Overview
- Kasuga Taisha showed reporters the damaged areas on Sept. 10, confirming blue, kanji-like writing on a pillar designated as an Important Cultural Property.
- Nara Prefectural Police launched an inquiry after a visitor reported the markings around 11:10 a.m. on Sept. 9.
- The graffiti on the East Corridor pillar measured roughly 28 cm by 7 cm and was written about 1.2–1.5 meters above the floor on a pillar about 29 cm thick.
- A second pillar at the northeast worship spot bore two lines of similar characters, and about ten characters on the corridor pillar included what appears to be a personal name.
- Police released edited images documenting the markings, and a shrine official condemned the act as a regrettable affront to long-held traditions.