American man is arrested in Tokyo for carving the initials of his family members into the pillar of a torii gate at the Meiji Jingu Shrine in Shibuya City.

The Meiji Shrine is dedicated to the spirits of Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shoken. It first opened in 1920, but was later destroyed during the Tokyo air raids of World War II.

Hayes, a U.S. citizen, had “carved alphabet letters onto a pillar of a gate of a shrine” in the Shibuya ward of Tokyo on Tuesday, police said. It's not clear what state Hayes is from.

Jan. 7 (UPI) -- A formal ceremony heralded the start of the Japan's sumo wrestling season at the Meiji Jingu shrine on Tuesday, two months after a U.S. man was arrested for desecrating it. Japanese ...

Jan. 7 (UPI) -- A formal ceremony heralded the start of the Japan's sumo wrestling season at the Meiji Jingu shrine on Tuesday, two months after a U.S. man was arrested for desecrating it.

The arrest stems from an incident that occurred around 11:15 a.m. on Tuesday, when Hayes allegedly used his fingernails to etch five letters into one of the shrine’s wooden torii gates.

Scratches are seen on a Torii gate at Meiji shrine in Tokyo on November 14, 2024. A 65-year-old American tourist was arrested for allegedly etching letters onto a traditional wooden gate at a ...

It’s not immediately clear if his family was with him when he allegedly carved their names into the shrine. Scratches are seen on a Torii gate at Meiji shrine in Tokyo on November 14, 2024.