Otokosaburo Noguchi

Despite moving in his brother-in-law's house, Otokosaburo and Neisai's relationship was not good, as the former suspected that the latter did not trust him.[5] Neisai, who suffered from leprosy, had to be treated constantly by Sae, which aroused fears in Otokosaburo that she might get infected as well.[5] This, coupled with his desire to improve his relationship with his brother-in-law, prompted Noguchi to seek a cure for the disease. A contemporary superstition said that human flesh was an effective treatment for leprosy, with Noguchi deciding to kill a child in the neighborhood, harvest his flesh and give it to Neisai.[5]

On March 27, 1902, after 10 PM, Noguchi accosted from behind 11-year-old Sosuke Kawai, who was on his way home from purchasing sugar, and then strangled him.[3] He then dragged the body to a nearby vacant lot, took out a sword and stabbed the body in the face, before making a 18 cm incision on both buttocks. Noguchi then began stripping muscle tissue from the buttocks, which lasted roughly a minute.[3] After collecting it, he then gouged out his victim's eyeballs using his fingers, before fleeing the scene.[6]

Two days later, he bought a ceramic pot and a crucible at a store in Kinrokucho, then rented a rowing boat from a boat rental shop in Kobiko-cho, in the Kyobashi Ward. Noguchi then sailed out at sea, not far from the Hama-rikyū Gardens, where he ignited a fire with charcoal he had prepared beforehand, and boiled the muscle tissues.[3] After returning to shore, he went to a shop in Hitotsugi and bought some chicken soup, in which he mixed the tissues and then gave it to his brother-in-law.[7]

Around September 1902, Noguchi was forced to drop out from the Tokyo University of Foreign Studies after he had repeatedly failed his exams, but continued to claim to his wife that he was still studying there.[5][8] In August 1903, he got a diploma paper from the Meiji Chamber of Commerce, and later had it forged to appear that he had earned a PhD in literature, as well as a diploma in German and economics.[9] On September 1, he presented these forged diplomas and other documents to Neisai, and later sent them to his parents' house in Osaka.[9]

In July 1904, Sae gave birth to the couple's first daughter, Kimiko. However, around December of that year, a dispute arose over a prenuptial agreement that stipulated restrictions on property disposal concerning Noguchi living with his brother-in-law, and so, he left the family.[10]

On May 3, 1905, Noguchi, who had been living intermittently at acquaintances' houses, hoped to reunite with his common-law wife, but she sent him a letter that their daughter was now under custody of her brother, who loathed Otokosaburo.[10] After careful consideration, Noguchi came to the conclusion that he would have to kill Neisai. He bought strychnine capsules at a pharmacy in Sanbacho and attempted to convince his wife to give them to her brother, pretending it was medicine, but failed.[11] On May 11, around 11 PM, after making sure that other family members were sleeping, Noguchi went into the house and snuck into Neisai's bedroom. He then stuffed the capsule down his throat, and choked his incapacitated brother-in-law until he succumbed.[11]

Following his brother-in-law's death, Noguchi begged his relatives to be accepted back into the family, but they categorically refused. Thinking that his lack of employment was a hindrance, Noguchi, fraudulently presenting himself as an interpreter for the family, attempted to travel to Manchuria. His lack of funds prevented him doing so, however, and he thusly approached Tomigoro Tsuzuki, a local drug store owner. Pretending to be deaf, Noguchi convinced the man to buy into a fictitious investment plan, and arranged to meet him at another location to discuss the details further.[12]

On May 14, 1905, at around 2 PM, Tsuzuki withdrew a deposit of 350 yen from the bank account of his business partner and returned home. Three hours later, he was called by Noguchi to go to Yoyogi via the Tokyo Toden tram network. When he arrived, Noguchi lunged at him and strangled him to death.[12] He then dumped the dead man's body in the nearby forest, where it was found not long after.[7]

On May 15, 1906, Otokosaburo Noguchi was convicted of the robbery-murder of Tomigoro Tsuzuki and forgery relating to his diploma, but acquitted in the other two murders due to lack of evidence. The later accomplishment was made thanks to his lawyer Takuzo Hanai, who convinced the judges that the police had likely tortured him into confessing, backed by him pointing out logical discrepancies in the confessions and testimonies provided by family members.

Noguchi was later sent to death row to await execution, where he proved to be unpopular with most other inmates, but had a brief correspondence with anarchist writer Ōsugi Sakae, who was visiting comrades in prison. On July 2, 1908, he was hanged at Ichigaya Prison.[15]