Hayama

Last October during a brief trip to Japan, I traveled to the town of Hayama on the Miura Peninsula just south of Tokyo. I was there to see a friend, but I'd always wanted to visit Hayama because of its association with the Japanese anarchist Osugi Sakae.

Many Japanese people haven't heard of Osugi Sakae. Some of those who have know of him because of what's commonly referred to as the Hayama Incident. This incident, which took place in 1916 and was centered on a teahouse in Hayama called the Hikage Chaya (and is therefore also sometimes referred to as the Hikage Chaya Incident), marked the climax of a bizarre experiment in "free love".

Free love was something Osugi had been reading and writing about for many years. As an anarchist, he blamed capitalism for perverting love and marriage and thought that true free love could only become a reality once capitalism was abolished. But Osugi couldn't wait that long. He decided it was time to put his ideas into practice.

In December 1915, Osugi, who'd been married to Hori Yasuko since 1906, began an affair with Kamichika Ichiko, a newspaper reporter and member of the feminist group Seito-sha (Bluestocking Society). Then in February 1916, he began another affair, with Ito Noe, also a member of Seito-sha and the wife of Dadaist musician and writer Tsuji Jun.

Kamichika Ichiko

Osugi set out three conditions on which the four-way relationship would be based: first, each individual in the relationship would be financially independent; second, each would live in their own dwelling; and third, each would allow the others complete freedom of action.

It seems that Osugi's enthusiasm wasn't matched by the three women involved. The relationship soon became bogged down in jealousy and financial difficulties. In November 1916 Osugi traveled to Hayama and took a room at the Hikage Chaya to work on a translation. He told Kamichika that he'd be alone. But when Kamichika arrived to check on him she found Ito in his room. Ito returned to Tokyo the following day. Kamichika stayed behind with Osugi. The two argued, and in the middle of the following night, Kamichika stabbed Osugi in the throat.

Osugi spent ten days recovering in a hospital in the neighbouring town of Zushi. The Hayama Incident caused quite a scandal and those involved were ostracized by many of their peers. Kamichika was tried and eventually sentenced to two years in prison. She later became a member of the Japanese House of Representatives. Hori ended her marriage with Osugi. However, Osugi and Ito continued their relationship and went on to have four children together.

On 16 September 1923, amidst the chaos that reigned in Tokyo in the aftermath of the Great Kanto Earthquake, a squad of military police detained Osugi, Ito, and Osugi's six-year-old nephew. All three were beaten to death and their bodies thrown into a well.

Osugi Sakae, Ito Noe, and daughter Mako

Today the Hikage Chaya operates as an upscale Japanese restaurant. Apparently we weren’t the first customers to enquire about its links with Osugi Sakae, because when we did so the cashier produced a copy of an old magazine with a lengthy article about the Hayama Incident. Unfortunately the room where the stabbing took place no longer exists (or so we were told), so I had to make do with a few photos of the building's exterior.