Daily Diary: Yasukuni and Yushukan

Our day began at 10 AM with a lecture by Kristi on the controversial Yasukuni Shrine and Yushukan Museum. Enshrined there are the souls of the Japanese war dead, and the controversy lies in the fourteen Class-A war criminals from World War II who also have their souls enshrined at Yasukuni. Visits by prime ministers to the shrine have ignited backlash from neighboring Asian countries, such as China and Korea, who have been victims of Japan's actions during the war. Some see the enshrinement of those souls as a glorification of Japan's militaristic past. In contrast, we watched a promotional video of the shrine and museum where it emphasized the value of peace and honoring the souls who honorably died for the country. Even within Japan, there are multiple camps that are in favor or are against the shrine and its symbolism. Additionally, we compared and contrasted similar situations with the exhibition of the Enola Gay and Arlington Cemetery in the US. Discussions about Yasukuni and Yushukan added to our understanding of the complexity of Japanese national identity - hero, victim, or victimizer?

Despite the rain, we made our way to the shrine and museum. We passed through multiple large gates and were advised to avoid walking in the center of the walkway as the deities walked there. Many unlit lanterns and light bulbs lined the path in preparation for a festival happening next week.

Cassie poses in front of the first gate

Unlit lanterns line the pathways 

A memorial for war pigeons

Under our umbrellas we view the shrine

Upon entering Yushukan, several large artifacts of the war were displayed. Much of the museum covered Japan's war history, from the period of samurais to fighter pilots, with the help of various artifacts, visuals, and explanations.

A view of the first floor entrance of Yushukan

After viewing the exhibits, many of us were in shock by the representation of Japan's actions during the war. In class, we discussed the agenda of various rightist groups that are in favor of a revisionist history, which was reflected in the museum. In the English captions, many atrocities were brushed over with less inflammatory choice of words, such as "campaign" over "invasion," and purposeful omissions of details. Despite this kind of narrative present throughout the museum, I was personally touched by a particular letter written by a soldier that had the word "mother" covering half the page. It reminded me that war was not the choice of many of the individual soldiers, and it is important to take that into perspective when talking about war.

To end on a lighter note, a group of us went to Ginza to shop at Uniqlo and eat udon!