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Paper short abstract

The study examines the recpetion of Western ritaul magic in Japan (1970s-1990s) , and discusses the rise and decline of two magic groups, I∴O∴S∴ and the O.T.O. Japan, which were focused on the study and practice of this current of modern occultism.

Paper long abstract

Western ritual magic refers to a body of practical knowledge centered on symbolism, meditation, and other ritual practices that was formulated and systematized in Western Europe in the late nineteenth century, by influential figures and organizations, such as Éliphas Lévi (1810–1875) and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (1888–1903). It subsequently exerted a significant influence on the formation and development of modern occultism, often associated with Aleister Crowley (1875-1947).

The current of Western ritual magic was first systematically introduced to Japan by Ōnuma Tadahiro in the mid-1970s, and gained broader exposure in the 1980s, largely through the works of Eguchi Koretaka, Asamatsu Ken, and Kamei Katsuyuki. Influenced by their works, in the last two decades of the twentieth century, there began to emerge a few groups gathering people who were interest in the actual practice of these ritual magic.

I∴O∴S∴ was one of the earliest and most prominent groups among them. Established by Akiba Tsutomu (born c. 1958) in October 1986, this group operated mainly in the Kantō region and remained active until the late 1990s. The group was functioned as an occult school for the study of ritual magic derived from the tradition of the Golden Dawn.

In April 1989, I∴O∴S∴ also facilitated the establishment of the first Japanese branch of Ordo Templi Orientis (OTO), the international magical organization focused on the instruction of Thelema, the magical–religious system formulated by Crowley. These OTO branches in Japan underwent repeated extensions and disbandement sthroughout the 1990s.

Focusing on these two groups, and drawing on contemporpaory textual sources, private documents, magazine reports, as well as direct interviews with former members and experience from the fieldwork carried out on the O.T.O. Japan from September 2023 to July 2024, this presentation reveals the emergence, development, and decline of Western ritual magic groups in Japan during the last two decades of the twentieth century.