Yasukuni Shrine Controversy

The day I went to Yasukuni Shrine and Museum I did not know what to expect. I have heard of stories of foreigners going to the shrine and being harassed or looked at in a strange way by the Japanese, but that wasn’t the case for me. I entered through the east corner and came across this huge structure called a “tori,” which is said to be found at most Shinto Shrines. Once I passed this “gate” I stumbled upon an outdoor market which was pretty nice. People were selling clothes to war memorabilia, which was a little strange. I ended up buying some old Japanese money from the 1940’s which was really interesting.

Walking to the shrine I noticed that the people who were there were very inconspicuous looking. There were children, couples on dates, foreigners which was calming for me. At I got to the shrine I noticed that it was very plane. It was not like other shrines I have been to before. As I was taking pictures of the shrine one of the security guards scolded me and told me not to take pictures, which was a little strange.

If you look close behind the statue you can see that there is a movie theater. I sat down and watched some of the movie. I could only understand a little of what was being said but I could understand that the video was ultra-nationalistic.

Nelson’s Social Memory as Ritual Practice: Commemorating Spirits of the Military Dead at Yasukuni Shinto Shrine, spoke about many interesting facts and the significance of Yasukuni shrine. Before the Yasukuni temple was built, enshrinement temples were located all around Japan. This was before the decision to centralize all the souls of the war-dead in Yasukuni shrine. Construction of the shrine started in the 1860’s by the request of a rebel leader to build a memorial for the fallen soldiers during that time. Nelson talks about how to this day there are still ceremonies, rituals and to some extent parades held at the Yasukani shrine. Nelson talks about how in a way the shrine and rituals are almost fetishizing the war dead. He explains how this is so by talking about the specific ways family of the deceased must pray to their loved ones who’s spirits are enshrined in the temple. Nelson talks about why the Japanese believe it is important to have this shrine even if war criminals were also enshrined there. Nelson explains that the Japanese feel that the soul of a man or woman who have died during war are not at peace and if nothing is done to calm their soul, they may find their way back to Japan and wreak havoc on their home country. By enshrining these souls the Japanese believe these souls will finally be able to rest and eventually transcend into being a Kamior god. The shrine is seen as a place where social class did not matter. The souls enshrined at Yasukuni were somewhat seen as gods and thanked even by the Emperor and other high status government officials for giving their lives for the country.