Story highlights An actor dies during rehearsals for a play in Japan

The man was stabbed in the stomach with a prop samurai sword

(CNN) A Japanese play rehearsal took a tragic turn Monday when an actor was stabbed in the stomach with a samurai sword.

Daigo Kashino, 33, was rushed to the hospital and later died.

The actor was in a rehearsal session at a studio in Koto, Tokyo, when he was pierced in the abdomen "with a sword-like object" during an action scene, a police representative told CNN.

The other actors reportedly heard him groan and turned to discover him hunched over -- but no one saw what happened.

Police are now investigating whether his death was an accident or a criminal act.

Read More