Yasukuni War Shrine in Japan * 73

The Yasukuni War Shrine: The Japanese Revere their War Dead

The Japanese lost the Second World War and that is a fact of history. They also lost 2.5 million dead and some of their military and civil leaders were tried in a dubious war crimes trial and hanged. For long the Japanese wondered how to commemorate their dead during this war, which the Japanese feel was a righteous war sanctioned by God. They do not acknowledge defeat. They got around by setting up peace museums at a few places in Japan.

The most famous is the Yasukuni War Shrine in Tokyo. I had visited this shrine in 2002 on my way to the United States. This shrine is impeccably maintained and has some lovely exhibits. One can see the famous Zero fighter in display as well as the rail Engine which pulled the train in Thailand. The Shrine also houses the ashes of the so called war criminals hanged by the Japanese. These ashes are held in awe and respect.

The museum is spread over 2 floors and the ground floor entry is free. The walls of the museum give the Japanese version of the War and its interesting to see the Japanese viewpoint. The museum is a sore point with the areas occupied by Japan notably China, Korea and Philippines. They do not want that any honor be given to japans dead during the war. 

But the Japanese political leadership still visit the shrine and pay homage to the war dead. Japan has a military tradition of 3000 years and the Japanese honor their army. They also hold in reverence the generals and leaders who led Japan during the war. The Japanese have a deep belief in after life and this theme pervades the museum. It’s a beautiful place and without going into politics, I will say it’s a place worth visiting.