My professor wanted me to go to a shrine called Yasakuni Shrine, which was about fifteen minutes by train. For those of you in the United States, think of it as the Japanese Arlington National Cemetery. I got off the train and I found it quite easily. All I had to do was just look left...
The gate that you see is known as a torii gate. These gates date back thousands of years ago and were believed to ward off evil spirits and demons. There was a straight path to the shrine, which was about 500 yards long, with a width of about fifty yards. Along the path were stone tablets and guardians.
In the center of the path, was a statue of the founder of the shrine, whose name was Omura Masujiro. He was the a very famous military leader for Japan during the 1800s and established the shrine as a way of remembering the dead, namely those who died for the country.
As I approached the shrine, more buildings became visible. The layout of the area was pretty big, but not as big as I expected it to be. Once past the last torii gate, I found myself near a gift shop, an area to cleanse oneself of ill feelings, a shrine, a rest area, and the museum. At most shrines, are little huts that have basically fountain, to wash one's hands of any bad feelings before entering the temple or sacred area. Once I washed my hands, I went to the shrine, paid my respects and was off to the controversial museum.
What makes Yasakuni Shrine such a volatile area in the Far East? There are many reasons for this. The shrine itself is housing the war dead, not just the regular dead. It is seen as a nationalist landmark, an area that is meant to revive the Japanese spirit, to some dissenters. After World War II, the Constitution was rewritten to ensure no wars would ever be started by Japan. It was made a peaceful country, with Article 9. Article 9 rendered the country an area where no military would be established and that it would only pursue peace. The Constitution also mentions that no government official could be seen on the Yasakuni sight. Yet after decades, the shrine is visited by government figures, such as the Emperor, Prime Minister, or Representatives of the Diet. Their claim is that they are only honoring the dead. My professors have discussed the idea that China and the rest of Asia are afraid of Japan ever forming a military again. If you have read about World War II, you know that many grave incidents, due to Japan's actions (not that we are not perfect either, war has never brought a victory to anyone). The shrine represents a slap to the face of many Asian countries, who see it as an area to conjure up nationalist feelings and rouse the Japanese spirit to glory. Is it really that bad?
I stepped into the museum and the first things I saw were a train used in Southeast islands of Asia, a fighter plane (possibly used for kamikaze missions?), a cannon, and a machine gun. Don't believe me? These were practically the only pictures I could take inside because everything was off limits.
In no way am I condemning Japan, but when you tell other countries that you are peaceful, but have a museum to the weapons and soldiers of war, it sends a mixed message (of course, the same argument could be applied to our own, but that will have to wait until later). The museum dealt very heavily with the history of Japan, but only from the militaristic or nationalistic view. Japan's history is filled with periods of war, conflict, and rise to dominance. Another part of what upsets many Asian countries is the history told from the point of view of the Japanese. As I read captions, it read like a hero narrative, one without flaws and the hero was on the rise (I am honestly trying to type this without a bias from reading numerous articles on this subject so please bear this in mind, these are just my observations). The conflicts before the war, during, and after were not caused by Japan, but by other countries. When captions read like it is everyone else's fault, that may upset more than one person outside of Japan, including China, which its citizens vehemently hate Japan with a passion.
So, the question is, was it that bad? Maybe. I can see where some Japanese are coming from trying to bring up an image of a strong Japan for its citizens, but there is too much against this ideal. The exhibits with the most artifacts were from World War II. They had a picture to each soldier and nurse who died during the conflict. To me, this was a haunting image, witnessing each person who died during such a large and devastating war. The last exhibit had many vehicles, like a real kamikaze plane, a one man submarine, used for suicide missions, and a tank. It was a little weird, being at the museum, but one that has sparked a lot of discussion in classes. The shrine is a bold political statement to the Asian world and has been one for decades now.
After I left the museum, I found a little garden, one where samurai actually trained. Thinking about this, it was cool walking down a path that samurai walked on hundreds of years ago. It was peaceful being there, upon realizing it was a part of such a controversial area.
Well that is all for now. Sorry this entry took so long, but I have been overwhelmed with studying and papers (this is college, you know). But don't worry, my next entry will be up in a matter of hours to make up for the time lost so far. Let's say it involves a certain Tokyo Game Show. Until then, true believers.
"War is much too serious a thing to be left to military men" - Talleyrand
(P.S. here are two awesome pics that I took that I could not resist putting in here. One is a house a poor person made for a homeless cat and the other... speaks for itself.)
Because Tommy Lee Jones is the man in Japan
Hilarious. Love the Tommy Lee Jones picture!!
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