History

After Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry of the United States demanded Japan to open its ports in 1853, Japan was divided into the Imperial Court centering on the Emperor and the Tokugawa bakufu (shogunate) who confronted each other. When the bakufu succumbed to the demand of the American commodore against the Imperial Court’s order, activists from Choshu and Satsuma clans, who proclaimed themselves the “defenders of the Emperor,” staged a campaign to topple down the Tokugawa bakufu. With many of their members killed by the bakufu in this process, the two clans built Shokonsha shrines nationwide to hold generous memorial services for them as “war dead” (See “Motomiya”). These shrines were designed to “honor” and “illuminate” only those from their factions to encourage their activists. Tokyo Shokonsha, later renamed Yasukuni Shrine, was also built as part of this trend.

The Japanese tradition of commemorating the war dead was based both on the belief in “the vengeful spirits of the dead (goryo),” which included generous memorial services for enemy forces, and on the “spirit of equality for both friends and enemies,” under which enemy troops and their own armies were commemorated together. In other words, Shokonsha is not a long-standing tradition of Japan but a new one invented in modern times.

Construction of Tokyo Shokonsha

In May 1869 (Meiji Year 2), the bakufu forces were defeated after Hakodate, their last holdout, fell to the enemy. This marked the end of the Boshin War, which began in January 1868 with the Battle of Toba-Fushimi nearby Kyoto. On June 28, 1869, Emperor Meiji took up the initiative of constructing Tokyo Shokonsha to “honor” and “illuminate” 3,588 government soldiers killed in the Boshin War (See the “pictures of Tokyo Shokonsha and relevant data”). The name of Tokyo Shokonsha was changed into Yasukuni Shrine by suggestion from the military in 1879 (Meiji Year 12), and the status of “special governmental shrine” was given to the shrine. “Governmental shrine with special status (bekkaku kampeisha)” is a shrine of the second highest class, next to the “national imperial shrine (kampeisha),” where mythical gods, the emperors and royal family members are enshrined. The Yasukuni Shrine held a distinguished status among other shrines because it was visited by the emperors themselves (See “data on visits to Yasukuni Shrine by Japanese emperors”).

Characteristics and Roles of Yasukuni Shrine

While other shrines were under the jurisdiction of the Japanese Home Ministry, the Yasukuni Shrine was run by the Ministry of War and took on the characteristics of a military facility (See “relevant data”). In addition, the shrine was not considered a religious institution but as one of the central State Shinto shrines. The Yasukuni Shrine “honored” and “illuminated” war victims as spirits who had died for the Emperor and the country, so the shrine promoted the recreation of yet more war victims (i.e. death in battle → honoring and illumination by the Emperor → education → drafting → another death in battle). Such roles of the Yasukuni Shrine are well represented in the anecdote of a mother attending the enshrinement event for her sons who were killed in the war and the accounts of moral training textbooks for primary school.

“When I saw, lying prone, the Emperor deigning to pay his tribute [to my sons] for dying for the nation, I felt so deeply ecstatic and grateful that it felt as if I were electrified; for us humble people from rural areas, even the raccoons in the mountains do not cry for us when we die of disease or something after living for 70 or 80 years. After watching the Emperor praying, I do not feel agonized any longer, and I am happy now, feeling my sons would be living forever.” (Friend of Housewives; January 1994)

“The Yasukuni Shrine is located on the Kudan Hill of Tokyo. This shrine accommodates those who gave their lives for the Emperor and for the state. Royal envoys are sent to memorial services held every spring (April 30) and fall (October 23), and “temporary grand rites” are sometimes attended by the Emperor and the Queen themselves. It is upon the Emperor’s will that we enshrine these people who gave their lives for the Emperor and the state and hold memorial services for them with all sincerity. We should feel grateful for the exceeding grace of the Emperor and follow the examples of those enshrined here to work hard for the Emperor and the state.” (Moral Training Textbook for Primary School 2, 1941)

The fact that the Yasukuni Shrine placed the greatest value for going to war and dying for the country was symbolically represented in the below criticism made by Yoshino Sakujo:

“Even people like Yakuza members become deities if they die in battle, with all their previous sins completely wiped out. Would not this lead to the misunderstanding that one may get away with committing some crimes if he is determined to give his life in the war? Worshipping such gangsters as the “shields and fortresses of the nation” only because they were killed during the war is not the right way to enlighten our citizens at least in peacetime.” (Central Review; December 1920)

Outside Tokyo, the nation-protecting shrines for the war dead (gokoku jinja), local war memorials called chukonhi, and monuments for the war dead had the same function as Yasukuni Shrine did in Tokyo (See “data on war memorials and monuments”).

Those enshrined at Yasukuni Shrine

Initially, the fallen soldiers of the Boshin War and other civil wars made up the majority of those enshrined at Yasukuni Shrine, but the supporters of sonno joi (“revering the emperor and repelling the barbarians”), who died after the arrival of U.S. Navy Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry at Uraga Channel in 1853 to demand entry, were enshrined there as well. Following the Sino-Japanese War (1894), the shrine also began to accommodate military personnel and other civilian workers who died during wars of aggression. Currently, approximately 2.46 million are enshrined. On October 17, 1978, Hideki Tojo and 13 others accused of Class A war crimes, who were found guilty at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (Tokyo Trials), were enshrined at the Yasukuni Shrine (See the “overview of those enshrined in the Yasukuni Shrine”).

Meanwhile, among those enshrined at the Yasukuni Shrine, a total of 205 people were involved in the aggression of Joseon: One in the 1876 Battle of Ganghwa Island (January 26); 12 in the Military Mutiny of 1882 (November 5); 6 in the Coup d’Etat of 1884 (May 5); and 50, 109 and 27 each in the 1909 (May 4), 1910 (May 5), and 1911 (May 4) suppressions of Korean righteous armies who fought against Japanese aggression. These people are described as “those killed while subjugating rebels.”

Koreans Enshrined at Yasukuni

After Japan’s forced annexation of Korea, Koreans were also mobilized during the war either as soldiers or as civilian workers, and those who died in the process were enshrined in the Yasukuni Shrine. A total of 415 Koreans were enshrined at Yasukuni before the end of the Pacific War (hereinafter referred to as “pre-war”); After the end of the Pacific War (hereinafter referred to as “post-war”), enshrinement took place in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and around 21,000 Koreans are known to have been enshrined as we write (See the number of those from Japanese colonies who were enshrined).

As for the reason why they enshrined Koreans as well, the Yasukuni Shrine explained, “[The Koreans] were Japanese by the time when they died, so they are naturally Japanese after they died. [They were enshrined] also because they fought and died believing that they would be enshrined as deities of the Yasukuni Shrine when they die as Japanese soldiers.”

The official status and roles of the Yasukuni Shrine changed significantly when Japan was defeated in the Pacific War. The General Headquarters of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers (GHQ/SCAP), which occupied and governed Japan, prohibited the Japanese government and its agencies from supporting Shinto and forbade civil servants from visiting the shrines officially, under the “Shinto Directive” announced on December 15, 1945, thereby ordering the abolition of State Shinto and the strict separation of religion and state. Article 20 of Japan’s constitutional law also prohibits official relations between state and religion. The emphasis on the separation of religion and state, however, does not deny the existence of the Yasukuni Shrine as a place of individual religious worship.

In addition, GHQ/SCAP ordered the shutdown of Yushukan, a war memorial housed in the shrine’s annex. Yushukan opened again in 1986 (See the “overview of major facilities in the Yasukuni Shrine”).

On Sept. 7, 1946, the status of the Yasukuni Shrine was changed into a religious corporation that was authorized by the governor of Tokyo. However, even after the war, Yasukuni Shrine has played similar roles as as what they did in the pre-war period with regard to its enshrined deities, ceremonies, and its relations with the families of the deceased. In particular, the War-Dead-Family Association has become the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s biggest supporters and its most influential pressure group, especially on Yasukuni Shrine-related issues.

In the post-war period, the Yasukuni Shrine was not a state-sponsored public facility but still served as one for mourning the war dead on a national level. It has also continued to be an educational facility that promotes pride and patriotism as Japanese citizens as it did before the end of the Pacific War. This is symbolically demonstrated in the below accounts recorded in the guestbook of Yushukan, a museum annexed to the Yasukuni Shrine:

“I believe it is thanks to Japanese soldiers who fought for their country that Japan has become what it is today and we have been able to live as Japanese citizens. It breaks my heart that many people went to war and died in agony and sadness. I would like to thank these people and dedicate myself to something that would help Japan’s further development.” (December 2007; a 13-year-old girl and first grader in middle school)

Japanese government’s involvement in enshrinement at Yasukuni Shrine

Since the end of the Pacific War, the public ties between the Yasukuni Shrine and the Japanese government have been cut. Without the state’s involvement, however, it would have been impossible to survey—for the purpose of enshrinement—nearly two million individuals who were killed during the war (See the “comparison between pre-war and post-war enshrinement procedures”).

With the help of local governments and other groups, the Japanese government created a complete list of those enshrined (April 19, 1956 – February 9, 1971) and a list of those killed in battle and their identifications (February 10, 1971 – 1986) and offered them to the Yasukuni Shrine, which then embarked on enshrinement on this basis. The Japanese government provided the shrine with data on Koreans who died in the war, and these Koreans were also enshrined as a result. Under the “nationality provision,” however, these Korean victims were denied any compensation pursuant to the Name of Era Law, the Law Concerning Public Servants’ Pension and other compensation-related acts, and no notices were given to their bereaved families on their deaths (See “data on the Japanese government’s cooperation for enshrinement in the Yasukuni Shrine).

Concerning their provision of information on individuals who died in the Pacific War to the Yasukuni Shrine, the Japanese government contents that such was a general form of administrative cooperation and that the enshrinement was made based on the shrine’s own judgment.

“Who to enshrine and who not to is determined solely by the Yasukuni Shrine, and the government is not involved in the process. The government keeps the records on former military personnel and civilian workers, and it used to provide those data upon survey requests in general. The Yasukuni Shrine’s request for survey on the records was also accepted in the same sense.” (May 29, 2002)

The Japanese court also ruled, “[The Japanese government’s] provision of the names of war dead and other information is not against the law; it was done as part of their ordinary operations because they had the data on the Japanese Imperial Forces. The enshrinement was done in the judgment and decision of the Yasukuni Shrine, so it cannot be said that the government and the shrine jointly pushed for the enshrinement.” (May 25, 2006).

Despite the recent closure of a record demonstrating the consultation between the Yasukuni Shrine and the Japanese government over enshrinement, the Japanese government still does not acknowledge its responsibility in this regard (See “data demonstrating the Japanese government’s involvement in the enshrinement at the Yasukuni Shrine).

The movement to nationalize Yasukuni Shrine

The movement to nationalize Yasukuni Shrine was aimed at restoring the official relation between the state and the shrine by weakening its characteristics as a religious institution. “The Yasukuni Shrine, the Association of Shinto Shrines, the War-Dead-Family Association, and the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)” have argued for the nationalization of the Shrine. The ruling LDP introduced five nationalization bills to the Japanese Parliament from 1969 to 1974, but the bills were rejected due to strong opposition from “the Japan Socialist Party and other opposition parties, religious groups other than the Association of Shinto Shrines and various liberal organizations” citing the principle of separation between religion and state.

Official visits to Yasukuni Shrine

Prime Minister’s visits to the Yasukuni Shrine were banned when Japan surrendered in World War II and was under U.S. occupation, but they were revived immediately after the Peace Treaty, and almost every Japanese Prime Minister since then has paid visits to the Shrine (See the “list of post-war prime ministerial visits to the Yasukuni Shrine”). This is closely related to the fact that the War-Dead-Family Association, one of the shrine’s most ardent supporters, also makes up the political backbone of the LDP.

In 1955, the Japanese government officially stated that the government has still held a consistent position against official visits to the Yasukuni Shrine by the Prime Minister and other Ministers of State, on the grounds of the Paragraph 3, Article 20 of the Japanese Constitution. However, it was only in 1975 that the issue of exactly what constitutes a Prime Minister’s official visit to the shrine was actually debated. At the time, Prime Minister Takeo Miki ended the controversy by declaring his visits as unofficial and private.

Prime ministerial visits to the Yasukuni Shrine emerged as an international issue as Class A war criminals were also enshrined there. The enshrinement of Class A war criminals was made on October 17, 1978 but was made public only on April 19, 1979. After they were enshrined, Japanese Prime Ministers visited twenty times, but the issue did not turn into international controversy until August 15, 1985, when Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone paid a visit (See “Dong-A Ilbo’s editorial on August 16, 1985”).

Nakasone’s visit in 1985 was an “official” one, and the economic developments of Asian countries and the advanced international status of Asian nations encouraged them to criticize the Japanese prime ministers visits’ to the shrine. Therefore, the visits after 1985 carry a different meaning from those before 1985, because Asian countries have expressed their views against them.

The hawkish Prime Minister Nakasone stopped visiting the shrine starting 1986, saying that the enshrining of Class A war criminals would “provoke national sentiments in the invaded countries,” but this remark was based on hits political calculations of avoiding unnecessary conflict to further expand Japan’s leadership in Asia.

Despite strong condemnation from South Korea and China, Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro insisted on visiting the Yasukuni Shrine every year since taking office in 2001. This is presumed to be because he sought to build an image as a politician with unwavering commitment who never succumbs to any external pressure, by paying such visits to the shrine, to gain momentum for fulfilling his highest priority of domestic political reform. In this sense, the issue of the Yasukuni Shrine was exploited for domestic politics in Japan.

Unconstitutionality suit against Yasukuni visits

The Japanese prime ministers’ visits to the Yasukuni Shrine symbolically demonstrate narrow-minded and nationalistic views on history and politics. However, Japanese citizens have made efforts to address the Yasukuni issue by filing lawsuits claiming that the visits are unconstitutional. In 1985, three cases were filed, claiming damages against Nakasone’s official visits to the Shrine (Harima, Kansai, Kyushu). All three cases were Dismissed. In February 1992, however, the Fukuoka High Court pointed out that yet another visit by the prime minister to the Shrine would be unconstitutional; in July 1992, the Osaka High Court ruled that the said visits could be considered a religious act and thus were unconstitutional.

In 2001, Japanese citizens, expatriates in Japan, and South Koreans filed unconstitutionality lawsuits against Koizumi’s visits to Yasukuni with the District Courts in Tokyo, Chiba, Osaka (two cases), Matsuyama, Fukuoka and Naha. In July 2004, the Fukuoka District Court ruled the visit as “unconstitutional” (See the “results of lawsuits concerning prime ministerial visits to the Yasukuni Shrine”).

Lawsuit for nullification of enshrinement in the Yasukuni Shrine

Bereaved families of South Koreans enshrined in the Yasukuni Shrine filed two lawsuits with the Tokyo District Court on June 29, 2001 and on February 26, 2007 to ask for the withdrawal of their deceased family members, saying, “The souls of the victims, who were forcibly mobilized and killed during Japanese colonial rule, were enshrined as deities for the war of aggression—against the religions of the victims themselves and the will of bereaved families—and have been violated for over half a century.” The 2001 case was Dismissed on May 25, 2006, and the complainants filed for an appeal with the Tokyo High Court. Similar lawsuits were also filed by the bereaved families of Japanese war dead in Osaka and Okinawa and are currently in progress.

Historical viewpoints of the Yasukuni Shrine

The historical views of the Yasukuni Shrine are well represented in what is exhibited in Yushukan, a war museum annexed to the shrine. The exhibitions in the museum do not indicate any remorse for Japan’s wars of aggression and colonial rules but simply emphasize the “deaths for the country” of those who allegedly gave their lives for the independence of Japan.

What this suggests is that all the wars of aggression waged by Japan in modern times—the First Sino-Japanese War, the Russo-Japanese War, the so-called Manchurian Incident, the Second Sino-Japanese War and the Pacific War—were “self-defense wars” aimed at defending Japan’s independence. Regarding the independence of Asian countries achieved after the end of the Pacific War, the museum does not directly cite it as Japan’s accomplishment but describes it was made “after the Japanese Armed Forces’ brilliant triumph,” implying its wars were intended to liberate Asian countries (See the “accounts of the Pacific War in publications by the Yasukuni Shrine).

More recently, the international community is paying greater attention to the Yasukuni Shrine, including the United States where the historical viewpoints of the shrine are growingly criticized. A case in point is the following remarks of Chair Henry Hyde of the U.S. House International Relations Committee in a hearing held in September 2006 with regard to the issue of the Yasukuni Shrine (See the “proceedings of the U.S. House International Relations Committee hearing):

“Let me add, as a member of the World War II generation, that I have no doubt that the truth of what happened during the Second War will and must prevail. It is troubling to those of my generation to learn that the Yushukan museum in Tokyo is teaching younger generations of Japanese that the Second World War in Asia was launched by Tokyo to free the people of Asia and the Pacific from the yoke of Western imperialism. I just visited Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, the Solomon Islands, and I can tell you that while some spoke frankly of bitter experiences remembered during the Japanese occupation, not one person in any of these countries told any member of our delegation that they fondly remembered the Imperial Japanese Army as liberators. The history being taught at this museum is not based on the facts, and it should be corrected.”

Discussion about official memorials

The proposal to construct an official war memorial progressed around the confrontation of two different movements: the movement to revive the characteristics of the Yasukuni Shrine as an official memorial, and the movement to build a non-religious national cemetery for the war dead. The former, however, failed because of the constitutional principle of separation between religion and state, and the opposition raised by liberal organizations and religious groups other than the Shinto. The cemetery, in the end, was built as a state facility, but it failed to be embraced as a public memorial, faced with opposition from the War-Dead-Family Association and other supporters of the Yasukuni Shrine. Called the Chidorigafuchi Cemetery for the War Dead, the memorial is now considered a facility for housing the remains that cannot be delivered to the families of the deceased (See the “pictures of Chidorigafuchi Cemetery for the War Dead”).

Prime Minister Koizumi’s visits to the Yasukuni Shrine in August 2001 ignited the debate about official memorials, which was held in the following three directions: First is the construction of a third memorial. On December 14, 2001, the Advisory Group to Consider a Memorial Facility for Remembering the Dead and Praying for Peace was organized under the charge of the Chief Cabinet Secretary and submitted its final reports on December 24, 2002. The report argued that it is necessary to build a non-religious national facility to remind people of the ravages of war, to renew the pledge against war, and to honor peace in Japan and around the world for the victims of the wars ignited by Japan, including civilians and foreigners, and the victims of Japan’s post-war activities as well (See the “full text of the report”). Second, the proposal for an expansion of the Chidorigafuchi Cemetery for the War Dead was raised in earnest in the months leading up to the 2006 election for the LDP presidency. The third argument is that Class A war criminals should be moved from Yasukuni Shrine, and the shrine should be turned into a strictly non-religious corporation, which in turn will allow Japanese Prime Ministers and Emperors to visits the shrine without any strings attached. This argument has gained growing public support after reports in the press about a note that contained Emperor Showa’s criticism on the enshrining of Class A war criminals at the Yasukuni Shrine. The Yasukuni Shrine, however, maintains these Class A war criminals cannot be moved citing religious reasons.

3. References

Motomiya: The prototype of Shokonsha built in the later days of the Tokugawa bakufu; relocated to the Yasukuni Shrine in 1931

Establishment of Tokyo Shokonsha

Emperor’s visit to the Yasukuni Shrine: Emperor Meiji paid a visit to the temporary grand rite for the enshrinement of the war dead in 1895 (illustration by Yoshio Shimizu; Meiji Japan Society Illustration Press)

Postcard on the Yasukuni Shrine published at the time

Postcard on war memorials and monuments: “The Yasukuni Shrine for the country, gokoku jinja for the province and chokonhi for the village”

Source: 1972 ‐ Yasukuni Shrine, 100-Year History of Yasukuni Shrine (Data Edition Vol. 1; 1976)

2000 ‐ Yasukuni Shrine, “Special Exhibition on Yushukan – Warfare in Modern Japan” (2000)

2004 ‐ Official website of the Yasukuni Shrine（http://www.yasukuni.or.jp)

Number of those enshrined by year

Number of those from Japanese colonies who were enshrined (aggregate)

[Source] o Pre-war: Reported by Secretary Miura, Restoration Department, Relief Bureau, Ministry of Health and Welfare (December 26, 1951)
(Source: “Issues regarding protection and repatriation of former Japanese nationals, Koreans and remains of war dead following the end of the Pacific War,” a document by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs disclosed in December 2000)
o 1976: National Diet Library Research and Legislation Bureau, “Source Book on the Yasukuni Shrine” (1976)
o 1995: Chairman Jeon Gi-yeong of the January 20 Former Student Soldiers’ Association visited the office of the Yasukuni Shrine and made a verification (See Appendix 5 for Jeon’s testimony and data from the Yasukuni Shrine)
- Initial report: Tokyo Shimbun, 1995.8.26
o 2004: Official website of the Yasukuni Shrine (http://www.yasukuni.or.jp/index2.html)

Overview of major facilities in the Yasukuni Shrine

① Reijibo Hoanden
Established in 1972, the Reijibo Hoanden is where the Symbolic Registry of Divinities (Reijibo; a list of the names of all those enshrined and worshiped at the Yasukuni Shrine) is kept. Access by anyone other than relevant officials is strictly prohibited.
② Honden
Honden is the main building of the Yasukuni Shrine where divinities are placed; mirrors and swords are used here to symbolize the deities. Designed and built by the Ito Heizaemon of Owari, the shrine was restored into what it originally was in 1989.
③ Haiden
Erected in 1901, Haiden is the shrine’s main prayer hall for the general public.
④ Shinmon
Consecrated by Daiichi Military Service Insurance Company (renamed Toho Mutual Life Insurance Company after the end of the Pacific War) in 1934, Shinmon (Divine Gate) is the main gate of the Yasukuni Shrine. Military service insurance refers to an insurance scheme where insurance holders receive contracted benefits if they pass the physical examination for conscription and join the military service. As the number of those enrolled in the armed forces increased following the Manchurian Incident, Fukoku Military Service Insurance and Daiichi Military Service Insurance saw their revenues growing dramatically (Yoshida Yukata).
⑤ Yushukan
The largest national military museum in the pre-war period built in 1881, Yushukan played a leading role in propagating the ideology of militarism. After Japan’s defeat from the Pacific War, it was renamed the Yasukuni Shrine Treasure Hall, and most of its space was rent to Hungkuk Life Insurance. In 1986, it was reinvented as a war museum under the new name, Yushukan, and was open phase by phase from May 2001 through June 2002. The Yasukuni Shrine’s viewpoints of history, war and the Emperor are fully reflected on the exhibitions. The museum was named after Chinese philosopher Xun Zi’s saying, “A gentlemen should select the right village as his residence and take learned men as his friends” (君子居必擇郷、遊必就士). The keepsakes of those enshrined, data and weapons used during the war are displayed. The museum has an extensive collection of around 100,000 pieces and portraits of over 5,000 war dead.
⑥ Site of the altar for memorial service
The place used to be where the altar for summoning the divine spirit for the first time during enshrinement was located. Now the site is used as parking lots.
⑦ Chinreisha
Built in 1965, the small shrine is dedicated to “those killed by wars worldwide” regardless of nationality, including the “traitors” of the Meiji Restoration and those killed in the Iraq War. Chinreisha used to be closed to the general public, the Yasukuni Shrine decided to open it to the public in October 2006 to emphasize that the shrine accommodates numerous victims of wars beyond nationality in addition to Class A war criminals.
⑧ Monument of Justice Radha Binod Pal
This recent monument, erected in 2005, honors Indian judge Radha Binod Pal, the only justice on the International Military Tribunal for the Far East’s trials of Japanese war crimes during World War II to find all the defendants not guilty. The monument symbolizes the shrine’s point of view on the Pacific War.
⑨ Women's Sacrifices Commemoration
The statue was built in 1974 to express a gratitude for mothers raising their children alone after losing their husbands during the war.
⑩ Horse Commemoration Statue
For the Japanese military which was less mechanized than the armed forces of other countries, war horses functioned as an important means of transportation. To pay tribute to around 700,000 horses killed during the Pacific War, the Horse Commemoration Statue was built in 1958. The Yasukuni Shrine also has the Dog Commemoration Statue and the Carrier Pigeon Commemoration Statue.
⑪ O-Toro
Dedicated by Fukoku Military Service Insurance Company (currently known as Fokoku Mutual Life Insurance Company) in 1935, the two grand stone lanterns have the embossed sculptures of warfare on the stereobate (sea battles on the right and ground battles on the left from the direction toward Kudanshita Station). The embossed sculptures were filled with concrete during the U.S. occupation of Japan under the direction of the National Police Agency and the Tokyo Metropolitan government; the sculptures were restored in 1957.
⑫ Statue of Omura Masujiro
Omura Masujiro (1824-1869) was a military official in the Meiji Era who played such an integral role in introducing Western military science to Japan that he is called the “Father of the Japanese Army.” He was deeply involved in building Tokyo Shokonsha, the predecessor of the Yasukuni Shrine, and picked the location for the shrine before being assassinated by a conservative noble family. The statue of Omura Masujiro is Tokyo’s first Western statue erected in 1893.
⑬ Daiichi Torii
Completed in 1921, the bronze/steel main gate to the Yasukuni Shrine was deconstructed in 1943 to be used as war materials. The entrance was replaced by a wooden structure after the deconstruction and was restored into what it is now in 1974.
⑭ Monument for the War Dead of the Tanaka Battalion
The Monument for the War Dead of the Tanaka Battalion was erected by Yamasaki and other survivors of the Tanaka Battalion to commemorate 100 members of the battalion who were annihilated by the Russian Revolution Army in 1918. The monument was removed from the Yasukuni Shrine during the U.S. occupation of Japan before being rebuilt on February 27, 1968 and relocated to what it currently is on September 3, 1996.
⑮ Monument of Hitachimaru
The monument was built in 1934 to pay tribute to the crew members of Hitachimaru, the oil tanker torpedoed by a Russian battleship during the Russo-Japanese War. During the U.S. occupation of Japan, the monument was removed from the Yasukuni Shrine and buried in three pieces; it was later unearthed during subway construction and rebuilt in 1965.
References: Council of History Teachers, “Q&As on the Yasukuni Shrine,” Otsuki Shoten, 2002

Documentary evidence on the Japanese government’s cooperation for the enshrinement of the Yasukuni Shrine (Asahi Shimbun)

Documentary evidence on the Japanese government’s involvement in the enshrinement of the Yasukuni Shrine: “Liaison conferences with officials from the MHW Repatriates Relief Bureau regarding enshrinement” (#1, #4 and #6)

Dong-A Ilbo’s editorial on August 16, 1985

Rulings over (unconstitutionality) lawsuits concerning prime ministerial visits to the Yasukuni Shrine

Descriptions on the Pacific War in publications from the Yasukuni Shrine

Pictures of the Chidorigafuchi Cemetery for the War Dead

Picture #1: Sign on the cemetery



Picture #2: Overview of the cemetery



Picture #3: Rokkaku-do (a hexagonal building where the remains of the dead are placed)

Picture #4: Photographs displayed in an event at the cemetery