacked Mikio from above, and the knife got stuck in the skull. These two pictures illustrate how he held that knife and the likely cut he sustained (all speculation on my part):

View attachment 519903 View attachment 519904

I would also note that after his knife attack on Mikio, he executed another knife attack on the women and also used his fists to bash them. Being right-handed, it’s evident that his injured hand was still functional and he had no issues using it. That said, I don’t think he had too much wrapped around the cut to attract attention. The location of the cut is such that it can barely be seen from the front and is only visible if the hand is lifted. Otherwise, the cut can be hidden under a sleeve. JMO.

Cuts to the offender's own hand--unintentional self-infliction in the course of knife attacks - PubMed

In a knife attack the perpetrator can unintentionally injure his own hand, if the knife does not have an adequate handguard and the tip of the blade hits a solid, mostly bony structure while being violently thrust into the victim's body. The injuries occurring under these conditions are...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[Cryptic]

The second possibility is certainly possible but how dunno how practical it is irl when you are in a time crunch to act out on things like these.

I agree. As you point out, the rapid connection under stress, then the actual use of sanitary products is strange and implies something more than "theoretical exposure".

@annemc2 also relates that even medical professionals who are aware of the similar designs between wound bandages and sanitary products and.... who, in my mind, are more likely to view female cycles / products as a simple physiological process sans taboos would still likely go for dish towels and paper towels out of habit.

To me, a teenage boy reaching for and using sanitary pads on a wound says more to me than he had a sister or a mother… it highly suggests prior knowledge of how to dress a wound with a sanitary pad. Not beyond the realms of possibility that he learned how to do this himself from training of some kind, but to me it really suggests something to do with the military…

I am thinking you are right.

As @BatataPoha relates, even with the idea of a progressive "open" family regarding cycle taboos or a living arrangement such as live in girl friend, there is still the time crunch to make the connection- then find the products to act on it.

Likewise, @annemc2 relates that medical pros with a more likely view of (Menstruation? Yawn, just another physiological process- nothing secret about it.) would still likely go for tried and true dish towels and paper towels due to habit despite knowing that the sanitary designs are very similar to wound bandages.

That leaves military. But.... not just any military. I am thinking the following would be good sources:

- Military medic in particular. Knows from constant reinforcing training of the design similarities. Could well have been specifically informed that sanitary products can be substituted for wound bandages in the case of a war emergency involving issued military medical supplies running low.

- Special Forces medic: The same as the above, but to a higher degree. US Special Forces medics (and probably those of some other nations as well) are trained how to perform a variety emergency surgeries via improvisation if no doctor is available and the procedure is needed immediately to save the person's life. Specific training (not just FYI material that regular medics get) on medical improvisation, including sanitary products for wound bandages, would be routine.

 

[FlowersInBloom]

I don’t dispute that a serial killer, or even a murderer, can be an average person. However, the difference with "our" killer is that he killed four people, which qualifies him as a mass murderer. This places him in a different profile category. As you might have read in the US press, the generalised profile of a mass shooter or mass murderer is rarely that of an average person. They may appear average, but there is usually something more distinctive about them, like you mentioned, an introverted nature, which is too broad a term.

I think so, too.

I'm not sure about that. I picture him as rather less perceptive and more basic than borderline. That said, I don't have a firm opinion on this. My focus is on id-ing and locating him, and what could help profile and find him.

I believe so, yes. The territory should be accessible, as well as the monk residences. I am unsure about the actual temple, though; it might be locked overnight.

Re: birds, good question. Buddhists indeed have something to do with birds. In some traditions, birds are kept in cages temporarily for ceremonial purposes. Like, for example there is a practice known as "life release" (fangsheng in Mandarin, Sōkō in Japanese), birds and other animals are released as an act of compassion and to generate positive karma. These birds are typically purchased from markets where they are sold for food or other purposes and are then released into the wild. It is believed that performing life release generates good karma and contributes to spiritual merit. Temples may hold special ceremonies dedicated to life release.

That place (surely not the only one) was at Seikei Uni

There is also a small Buddhist temple on the campus called Kichijoji. There is also a museum of animation nearby:

I believe there was a big connection between Mikio and his love for animation that I read over the threads, but as for the Ghibli museum nearby it did not open until the end of 2001… I am a very big fan of those movies myself and it’s a place on my bucket list to visit, but in relation to this case unfortunately the family were dead before it was opened.

I am not so sure I am finding the connection here with a killer hiding out on temple grounds… are we imagining here that it’s somewhat like a western style church where it’s open for anyone to walk into and hide away from public view, to be protected by monks? I’m not so sure about that honestly. I can’t see it. Perhaps in the far away mountains maybe? Middle of Tokyo or on private university property? I feel like he would be reported…

@Cryptic my thoughts exactly about someone in medical in the military. I don’t think he was the person, but learned from the person… his father is who comes to mind. The time crunch we are talking about sticks in my mind… he even wiped his blood on the towel in the toilet room instead of using it to stem his bleeding, and sought out the sanitary pads. In the house there is a sink and cupboards just before the bathroom, did he look in there I wonder?…

 

[TokyoSleuth]

I am not so sure I am finding the connection here with a killer hiding out on temple grounds… are we imagining here that it’s somewhat like a western style church where it’s open for anyone to walk into and hide away from public view, to be protected by monks? I’m not so sure about that honestly. I can’t see it. Perhaps in the far away mountains maybe? Middle of Tokyo or on private university property? I feel like he would be reported…

Yeah you're spot on here. It isn't the same as some middle ages European monastery. Most of the "monks" at Japanese temples are actually regular people who devote some of their free time to helping maintain the temple and perform some of the rituals. And there is also a big difference between temples and larger shrines which often does not come across on English Google Maps.

Funnily enough, there is a case of a Japanese serial killer taking refuge in a temple complex. He convinced a monk that he was a lawyer and wanted to help an appeal the monk was working on. This monk was married with two kids. One of his daughters recognized the man from a wanted poster and told her father, who then alerted the police.

So the idea of the faceless man fleeing to a temple and somehow disappearing by being taken into to some monastic community is not realistic at all.

 

[Sor Juana]

Wrongdoers don saffron robes to conceal their crimes .

The suspect entered the monkhood to escape arrest warrants issued by Nakhon Si Thammarat and Samui provincial courts and appeared to have got away with it until police caught up with him on Valentine's Day.

Thailand. The Somkid Pumpuang case. Known as the "Jack the Ripper of Thailand," Somkid Pumpuang was a serial killer convicted of murdering five women in 2005. After being released from prison on parole, he committed another murder in 2019. During his time on the run, he disguised himself as a monk and sought refuge in a temple, blending in with the monastic community.
Sri Lanka. The Wasantha Karunaratne case. Karunaratne was involved in a series of violent crimes, including murder.
He fled to a remote Buddhist temple in Sri Lanka, where he lived for several months disguised as a monk. He was eventually discovered and apprehended by the authorities.

Some 19 Buddhist monks arrested, hiding from their criminal past

The abbot at Wat Ro Charoen was on the run for 15 years in connection with attempted murder and illegal weapons possession.

According to the CSD, the 40-year-old man’s real name is Paphonsan Phetphun, who allegedly killed a rival in Tha Sala district (Nakhon Si Thammarat province) in 2006. The following year, the gangster shot someone else in Koh Samui District (Surat Thani), and eventually turned to the monastic life to escape the arrest warrants issued by two provincial courts.

Almost 95 per cent of Thailand’s population follows Theravada Buddhism. In recent months, the image of Buddhism has taken a hit as a result of many sexual and financial scandals involving monks.

 

[Sor Juana]

Cuts to the offender's own hand--unintentional self-infliction in the course of knife attacks - PubMed

In a knife attack the perpetrator can unintentionally injure his own hand, if the knife does not have an adequate handguard and the tip of the blade hits a solid, mostly bony structure while being violently thrust into the victim's body. The injuries occurring under these conditions are...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

"The injuries occurring under these conditions are localized on the flexor side of the knife-holding hand and may include the index, middle, ring and little fingers. They are seen particularly often on the little finger at the level of the proximal phalanx and in the skin fold of the proximal interphalangeal joint. The majority of these cuts run transversely to the longitudinal axis of the fingers and can show a step-like arrangement with different distances to the metacarpophalangeal joints, often from ulnar-proximal to radial-distal."

I think the situation analysed here is different—the way the knife is held is like this:

or this: