Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo honors more than 2.4 million people who died serving Japan but remains one of the country’s most divisive memorial sites Emperor Meiji first visited the site that would become one of Japan’s most controversial shrines in 1874. He vowed that the names of those who died for their country would live there forever. More than 2.4 million people are now honored at Yasukuni, a memorial and Shinto shrine in central Tokyo.
Among them are 14 war criminals who are also commemorated each Aug. 15, when Japan’s surrender ended World War II. The shrine provides spiritual comfort for some who mourn relatives and others who visit to express gratitude. Yet for Asian countries that endured Japanese imperial rule and expansion, Yasukuni remains a symbol of Japan’s militarism.
Visits by Japanese leaders frequently draw criticism from China and South Korea, which see them as a sign of insufficient remorse for Japan’s wartime aggression. Here’s a look at the history and religious background of a shrine that is both a sacred place of remembrance and a source of controversy. Imperial rule was restored in Japan in the 19th century after the fall of a military government that ruled for more than 250 years.
A year into the new imperial era, in 1869, Emperor Meiji ordered the construction of the shrine that would later be renamed Yasukuni. The name derives from two Japanese characters that can be translated as “peaceful country,” and its purpose was to honor those who fell defending the imperial cause. Japan’s emperors have long been regarded as descendants of the sun goddess Amaterasu under Shinto beliefs.
However, the notion of the emperor’s divine origins strengthened during the Meiji era, when the concept of State Shinto arose. On one hand, that meant the government exercised control over the shrine’s practices and finances. Beyond that, the line between patriotism and religion blurred.
The separation of religion and state came after Japan’s surrender in WWII. Douglas MacArthur issued an order that abolished State Shinto. The measure effectively cut off government funding for shrines and removed Shinto practices and teachings from public institutions.
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