The depiction of the Rebirth Congregation in Strange Buildings is informed by the history of controversial “new religions” (shinshūkyō) in Japan, particularly the Aum Shinrikyo cult. In the 1980s, Japan experienced an “occult boom” that resulted from the widespread sociocultural turn to religion. In the wake of the difficult socioeconomic challenges of the post-war era, many Japanese people sought religion to restore their perception of meaning in life. Aum Shinrikyo founder Ashara Shoko used this gap to his advantage, leveraging the artistic forms of manga and anime to draw disaffected young people into his new religion (Raevsky, A. E. “Psychological Aspect of the Aum Shinrikyo Affair.” Psychology in Russia, vol. 7, no. 1, 2014). 

On March 20, 1995, Aum members released deadly sarin nerve gas on the Tokyo subway system, killing 13 people and injuring thousands. This act of domestic terrorism deeply shocked the nation, shattering its sense of public safety and creating deep-seated suspicion of nontraditional religious groups. Before the attack, many such cults operated with relative freedom, but afterward, Japanese society and law enforcement became far less tolerant. The event triggered a moral panic, and the media began to intensely scrutinize the recruitment tactics, financial dealings, and secretive rituals of similar organizations. 

This climate of fear and suspicion provides a realistic backdrop for the Rebirth Congregation in the novel. The cult’s activities, including its financial relationship with Hikura Homes and its eventual breakup in 1999, reflect the real-world pressures faced by such groups in post-Aum Japan. The historical trauma of the sarin attack lends a sense of plausibility and gravity to the fictional cult, reminding readers of the real-world potential for belief systems to be manipulated for dangerous ends.