- Established: 1869
- Japanese: 靖国神社 (yasukuni jinja)
Yasukuni Shrine is a Shinto shrine in Tokyo dedicated to the spirits of Japanese soldiers who died in service to the Japanese nation, and is easily one of the most controversial sites in the country.
Contrary to conventional wisdom, which focuses upon Yasukuni as a shrine dedicated to Japanese war criminals of the World War II era who committed horrible inhuman atrocities, Yasukuni Shrine is actually dedicated to all Japanese who died in service of their country in modern wars. It was founded in 1869 to enshrine the souls of those who died in the Bôshin War which immediately followed the Meiji Restoration. Japanese killed in the Sino-Japanese War, Russo-Japanese War, World War I, and World War II are enshrined there as well, along with colonial subjects (Koreans and Taiwanese) who died in service of Japan, Japanese civilians killed in the war, etc.
Today, Yasukuni remains a major problem for Japan's foreign relations. It's quite standard, all around the world, for heads of state and other government officials to pay their respects to those who died in the service of their country. However, whenever a Japanese official makes this sort of visit to Yasukuni (often explicitly stated as a personal visit, and not an official visit), there are a great many, particularly in mainland East and Southeast Asia, who associate the visit with the worship of war criminals. Even though the Chinese, Koreans, and certain other peoples are those who should best understand national pride, and East Asian cultural beliefs related to paying respect to one's ancestors, etc., time and again they show that they are less willing to be understanding on this issue than Westerners, who have completely different religious and cultural attitudes about such things.
Gates and Structures
The dai-ichi torii, the first torii one comes across when approaching the shrine, is in steel. The daini torii, closer in towards the center of the shrine, was erected in 1887, replacing the previous wooden gate. It is the largest bronze torii in the country.
The wooden chûmon leading directly into the central plaza was built in 1934, and restored 60 years later. Though the shrine no longer has any official connection to the government or to the Imperial Household, the heavy cypress doors on this gate bear metal chrysanthemum crests 1.5 meters in diameter. One final torii stands between the chûmon and the main worship hall (haiden).
The grounds also house a war museum called the Yûshûkan (遊就館). The museum focuses on World War II, and contains a great many artifacts from Japan's modern wars. The museum is quite controversial for the strong right-wing / nationalistic / militarist bias in the way the museum represents the war, and Japan's involvement in it.
References
- Plaques on-site.