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Yasukuni Shrine - Click here to see the gallery.
This excellent example of classic Shinto architecture was built
in 1869, and dedicated to the war dead of Japan. Each August
15, the anniversary of Japan's defeat in World War II, it draws
controversy, when the nation's top politicians come and offer
their prayers to its dead heroes, amid protests from
neighboring countries victimized by Japan during WWII.
Yasukuni means; peaceful country. This is an irony when the
place itself reminds people so much of war and grief.
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History
The Yasukuni Shrine was originally constructed in June 1869
by order of the Meiji Emperor to commemorate the victims of
the Boshin War. It was one of the principal shrines associated
with State Shinto. Originally named Tōkyō Shōkonsha (東京招
魂社), the shrine was renamed Yasukuni Jinja in 1879. The
shrine has performed Shinto rites to house the kami (spirits) of
all Japanese and former colonial soldiers (Korean and
Taiwanese) who have died in conflicts since then. It also
enshrines any members of the Japanese Self-Defence Forces
who have died on duty. In regard to the Boshin War and South
West War, dead from Tokugawa Shogunate (particularly from
Aizu province) and Satsuma province are not enshrined
because they are considered enemies of the emperor. This
exclusion is deeply resented in both provinces. It should be
noted that enshrinements are carried out unilaterally by the
Shrine. Some families have requested that their members
should be delisted. The Yasukuni priesthood has turned down
such requests, stating that once a kami is enshrined, it has
been 'merged' and cannot be separated.
After Japan's defeat in World War II, the US-led Occupation
Authorities ordered Yasukuni to either become a secular
government institution, or a religious institution that is
independent from the Japanese government. Yasukuni chose
the latter. Since that time, Yasukuni has been privately funded.
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