TOKYO - A man in his 30s was referred to prosecutors on suspicion of exposing himself at a stone monument in central Tokyo dedicated to the spirit of a samurai from over 1,000 years ago and uploading the act online, an investigative source said Friday.
The man from Gunma Prefecture, northwest of Tokyo, is suspected of indecent exposure and desecration earlier this year after exposing the lower half of his body at the monument where the head of the samurai Taira no Masakado is said to have been buried according to folklore. The referral was dated Oct. 23.
He is suspected of exposing himself and embracing the monument in Chiyoda Ward and then uploading a video of his actions online at around 10 p.m. on Aug. 19.
The man, who turned himself in on Aug. 21, has told police he did it in response to viewer requests, the source said.
According to the Chiyoda City Tourism Association, the monument was set up to appease the spirit of Taira no Masakado, who was killed during the Heian Era (794-1185) after instigating an uprising against the imperial court.
According to legend, his severed head is said to have flown toward his hometown in eastern Japan after being publicly displayed in Kyoto, with the monument constructed where it fell on the way there.
