A centuries-old shrine in the heart of Tokyo played host to a bloody three-way murder-suicide as the site’s priestess was killed by her brother with a samurai sword in an apparent feud over succession rights.

Shigenaga Tomioka, 56, set upon his elder sister Nagako, chief priestess at Tomioka Hachimangu shrine, amid what local media reported was a long-running disagreement over who should take charge of the 1627 Shinto temple.

He is said to have stabbed Nagako, 58, though her chest and sliced the back of her neck on Thursday night with a curved katana, the sword traditionally used by the samurai warriors of ancient and feudal Japan.

After killing his sister, Shigenaga then turned the sword on his wife - who had attacked Nagako's driver moments earlier - before inflicting a fatal wound on himself in the leafy grounds of the temple's garden.

Popular with tourists who feed the koi carp in the serene surroundings, the Shrine was sealed behind ribbons of police tape last night as investigators sought to clarify the motive behind the rare violent assault in the Japanese capital.

At least one blood-stained sword and two smaller knives were found near the scene, Japanese media said. Police refrained from commenting on the motive but conceded it was not a random assault.