By 1923, Ōsugi was a clear leader in the anarchist movement. In response, the state used the turmoil surrounding the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake as a pretext to round up Ōsugi and Itō Noe, who was now his wife. According to writer and activist Harumi Setouchi, Itō, Ōsugi, and his 6 year old nephew were arrested, beaten to death and thrown into an abandoned well by a squad of military police led by Lieutenant Masahiko Amakasu. According to literary scholar Patricia Morley, Itō and Ōsugi were strangled in their cells.
