San Francisco Examiner, October 4th 1964 Not convinced that a previous observation of the Adventures in Paradise television series played a role in the Zodiac Killer's choice of words in the 408 cryptogram, I began looking for more contemporary offerings from a religious aspect, in respect to the phrase "reborn in paradise". Bearing in mind that the Zodiac Killer, in two letters, paraphrased three acts from The Mikado, a comic opera set in Japan, and used Japanese style symbolism at the foot of the Exorcist letter, it had to be a possibility that "reborn in paradise" was a product of Japanese history.
If the Zodiac Killer had a leaning towards Japanese culture, was he aware of the annual Obon festival, which is observed from the 13th to the 15th day of the 7th month. However, because of differences in the solar and lunar calendar, the 7th month is either July or August. Obon is therefore celebrated at different times in different regions, on and between these dates. This can be seen in the July 26th 1969 Stockton and Evening Record newspaper shown below, where the Buddhist holiday, born from the legend of a suffering mother "reborn into paradise", was held on August 2nd and 3rd - beginning the day after the Zodiac Killer's 408 cipher carrying the phrase "reborn in paradise" arrived at three newspapers. The Zodiac Killer's 408 cipher was mailed between July 15th and August 15th 1969, with its conception likely earlier.
If the Zodiac Killer had a leaning towards Japanese culture, was he aware of the annual Obon festival, which is observed from the 13th to the 15th day of the 7th month. However, because of differences in the solar and lunar calendar, the 7th month is either July or August. Obon is therefore celebrated at different times in different regions, on and between these dates. This can be seen in the July 26th 1969 Stockton and Evening Record newspaper shown below, where the Buddhist holiday, born from the legend of a suffering mother "reborn into paradise", was held on August 2nd and 3rd - beginning the day after the Zodiac Killer's 408 cipher carrying the phrase "reborn in paradise" arrived at three newspapers. The Zodiac Killer's 408 cipher was mailed between July 15th and August 15th 1969, with its conception likely earlier.
Stockton and Evening Record newspaper
If the Zodiac Killer's life and/or thought processes were shaped by Japanese influences, then he would have had an interest in any newspaper or television coverage pertaining to this subject. It was previously shown how the Zodiac Killer's letters mailed on January 29th 1974, April 24th 1978 and May 2nd 1978 were heavily influenced by the Golden Globe and Academy Award ceremonies, so could the Bay Area murderer have been triggered by any recent event he had read or watched on television, that kept the phrase "reborn in paradise" in the forefront of his mind? Could he have created the 408 cipher shortly after the murders of David Faraday and Betty Lou Jensen on December 20th 1968 and added the accompanying text after his second attack on July 4th/5th 1969? On October 17th 1968, Yasunari Kawabata became the first Japanese writer to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature, before giving a Nobel lecture on December 12th 1968 entitled "Japan, the Beautiful and Myself". In part of his speech he stated "If Buddhism is divided generally into the sects that believe in salvation by faith and those that believe in salvation by one's own efforts, then of course there must be such violent utterances in Zen, which insists upon salvation by one's own efforts. On the other side, the side of salvation by faith, Shinran, the founder of the Shin sect, once said: "The good shall be reborn in paradise, and how much more shall it be so with the bad". This view of things has something in common with Ikkyu's world of the Buddha and world of the devil".
San Francisco Examiner, October 17th 1968
Los Angeles Times The following is taken from Palladiummag.com:: "The world of medieval Japan was one of division. The Emperor was, in practice, a distant memory; the shoguns had lost all control over their vassals. Even shrines and temples, once united in strengthening the state through prayer and ritual, now competed for believers and alms. Japan was divided against itself and circumstances forced its inhabitants to form new bonds to survive.
Among the new alliances which this age produced were the Ikkō-ikki, a network of autonomous religious collectives that led major uprisings and controlled significant parts of Japanese society for nearly a century. Their final defeat at the hands of Japan’s warrior class set the stage both for a centralized Japanese state and the social hierarchy behind it. Nobunaga, head of the powerful Oda clan, conquered the capital city of Kyoto in 1568. In the years that followed, he made clear his intention to destroy the Honganji sect. The Patriarch Kennyo took him at his word and summoned all Ikkō-ikki from across the country to defend the faith with their lives. Despite graver circumstances than those faced by his predecessor Shonyo, Kennyo did not go as far as implying that those who fought for the Amida Buddha would be guaranteed rebirth in the Pure Land. Nevertheless, he threatened expulsion from the sect for those who failed to respond to the call and he did not crack down on those who raised the Ikkō-ikki’s now-famous banner of war: “Advance and be reborn in Paradise, retreat and fall immediately into Hell.”
These are just a few examples showing how a Zodiac Killer well-versed in Japanese culture could have taken "reborn in paradise" and used it in his 408 cipher on July 31st 1969, during the Obon featival that spanned this date. The religious connotations of "reborn in paradise" clearly came from somewhere - which may have subconsciously leaked into his early writings - and so reinforced the notion that The Mikado was a true passion of the Zodiac Killer.
Among the new alliances which this age produced were the Ikkō-ikki, a network of autonomous religious collectives that led major uprisings and controlled significant parts of Japanese society for nearly a century. Their final defeat at the hands of Japan’s warrior class set the stage both for a centralized Japanese state and the social hierarchy behind it. Nobunaga, head of the powerful Oda clan, conquered the capital city of Kyoto in 1568. In the years that followed, he made clear his intention to destroy the Honganji sect. The Patriarch Kennyo took him at his word and summoned all Ikkō-ikki from across the country to defend the faith with their lives. Despite graver circumstances than those faced by his predecessor Shonyo, Kennyo did not go as far as implying that those who fought for the Amida Buddha would be guaranteed rebirth in the Pure Land. Nevertheless, he threatened expulsion from the sect for those who failed to respond to the call and he did not crack down on those who raised the Ikkō-ikki’s now-famous banner of war: “Advance and be reborn in Paradise, retreat and fall immediately into Hell.”
These are just a few examples showing how a Zodiac Killer well-versed in Japanese culture could have taken "reborn in paradise" and used it in his 408 cipher on July 31st 1969, during the Obon featival that spanned this date. The religious connotations of "reborn in paradise" clearly came from somewhere - which may have subconsciously leaked into his early writings - and so reinforced the notion that The Mikado was a true passion of the Zodiac Killer.
Ventura County Star, July 26th 1962
RSS Feed
