is a

Shinto shrine A Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxiii is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more kami, , the deities of the Shinto religion. The Also called the . is where a shrine's patron is or are enshrined.Iwanami Japanese dic ...

located in

Chiyoda, Tokyo , known as Chiyoda City in English,
." ''City of Chiyoda''. Retrieved on December 28, 2008. is a S ...

. It was founded by

Emperor Meiji , posthumously honored as , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the List of emperors of Japan, traditional order of succession, reigning from 1867 until his death in 1912. His reign is associated with the Meiji Restoration of 1868, which ...

in June 1869 and commemorates those who died in service of

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, from the

Boshin War The , sometimes known as the Japanese Revolution or Japanese Civil War, was a civil war in Japan fought from 1868 to 1869 between forces of the ruling Tokugawa shogunate and a coalition seeking to seize political power in the name of the Impe ...

of 1868–1869, to the two Sino-Japanese Wars, 1894–1895 and 1937–1945 respectively, and the

First Indochina War The First Indochina War (generally known as the Indochina War in France, and as the Anti-French Resistance War in Vietnam, and alternatively internationally as the French-Indochina War) was fought between French Fourth Republic, France and Việ ...

of 1946–1954. The shrine's purpose has been expanded over the years to include those who died in the

wars involving Japan War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organize ...

spanning from the entire Meiji and Taishō periods, and the earlier part of the

Shōwa period Shōwa most commonly refers to: * Hirohito (1901–1989), the 124th Emperor of Japan, known posthumously as Emperor Shōwa ** Shōwa era (昭和), the era of Hirohito from 1926 to 1989 * Showa Corporation, a Japanese suspension and shock manufactu ...

. The shrine lists the names, origins, birthdates and places of death of 2,466,532 people. Among those are 1,066 convicted war criminals from the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War or the Pacific Theatre, was the Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II fought between the Empire of Japan and the Allies of World War II, Allies in East Asia, East and Southeast As ...

, twelve of whom were charged with Class A crimes (the planning, preparation, initiation, or waging of the war). Eleven were convicted on those charges, with the twelfth found not guilty on all such charges, though he was found guilty of Class B war crimes. The names of two more men charged with Class A war crimes are on the list but one died during trial and one before trial so they were never convicted. Another memorial at the

honden In Shinto shrine architecture, the , also called , or sometimes as in Ise Shrine's case, is the most sacred building at a Shinto shrine, intended purely for the use of the enshrined ''kami'', usually symbolized by a mirror or sometimes by a sta ...

(main hall) building commemorates anyone who died on behalf of Japan and so includes

Koreans Koreans are an East Asian ethnic group native to the Korean Peninsula. The majority of Koreans live in the two Korean sovereign states of North and South Korea, which are collectively referred to as Korea. As of 2021, an estimated 7.3 m ...

and Taiwanese who served Japan at the time. The Chinreisha ("Spirit Pacifying Shrine") building is a shrine built to inter the souls of all the people who died during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, regardless of their nationality. It is located directly south of the Yasukuni Honden. The enshrinement of war criminals, as well as the shrine's historical association with

State Shinto was Empire of Japan, Imperial Japan's ideological use of the Japanese folk religion and traditions of Shinto. The state exercised control of shrine finances and training regimes for Kannushi, priests to strongly encourage Shinto practices that ...

, has made the shrine highly controversial within East Asia. The Emperor Shōwa, under whom Japan fought during World War II, visited the shrine 8 times between the end of the war and 1975. However, he thereafter boycotted the shrine due to his reported displeasure over the enshrinement of top convicted Japanese war criminals. His successors,

Akihito Akihito (born 23 December 1933) is a member of the Imperial House of Japan who reigned as the 125th emperor of Japan from 1989 until 2019 Japanese imperial transition, his abdication in 2019. The era of his rule was named the Heisei era, Hei ...

and

Naruhito Naruhito (born 23 February 1960) is Emperor of Japan. He acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne following 2019 Japanese imperial transition, the abdication of his father, Akihito, on 1 May 2019, beginning the Reiwa era. He is the 126th monarch, ...

, have never visited the shrine. The Japanese Government's involvement with the shrine remains highly controversial, with the most recent Japanese Prime Minister to visit the shrine while in office being

Shinzo Abe Shinzo Abe (21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020. ...

in 2013.

History

Foundation for the dead in the Boshin War and Meiji Restoration

The site for the Yasukuni Shrine, originally named , was chosen by order of the Meiji Emperor. The shrine was established in 1869, in the wake of the

, in order to honor the souls of those who died fighting for the Emperor. It initially served as the "apex" of a network of similar shrines throughout Japan that had originally been established for the souls of various feudal lords' retainers, and which continued to enshrine local individuals who died in the Emperor's service. Following the 1877

Satsuma Rebellion The Satsuma Rebellion, also known as the , was a revolt of disaffected samurai against the new imperial government of the Empire of Japan, nine years into the Meiji era. Its name comes from the Satsuma Domain, which had been influential in ...

, the Emperor had 6,959 souls of war dead enshrined at Tōkyō Shōkonsha. In 1879, the shrine was renamed ''Yasukuni Jinja.'' The name ''Yasukuni'', quoted from the phrase「 in the classical-era Chinese text ''

Zuo Zhuan The ''Zuo Zhuan'' ( zh, t=左傳, w=Tso Chuan; ), often translated as ''The Zuo Tradition'' or as ''The Commentary of Zuo'', is an ancient Chinese narrative history traditionally regarded as a commentary on the ancient Chinese chronicle the '' ...

'' (Scroll 6, 23rd Year of Duke Xi), literally means "Pacifying the Nation" and was chosen by the Meiji Emperor. The name is formally written as , using the ''

kyūjitai ''Kyūjitai'' () are the traditional forms of kanji (Chinese written characters used in Japanese writing). Their simplified counterparts are '' shinjitai'' (). Some of the simplified characters arose centuries ago and were in everyday use in bot ...

'' character forms common before the end of the Pacific War. * Among the enshrined are Yoshida Shōin, Sakamoto Ryōma, Takasugi Shinsaku, Nakaoka Shintarō, Takechi Hanpeita, Sanai Hashimoto, and Ōmura Masujirō, who contributed to the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

's overthrow and the Meiji Restoration during the

Bakumatsu were the final years of the Edo period when the Tokugawa shogunate Meiji Restoration, ended. Between 1853 and 1867, under foreign diplomatic and military pressure, Japan ended its isolationist foreign policy known as and changed from a Feudali ...

period in Japan. In contrast, the shrine does not enshrine the war dead of shogunate retainers such as the soldiers of the former Shogunate forces, the Ouetsu Reppan Domei, the Shinsengumi and the Shogitai. * Although

Saigō Takamori Saigō Takamori (; 23 January 1828 – 24 September 1877) was a Japanese samurai and politician who was one of the most influential figures in Japanese history. He played a key role in the Meiji Restoration, which overthrew the Tokugawa shogunate ...

, Eto Shinpei and Maebara Issei made a contribution to the Meiji Restoration, they were not enshrined because they revolted against the Meiji government after that.

From First Sino-Japanese War to Second Sino-Japanese War

The enshrinement of war dead at Yasukuni was transferred to military control in 1887. As the

Empire of Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...

expanded,

Okinawans The are a Japonic languages, Japonic-speaking East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group indigenous to the Ryukyu Islands, which stretch from the island of Kyushu to the island of Taiwanese islands, Taiwan. With Japan, most Ryukyuans live in t ...

, Ainu and Koreans were enshrined at Yasukuni alongside ethnic Japanese. Emperor Meiji refused to allow the enshrinement of Taiwanese due to the organized resistance that followed the Treaty of Shimonoseki, but Taiwanese were later admitted due to the need to conscript them during

. In 1932, two Sophia University (Jōchi Daigaku) Catholic students refused visit to Yasukuni Shrine on the grounds that it was contrary to their religious convictions. In 1936, the

Society for the Propagation of the Faith The Society for the Propagation of the Faith (Latin: ''Propagandum Fidei'') is an international association coordinating assistance for Catholic missionary priests, brothers, and nuns in mission areas. The society was founded in Lyon, France, in ...

(Propaganda Fide) of the

Roman Curia The Roman Curia () comprises the administrative institutions of the Holy See and the central body through which the affairs of the Catholic Church are conducted. The Roman Curia is the institution of which the Roman Pontiff ordinarily makes use ...

issued the Instruction Pluries Instanterque, and approved visits to Yasukuni Shrine as an expression of patriotic motive. This response allowed the Jesuit university to avoid potential repercussions, though it aligned the institution with the prevailing national policy.

During World War II and the GHQ control period

By the 1930s, the military government sought centralized state control over memorialization of the war dead, giving Yasukuni a more central role. Enshrinements at Yasukuni were originally announced in the government's

official gazette A government gazette (also known as an official gazette, official journal, official newspaper, official monitor or official bulletin) is a periodical publication that has been authorised to publish public or legal notices. It is usually establish ...

so that the souls could be treated as national heroes. In April 1944, this practice ended and the identities of the spirits were concealed from the general public. The shrine was used as a focal point for fostering military and civilian morale during the war era, often emphasizing dedication to the Emperor. Enshrinement at Yasukuni signified meaning and nobility to those who died for their country. During the final days of the war, it was common for soldiers sent on ''

kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to d ...

'' suicide missions to say that they would "meet again at Yasukuni" following their death. Some wartime military songs referenced Yasukuni, such as Doki no Sakura(同期の桜) and Calming the country(国の鎮め). At that time, however, the coalition saw that Japan, which was in a tight corner, was using Yasukuni for propaganda purposes. During wartime, Yasukuni Shrine was used as a symbolic motivator for soldiers, with some references in military rhetoric linking enshrinement to notions of sacrifice. After World War II, the US-led Occupation Authorities (known as GHQ for ''General Headquarters'') issued the Shinto Directive, which ordered the separation of church and state and forced Yasukuni Shrine to become either a secular government institution or a religious institution independent from the Japanese government. Yasukuni Shrine has been privately funded and operated since 1946, when it was elected to become an individual religious corporation, independent of the

Association of Shinto Shrines The is a religious administrative organisation that oversees about 80,000 Shinto shrines in Japan. These shrines take the Ise Grand Shrine as the foundation of their belief. It is the largest Shrine Shinto organization in existence. Description ...

. Some reports suggest that GHQ considered repurposing the Yasukuni Shrine grounds, but the plan was never implemented. However, Father Bruno Bitter of the

and Father Patrick Byrne of Maryknoll insisted to the GHQ that honoring their war dead is the right and duty of citizens everywhere, and the GHQ decided not to destroy the Yasukuni shrine. In 1951, the Roman Curia reaffirmed the 1936 ruling that Catholic visits to Yasukuni Shrine could be acceptable as a patriotic gesture rather than a religious act.

Post-war issues and controversies

Enshrinement of war criminals

In 1956, the shrine authorities and the Ministry of Health and Welfare established a system for the government to share information with the shrine regarding deceased war veterans. By April 1959, most of Japan's war dead who were not already enshrined at Yasukuni were enshrined in this manner. War criminals prosecuted by the

International Military Tribunal for the Far East The International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE), also known as the Tokyo Trial and the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal, was a military trial convened on 29 April 1946 to Criminal procedure, try leaders of the Empire of Japan for their cri ...

were initially excluded from enshrinement after the war. In 1951, government authorities began considering their enshrinement, along with providing veterans' benefits to their survivors, following the signature of the

Treaty of San Francisco The , also called the , re-established peaceful relations between Japan and the Allied Powers on behalf of the United Nations by ending the legal state of war, military occupation and providing for redress for hostile actions up to and inclu ...

. In 1954, government directed some local memorial shrines to accept the enshrinement of war criminals from their area. No convicted war criminals were enshrined at Yasukuni until after the parole of the last remaining incarcerated war criminals in 1958. In 1959, the Health and Welfare Ministry began forwarding information on Class B and Class C war criminals (those not involved in the planning, preparation, initiation, or waging of the war) to Yasukuni Shrine. These individuals were gradually enshrined between 1959 and 1967, often without permission from surviving family members. In 1966, information on fourteen men who had been charged with Class A war crimes was forwarded to the shrine. Eleven were convicted on these charges, one was convicted of Class B war crimes, and two died before completing trial. This group included the prime ministers and top generals from the war era. In 1970, the shrine passed a resolution to enshrine these individuals. The timing for their enshrinement was left to the discretion of head priest Fujimaro Tsukuba, who delayed the enshrinement through his death in March 1978. In 1978, his successor Nagayoshi Matsudaira, who rejected the Tokyo war crimes tribunal's verdicts, enshrined these fourteen convicted or alleged war criminals in a secret ceremony. Records indicate that after the enshrinement of convicted war criminals in 1978, no Japanese emperor has visited the shrine. In 1979, the details of the enshrinement of war criminals became public, but there was minimal controversy about the issue for several years. No

Emperor of Japan The emperor of Japan is the hereditary monarch and head of state of Japan. The emperor is defined by the Constitution of Japan as the symbol of the Japanese state and the unity of the Japanese people, his position deriving from "the will of ...

has visited Yasukuni since 1975. The head-priest Junna Nakata at Honzen-ji Temple (of the

Shingon is one of the major schools of Buddhism in Japan and one of the few surviving Vajrayana lineages in East Asian Buddhism. It is a form of Japanese Esoteric Buddhism and is sometimes called "Tōmitsu" (東密 lit. "Esoteric uddhismof Tō- ...

sect ''Daigo-ha'') requested the pontiff Pope Paul VI to say a Mass for the repose of the souls of all people in Yasukuni, which would include the 1,618 men condemned as Class A, B and C war criminals, and he promised to do so. In 1980,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

complied, and a Mass was held in St. Peter's Basilica for all the fallen civilians and fallen dead worshiped in the shrine.

Statements by the shrine museum

The museum and website of the Yasukuni Shrine have made statements criticizing the United States for " convincing" the Empire of Japan to launch the

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...

in order to justify the

, as well as claiming that Japan went to war with the intention of creating a " Co-Prosperity Sphere" for all Asians.

Chronology

''See details on related controversy in Controversies surrounding Yasukuni Shrine.'' King Rama VII and his suite visit to the Yasukuni Shrine

Charles Lindbergh and his wife visit to the Yasukuni Shrine

French Navy personnel visit to the Yasukuni Shrine in 1930s

US Navy personnel visit to the Yasukuni Shrine in 1930s

German Navy personnel visit to the Yasukuni Shrine in 1930s

* 1862 ** December — (Tenporeki (Tenpō calendar)): The () for the was held for the first time at the (current Kyoto Ryozen Gokoku Shrine) at Higashiyama in

Kyoto Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

. The ''Saijin'' (deities) enshrined in the Shindō Sōsaijō Reimeisha are three ''kami'' including . * 1868 ** January — (Tenpō calendar): The

started and continued until May, 1869 (Tenpō calendar) ** April 20 — (Tenpō calendar): The ''tasshi'' (proclamation) by the (Tōkaidō spearhead governor) ordered the creation of a list of the war dead. ** April 28 (Tenpō calendar): The ''tasshi'' by the ''Tōkaidō Senpō Sōtokufu'' decided to hold ** May 10 (Tenpō calendar): The Dajokan Fukoku (Proclamation or Decree by the Grand Council of State) ordered the enshrinement of the war dead at

Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto is one of the eleven Wards of Kyoto, wards in the Municipalities of Japan, city of Kyoto, Kyoto, Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. History It was created in 1929 when it was split off from Shimogyō-ku, Kyoto, Shimogyō-ku. During the years ...

(Current Kyoto Ryozen Gokoku Shrine). ** May 28 (Tenpō calendar): The ''tasshi'' by the (Administrative officers) ordered submission of the list of the war dead to (Bureau of Rites) ** June 2 (Tenpō calendar): The ''Shōkonsai'' was held at ''Nishi-no-maru ōhiroma'' of

Edo Castle is a flatland castle that was built in 1457 by Ōta Dōkan in Edo, Toshima District, Musashi Province. In modern times it is part of the Tokyo Imperial Palace in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is therefore also known as . Tokugawa Ieyasu established th ...

** July 8 (Tenpō calendar): The ''tasshi'' by the (Bureau of Rites) ordered the holding of the ''Shōkonsai''. ** July 10–11 (Tenpō calendar): The ''Shōkonsai'' was held at the in Kyoto. * 1869 ** July 12 (Tenpō calendar): The ''tasshi'' by the ''Gunmukan'' ordered the establishment of ''Tōkyō Shōkonsha'' ** July 29: The establishment of Tōkyō Shōkonsha:

gave Tōkyō Shōkonsha an estate worth 5000 koku (nominally 10,000 koku) as . ** July: The 1st (a festival held for enshrining the war dead together) (Number of newly enshrined: 3,588) * 1870: The Shōkonsha horse trackrace was established as the first Japanese racetrack in the country along the outside of the shrine approach * 1872 May 10 (Tenpo calendar): The establishment of the ''honden'' * 1874 ** February: The Japanese invasion of Taiwan (1874) **

paid respect at the Yasukuni shrine. Since then, royal visit had been paid intermittently until 1975 ** August: The 2nd ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 192) ** November: The 3rd ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 16) * 1875 ** February 22: ** February: The 4th ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 12) ** July: 5th ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 1) * 1876 January: The 6th ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 1) * 1877 ** January: The 7th ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 131) ** February: Seinan War ** November 14: ''Rinjisai'' ** November: The 8th ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 6,505) * 1878 ** July: The 9th ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 160) ** November: The 10th ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 4) * 1879 ** June 4: The shrine was registered to Bekkaku-kanpeisya and renamed Yasukuni shrine by ''Dajōan''. ** June: The 11th ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 266) * 1882 ** February: The inauguration of '' Yūshūkan'' military and war museum ** November: The 12th ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 12) * 1883 May: The 13th ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 80) * 1884 November: The 14th ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 47) * 1885 May: The 15th ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 6) * 1888 ** May: The 16th ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 607) ** November: The 17th ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 18) * 1889 ** May: The 18th ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 1,460) ** November: The 19th ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 61) * 1891 November: The 20th ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 1,272) * 1893 November: The 21st ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 80) * 1894 August: The

First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 189417 April 1895), or the First China–Japan War, was a conflict between the Qing dynasty of China and the Empire of Japan primarily over influence in Joseon, Korea. In Chinese it is commonly known as th ...

started and continued until April 1895. * 1895 ** November 17: ** November: The 22nd ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 1,496) * 1896 ** May 6: ''Rinjitaisai'' ** May: The 23rd ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 143) ** November: The 24th ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 97) * 1898 ** November 5: ''Rinjitaisai'' ** November: The 25th ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 11,383) ** : The closure of the horse racetrack * 1899 ** May: The 26th ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 340) ** November: The 27th ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshineed: 83) * 1900 ** May: The 28th ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 35) ** May: The

Boxer Rebellion The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, was an anti-foreign, anti-imperialist, and anti-Christian uprising in North China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty, by the Society of Righteous and Harmonious F ...

(to September) * 1901 ** October 31: ''Rinjitaisai'' ** October: The establishment of the haiden ** November: 29th ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 1,282) * 1904 ** February: The

Russo-Japanese War The Russo-Japanese War (8 February 1904 – 5 September 1905) was fought between the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Manchuria and the Korean Empire. The major land battles of the war were fought on the ...

(until September 1904) ** May: The 30th ''Rinjitaisai'' ** May: The 31st ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 30,883) * 1906 ** May 2: ''Rinjitaisai'' ** May: The 32nd ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 29,960) * 1907 ** May 3: ''Rinjitaisai'' ** May: The 33rd ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 24,657) * 1908 ** May 5: ''Rinjitaisai'' ** May: The 34th ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 1,943) * 1909 ** May 5: ''Rinjitaisai'' ** May: The 35th ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 817) * 1910 ** May 5: ''Rinjitaisai'' ** May: The 36th ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 141) * 1911 ** May 5: ''Rinjitaisai'' ** May: The 37th ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 631, Total: 118,499) * 1914 July:

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

(to October 1918) * 1919 May: The festival marking the 50th anniversary of the foundation * 1920 March: The Nikolayevsk Incident * 1923 September: The Great Kanto earthquake * 1928 May: The Jinan Incident * 1931 March: The of the Fukuba family was transferred to inside the Yasukuni precinct as ''Motomiya''. * 1932: The incident between Sophia University (Jochi Daigaku) and the Yasukuni Shrine occurred, when a student refused visit to the Yasukuni shrine with the rest of the school on the ground that it was contrary to his religious convictions. * 1936: The

Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (CEP; ) was a congregation (Roman Curia), congregation of the Roman Curia of the Catholic Church in Rome, responsible for Catholic missions, missionary work and related activities. It is also kn ...

(Propaganda Fide) of the

issued the Instruction Pluries Instanterque, and approved visit to the Yasukuni shrine as an expression of patriotic motive * 1938 April: Establishment of the new ''Shōkonsaitei'' * 1937 July: The

Second Sino-Japanese War The Second Sino-Japanese War was fought between the Republic of China (1912–1949), Republic of China and the Empire of Japan between 1937 and 1945, following a period of war localized to Manchuria that started in 1931. It is considered part ...

* 1941 December 8:

(continued to 1945) * 1945 ** August 15: Emperor Shōwa gave a recorded radio address across the Empire on August 15. In the radio address, called the

Gyokuon-hōsō The Hirohito surrender broadcast (, ), was a radio broadcast of surrender given by Hirohito, the emperor of Japan, on August 15, 1945. It announced to the Japanese people that the Japanese government had accepted the Potsdam Declaration, which ...

, he announced the surrender of Japan to the Allies. ** October: The General Headquarters (GHQ) planned to burn down the Yasukuni Shrine and build a dog race course in its place. However, Father Bruno Bitter of the

and Father Patrick Byrne of Maryknoll insisted to GHQ that honoring their war dead is the right and duty of citizens everywhere, and GHQ decided not to destroy the Yasukuni shrine. ** November 19: ''Rinji Dai-Shōkonsai'' ** December: The Shinto Directive * 1946 ** May 1: The 67th ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 26,969) ** September: Yasukuni Shrine was registered as a Religious Corporation of Japan. * 1947 ** The ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 59,337) ** July 13: The 1st Mitama Matsuri。 * 1951 ** April 3: The enforcement of the Religious Corporation Act ** October 18: The first ''Reitaisai'' after WWII ** The

reconfirmed the Instruction Pluries Instanterque * 1952 April 28: The

came into force. * 1955 ** August 14: A memorial service was held for 540 suicide victims after the end of the Pacific war. ** October 17: ''Rinjitaisai'' * 1956: ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 112,609) * 1957: ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 470,010) * 1958: ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 217,536) * 1959 ** April 8: ''Rinjitaisai'' ** April: ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 346 dead including the class B and C war criminals who died from the death sentence execution) ** October 4: ''Gōshisai'' (

Prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa of Japan, was the second head of a ōke, collateral branch of the Imperial Household of Japan, Japanese imperial family. He was formerly enshrined in Tainan Shrine, Tainan-Jinja, Taiwan, under the name ''Kitashirakawa no Miya Yoshihisa-shinnō ...

and Prince Nagahisa Kitashirakawa) ** October: ''Gōshisai'' (Number of newly enshrined: 479 dead including the class B and C war criminals who died from the death sentence execution) ** November 5: Taisai (festival) marking the 90th anniversary of the foundation * 1960 August 15: (the memorial service to honor the war dead in the Asia-Pacific War) * 1964 August 15: Holding of a government-sponsored memorial ceremony for Japan's war dead (the ceremony has been held at the Budokan since 1965) * 1965 ** July: The establishment of Chinreisha ** October 19: ''Rinjitaisai'' * 1969 October 19: The ''Taisai'' (annual main festival) marking the 100th anniversary of the foundation was held, and the (Collection of literary remains of the war dead in the Greater East Asia War (

) was issued as a commemorative publication in 1973. * 1972 March 13: The establishment of * 1975 ** August 15:

Takeo Miki was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan, Prime Minister of Japan from 1974 to 1976. A native of Tokushima Prefecture, Miki was educated at Meiji University and the University of Southern California. He was first elected ...

became the first prime minister to visit the shrine on August 15, the anniversary of the Japanese surrender. He visited in a solely private capacity and underscored this by not using an official vehicle, bringing other public officials or using his title as prime minister. Similar visits continued without arousing international protests even after the enshrinement of war criminals became publicly known. ** November 21: Emperor Shōwa visited the Yasukuni shrine. Since then, there has not been another imperial visit to the shrine because of his displeasure over the enshrinement of convicted war criminals. ** The head-priest at the Honsenji (the

sect ''Daigo-ha'') Junna Nakata hoped that the pontiff Pope Paul VI might say a Mass for the repose of the souls of the 1,618 men condemned as Class A, B and C war criminals, and the Pope promised to say the Mass requested of him but died in 1978 without saying the Mass. * 1976 June 22: The establishment of the (Society for Honoring the Glorious War Dead) * 1978 October 17: ''Gōshisai'' was held to enshrine 14 dead who died from the death penalty execution of the

or died in connection with the Tribunal. Since then, the Yasukuni shrine has used the designation (Martyrs of Shōwa). * 1980 ** May 22:

kept Pope Paul VI's word, and the Mass for the fallen civilians and fallen dead worshiped in the shrine including the unofficial 1,618 war criminals of Classes A, B and C took place in St. Peter's Basilica. Nakata attended the Mass, and presented the Pope with an eight-foot high replica of the Daigoji temple's five-story pagoda; inside the replica were memorial tablets Nakata had personally made for all 1,618 war criminals. The Pope blessed the replica pagoda but took no special interest in it. ** November 16: The establishment of * 1985 ** August 15: Prime Minister

Yasuhiro Nakasone was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan, prime minister of Japan from 1982 to 1987. His political term was best known for pushing through the privatization of state-owned companies and pursuing a hawkish and pro-U.S. fo ...

paid his respects at the Yasukuni shrine, which initiated criticism by

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

for the first time. The criticism of Nakasone's action was so intense that neither he nor his several immediate successors visited the shrine again. ** September: The 80th anniversary commemorating and honoring the Russo-Japanese War dead () * 1989 January: Taisai (festival) marking the 120th anniversary of the foundation * 1996 Prime minister

Ryutaro Hashimoto was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan, prime minister of Japan from 1996 to 1998. Born in Okayama Prefecture, Hashimoto graduated from Keio University in 1960 and entered the National Diet in 1963. He rose through the ...

paid his respects at the Yasukuni shrine in order to fulfill a promise to a childhood mentor. * 1998 December: The disbandment of and reorganization of * 2001 ** July 18: The ''

Asahi Shimbun is a Japanese daily newspaper founded in 1879. It is one of the oldest newspapers in Japan and Asia, and is considered a newspaper of record for Japan. The ''Asahi Shimbun'' is one of the five largest newspapers in Japan along with the ''Yom ...

'' reported that the South Korean government was reclaiming spirit tablets of Korean enshrined in the Yasukuni shrine even though Yasukuni shrine houses only (Former ) and spirit tablets do not exist. ** August 13: Prime Minister

Junichiro Koizumi Junichiro Koizumi ( ; , ''Koizumi Jun'ichirō'' ; born 8 January 1942) is a Japanese retired politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), president of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) ...

, who ran against Ryutaro Hashimoto for the presidency of the Liberal Democratic Party in 2001, made a campaign pledge to visit the shrine on an annual basis regardless of the criticism it would cause, which won him support among nationalists and helped him become prime minister from 2001 to 2006. He paid his respect at the Yasukuni shrine on August 13, 2001, as a Prime Minister for the first time in 5 years since the last Hashimoto's visit. This and following Koizumi's annual visits drew extensive criticism from other East-Asian countries, particularly the

, where the visits stoked anti-Japanese sentiment and influenced power struggles between pro-Japanese and anti-Japanese leaders within the

Chinese Communist Party The Communist Party of China (CPC), also translated into English as Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Founded in 1921, the CCP emerged victorious in the ...

. The Japanese government officially viewed the visits by Koizumi as private visits in an individual capacity to express respect and gratitude to the many people who lost their lives in the war, and not for the sake of war criminals or to challenge the findings of the Tokyo war crimes tribunal. * 2002 ** April 21: Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi paid respect at the Yasukuni shrine. ** July 13: The inauguration of the current '' Yūshūkan'' * 2003 January 14: Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi paid respect at the Yasukuni shrine. * 2004 ** January 1: Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi paid respect at the Yasukuni shrine. ** September: The establishment of new "Sanshūden" * 2005 ** January 5: A Yasukuni shrine official said "the shrine has come under intense cyber attack, with its Web site barraged by e-mails believed to come from China since September 2004." The shrine also said on its official web site "These attacks on the Yasukuni Shrine can be taken as not only attacks on the 2.5 million souls who gave their lives for the sake of the country but are also a malicious challenge to Japan. We would like to let the people f Japanknow the Yasukuni Shrine is under attack, which is a dirty act of terrorism that negates the order of Internet technology and society." ** June 14: About fifty relatives of the war dead of

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

visited the Yasukuni shrine for the ceremony to remove spirits of Taiwanese Aboriginal soldiers, but canceled it due to sound trucks (''gaisensha'', ) and requests from the police. ** October 12: A brief ceremony attended by priests of the Yasukuni shrine, representatives of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and officials from the embassy of South Korea was held, and the Pukkwan Victory Monument was turned over to officials from South Korea, who returned it to its original location, which is now in North Korea. ** October 17: Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi paid respect at the Yasukuni shrine. * 2006 ** August 15: Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi paid respect at the Yasukuni shrine on August 15 (End of the Pacific War Day) for the first time in 21 years since Former Prime Minister

's visit on August 15. ** October 12: The Motomiya and Chinreisha became open to the public (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) * 2007 June 7: Former leader of Taiwan

Lee Teng-Hui Lee Teng-hui (; pinyin: ''Lǐ Dēnghuī''; 15 January 192330 July 2020) was a Taiwanese politician and agricultural scientist who served as the fourth president of the Republic of China, president of the Taiwan, Republic of China (Taiwan) unde ...

paid respect at the Yasukuni shrine to honor his senior brother who died as a Japanese soldier. * 2008 December 24: The Yasukuni official website was cracked by unknown hackers, the homepage content replaced, and the China national flag appeared once during this time. * 2009 August 11: The Republic of China (Taiwan)

Legislative Yuan The Legislative Yuan () is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of China (Taiwan) located in Taipei. The Legislative Yuan is composed of 113 members, who are directly elected for four-year terms by people of the Taiwan Area through a ...

Aboriginal Atayal member Ciwas Ali and about 50 other Taiwanese Aboriginal members protested in front of the '' haiden'' of Yasukuni Shrine in an effort to remove the enshrined spirits of Taiwanese Aboriginal soldiers who died fighting for the Japanese army during Pacific War, as well as suing Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi for visiting Yasukuni Shrine, and injured Yasukuni officers; then Japanese police officers were dispatched. * 2010 August 15: Longstanding official visit to the Yasukuni shrine by the ministers of state discontinued until 2012. * 2011 ** December 26: The was set on fire by a Chinese man. ** May 14 : President of the World Uyghur Congress Rebiya Kadeer visited the Yasukuni Shrine ** August 15: The

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism The , abbreviated MLIT, is a ministry of the Japanese government.国土交通省設置法

Yuichiro Hata and the National Public Safety Commission Jin Matsubara (Minister of State for Special Missions) paid respects at the Yasukuni Shrine as state ministers for the first time since the Democratic Party of Japan assumed the reins of government. * 2013 ** April: The Minister of Finance Tarō Asō, the National Public Safety Commission Keiji Furuya, the Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications

Yoshitaka Shindo Yoshitaka is a masculine Japanese given name and a Japanese surname. Written forms Yoshitaka can be written using many different combinations of kanji characters. Here are some examples: *義孝, "justice, filial piety" *義隆, "justice, nob ...

, and the Minister of State for Regulatory Reform Tomomi Inada paid their respects at the Yasukuni shrine during an annual spring festival ceremony. ** August 15: Three cabinet members, Keiji Furuya, Yoshitaka Shindo, and Tomomi Inada, paid their respects at the Yasukuni shrine. ** September 21: A Korean resident of Japan threatened to commit arson at Yasukuni shrine, and was arrested by Police. ** December 26: Prime Minister

Shinzō Abe Shinzo Abe (21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party ( LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020. He was the longest-serving pri ...

made a visit to Yasukuni Shrine and Chinreisha. The visit sparked admonition from the Chinese government, which called Abe's visits to Yasukuni "an effort to glorify the Japanese militaristic history of external invasion and colonial rule ... and to challenge the outcome of World War II," as well as regret from Russia. The US embassy in Tokyo said it was disappointed with Abe's actions and that his visit would exacerbate tensions with Japan's neighbours. The United States urged Japan to improve strained relations with neighboring countries in the aftermath of Abe's controversial visit to Yasukuni Shrine. South Korea's culture minister, Yoo Jin-ryong, criticized Abe by saying that his visit "hurts not only the ties between South Korea and Japan, but also fundamentally damages the stability and co-operation in north-east Asia." In an official statement, Abe explained that he wished to "report before the souls of the war dead how my administration has worked for one year and to renew the pledge that Japan must never wage a war again. It is not my intention at all to hurt the feelings of the Chinese and Korean people." * 2014 ** January: A poll by the conservative-leaning ''

Sankei Shimbun The , name short for , is a daily national newspaper in Japan published by the Sankei Shimbun Co., Ltd, ranking amongst the top five most circulated newspapers in Japan. Together with its English-language paper ''Japan Forward'', the ''Sankei ...

'' found that only 38.1% of respondents approved of the most recent visit by Abe, while 53% disapproved, a majority of whom cited harm to Japan's foreign relations as their reason. At the same time, 67.7% of respondents said they were not personally convinced by Chinese and Korean criticism of the visit. However, another poll in 2015 by Genron NPO found that 15.7% of respondents disapproved of visits in general by Prime Ministers while 66% of respondents saw no problem, particularly if they were done in private (which was a decrease from 68.2% the year before). ** April: Canadian singer

Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is recognized for his multi-genre musical performances. He was discovered by record executive Scooter Braun in 2008 and subsequently brought to the U ...

paid a visit to the war shrine. After coming under heavy criticism from Chinese and South Korean fans, he apologized for posting a photo of his visit, claiming to have not known about the background surrounding the shrine. ** August 15: Three cabinet ministers visited the shrine to mark the 69th anniversary of the surrender of Japan in World War II. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe however chose not to. * 2015 ** November 23: An explosion at a public toilet in the war shrine caused some damage to the ceiling and wall of the bathroom near the south gate of the shrine * 2018 ** Chinese actor Zhang Zhehan took photos of himself posing in front of cherry blossom trees back in March 2018. He followed the Sakura route suggested by state sponsored news agencies such as People's Network. In August 2021, the background architecture of one of the photos was recognized as Saikan (office area of the Shrine). After the photos became viral and sparked outrage in China, Zhang issued an apology. However, multiple media agencies and majority of people still accused him of betrayal to the national dignity. The photos resulted in 22 brands terminating their endorsements of Zhang. His upcoming films and television shows also terminated all of their associations with him. The China Association of Performing Arts (CAPA) then called for a total entertainment ban on Zhang. Several Chinese music and streaming platforms removed his music, television and film works. Chinese social media platforms

Sina Weibo Weibo (), or Sina Weibo (), is a Chinese microblogging ( weibo) website. Launched by Sina Corporation on 14 August 2009, it is one of the biggest social media platforms in China, with over 582 million monthly active users (252 million daily ...

and

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

deleted his studio and personal accounts. ** October 31: Chief priest resigns following his criticism against Emperor.

Annual celebrations

* January 1: ** 12 a.m. ** 8 a.m. * January 2: * January 7: (Service of worshipping toward Musashi Imperial Graveyard's Musashino no Misasagi, which is the Imperial mausoleum of the Shōwa Emperor) * January 30: (Service of worshipping toward Nochi no Tsukinowa no Higashi no Misasagi, which is the mausoleum of

Emperor Kōmei Osahito (22 July 1831 – 30 January 1867), posthumously honored as Emperor Kōmei, was the 121st emperor of Japan, according to the List of Emperors of Japan, traditional order of succession.Imperial Household Agency (''Kunaichō'')孝明天皇 ...

) * February 11: (National Foundation Day)—Anniversary of the day on which Japan's first Emperor, Emperor Jimmu, is said to have founded the Japanese nation. * February 17: * February 23: (birthday of the current emperor) * April 21–23: ** April 21: ** April 22: ** April 19: , * April 29: — Emperor Shōwa's birthday * June 29: ** 10 a.m. (Founding Day) Commemoration of the founding of Yasukuni Jinja ** 2 p.m. * June 30: * July 13–16: (Mitama Festival)— A mid-summer celebration of the spirits of the ancestors. The entry walk is decorated with 40 foot high walls of more than 30,000 lanterns, and thousands of visitors come to pay respects to their lost relatives and friends.
** July 13: ** July 14: ** July 15: ** July 16: * July 30: (Service of worshipping toward Fushimi Momoyama no Misasagi, which is the mausoleum of

) * October 17: (Service of worshipping toward Ise Jingū Kannamesai) * October 17–20: (annual autumn festival) ** October 17: (Purifying ceremony), ** October 18: ** October 19: ** October 20: , (feast) * November 3: (Emperor Meiji's birthday) * November 23: (Festival of First Fruits) * December 25: (Worship of Tama-no-misasagi for

Emperor Taishō , posthumously honored as , was the 123rd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from 1912 until his death in 1926. His reign, known as the Taishō era, was characterized by a liberal and democratic shift in ...

), ''Susuharaishiki'' (Sweeping soot ceremony) * December 31: (Grand Purification Ceremony), (Year-End Ritual) * The first, 11th and 21st day of each month: * Every day: , , (Perpetual Kagura festival),

Enshrined deities

There are over 2,466,000 enshrined ''kami'' (deities) listed in the Yasukuni's ''Symbolic Registry of Divinities''. This list includes soldiers, as well as women and students who were involved in relief operations in the battlefield or worked in factories for the war effort. There are neither ashes nor spirit tablets in the shrine. Enshrinement is not exclusive to people of Japanese descent. Yasukuni has enshrined 27,863 Taiwanese and 21,181 Koreans. Many more ''kami'' – those who fought in opposition to imperial Japan, as well as all war dead regardless of nationality – are enshrined at Chinreisha.

Eligible categories

As a general rule, the enshrined are limited to military personnel who were killed while serving Japan during armed conflicts. Civilians who were killed during a war are not included, apart from a handful of exceptions. A deceased must fall into one of the following categories for enshrinement in the ''honden'': # Military personnel, and civilians serving for the military, who were: #* killed in action, or died as a result of wounds or illnesses sustained while on duty outside the Home Islands (and within the Home Islands after September 1931) #* missing and presumed to have died as a result of wounds or illnesses sustained while on duty #* died as a result of war crime tribunals which have been ratified by the San Francisco Peace Treaty # Civilians who participated in combat under the military and died from resulting wounds or illnesses (includes residents of

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

) # Civilians who died, or are presumed to have died, in

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

labor camps during and after the war # Civilians who were officially mobilized or volunteered (such as factory workers, mobilized students, Japanese Red Cross nurses and anti air-raid volunteers) who were killed while on duty # Crew who were killed aboard Merchant Navy vessels # Crew who were killed due to the sinking of exchange ships (''e.g.'' '' Awa Maru'') # Okinawan schoolchildren evacuees who were killed (''e.g.'' the sinking of '' Tsushima Maru'') # Officials of the governing bodies of

Karafuto Prefecture , was established by the Empire of Japan in 1907 to govern the southern part of Sakhalin. This territory became part of the Empire of Japan in 1905 after the Russo-Japanese War, when the portion of Sakhalin south of 50°N was ceded by the R ...

Kwantung Leased Territory The Kwantung Leased Territory () was a Concessions in China, leased territory of the Empire of Japan in the Liaodong Peninsula from 1905 to 1945. Japan first acquired Kwantung from the Qing dynasty, Qing Empire in perpetuity in 1895 in the Tre ...

Governor-General of Korea Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...

and

Governor-General of Taiwan The governor-general of Taiwan (, shinjitai: ) was the head of the Government-General of Taiwan in the Japanese era (including Formosa and the Pescadores) when they were part of the Empire of Japan, from 1895 to 1945. The Japanese governors- ...

Although new names of soldiers killed during World War II are added to the shrine list every year, no one who was killed due to conflicts after Japan signed the San Francisco Peace Treaty that formally ended World War II in 1951 has been qualified for enshrinement. Therefore, Yasukuni Shrine enshrines individuals who died in service before Japan’s postwar Self-Defense Forces were established, meaning no post-1951 personnel are included. Enshrinement is carried out unilaterally by the shrine without consultation of surviving family members and in some cases against the stated wishes of the family members. Some families, particularly from

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

, have petitioned for the removal of their relatives' names, arguing that enshrinement contradicts their loved ones' beliefs.

Conflicts

Japan has participated in 16 other conflicts since the

in 1869. The following table chronologically lists the number of people enshrined as

kami are the Deity, deities, Divinity, divinities, Spirit (supernatural entity), spirits, mythological, spiritual, or natural phenomena that are venerated in the traditional Shinto religion of Japan. ''Kami'' can be elements of the landscape, forc ...

at the ''honden'' (as of October 17, 2004) from each of these conflicts. The shrine enshrines those who fought on behalf of the imperial government but does not include members of the

forces or rebel factions from the Boshin War and Satsuma Rebellion. They are enshrined at Chinreisha.

Precinct

There are a multitude of facilities within the 6.25

hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. ...

grounds of the shrine, as well as several structures along the 4 hectare causeway. Though other shrines in Japan also occupy large areas, Yasukuni is different because of its recent historical connections. The Yūshūkan museum is just the feature that differentiate Yasukuni from other Shinto shrines. The following lists describe many of these facilities and structures.

Shrine structures

On the shrine grounds, there are several important religious structures. The shrine's '' haiden'', Yasukuni's main prayer hall where worshipers come to pray, was originally built in 1901 in styles of '' Irimoya-zukuri'', '' Hirairi'', and ''Doubanbuki'' (copper roofing) in order to allow patrons to pay their respects and make offerings. This building's roof was renovated in 1989. The white screens hanging off the ceiling are changed to purple ones on ceremonial occasions. The ''

'' is the main shrine where Yasukuni's enshrined deities reside. Built in 1872 and refurbished in 1989, it is where the shrine's priests perform

Shinto , also called Shintoism, is a religion originating in Japan. Classified as an East Asian religions, East Asian religion by Religious studies, scholars of religion, it is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as ...

rituals. The building is generally closed to the public. The building located on the right side of ''haiden'' is the (Assembly Hall), which was rebuilt in 2004. Reception and waiting rooms are available for individuals and groups who wish to worship in the Main Shrine. The building located directly behind the ''Sanshuden'' is the (Reception Hall). The building located directly behind the ''honden'' is known as the (Repository for the Symbolic Registers of Divinities) built in styles of ''Kirizuma-zukuri'', ''Hirairi'', and ''Doubanbuki''. It houses the —a handmade Japanese paper document that lists the names of all the ''kami'' enshrined and worshiped at Yasukuni Shrine. It was built of quakeproof concrete in 1972 with a private donation from Emperor Shōwa. In addition to Yasukuni's main shrine buildings, there are also two peripheral shrines located on the precinct. is a small shrine that was first established in

by sympathizers of the imperial loyalists that were killed during the early weeks of the civil war that erupted during the

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

. Seventy years later, in 1931, it was moved directly south of Yasukuni Shrine's ''honden''. Its name, ''Motomiya'' ("Original Shrine"), references the fact that it was essentially a prototype for the current Yasukuni Shrine. The second peripheral shrine is the '' Chinreisha''. This small shrine was constructed in 1965, directly south of the ''Motomiya''. It is dedicated to those not enshrined in the ''honden''—those killed by wars or incidents worldwide, regardless of nationality. It has a festival on July 13.

''Torii'' and ''Mon'' (gates)

There are several different ''

torii A is a traditional culture of Japan, Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of or within a Shinto shrine, where it symbolically marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred, and a spot where kami are welcomed and thought to ...

'' and gates located on both the causeway and shrine grounds. When moving through the grounds from east to west, the first ''torii'' visitors encounter is the ''Daiichi Torii'' (''Ōtorii''). This large steel structure was the largest ''torii'' in Japan when it was first erected in 1921 to mark the main entrance to the shrine.Ponsonby-Fane, p. 130. It stands approximately 25 meters tall and 34 meters wide and is the first ''torii''. The current iteration of this ''torii'' was erected in 1974 after the original was removed in 1943 due to weather damage. This

was recently repainted. The ''Daini Torii'' (''Seidō Ōtorii'') is the second ''torii'' encountered on the westward walk to the shrine. It was erected in 1887 to replace a wooden one which had been erected earlier. This is the largest bronze ''torii'' in Japan. Immediately following the ''Daini Torii'' is the . A 6-meter tall hinoki cypress gate, it was first built in 1934 and restored in 1994. Each of its two doors bears a Chrysanthemum Crest measuring 1.5 meters in diameter. West of this gate is the (Third Shrine Gate), the last ''torii'' visitors must pass underneath before reaching Yasukuni's ''haiden''. It was recently rebuilt of cypress harvested in

Saitama Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (January 1, 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 Square kilometre, km2 ( ...

in 2006. In addition to the three ''torii'' and one gate that lead to the main shrine complex, there are a few others that mark other entrances to the shrine grounds. The ''Ishi Torii'' is a large stone ''torii'' located on the south end of the main causeway. It was erected in 1932 and marks the entrance to the parking lots. The ''Kitamon'' and ''Minamimon'' are two areas that mark the north and south entrances, respectively, into the Yasukuni Shrine complex. The ''Minamimon'' is marked by a small wooden gateway.

Memorials

* Irei no Izumi (Soul-Comforting Spring): This modern looking monument is a spring dedicated to those who suffered from or died of thirst in battle. * Statue of War Widow with Children: This statue honors the mothers who raised children in the absence of fathers lost at war. It was donated to the shrine in 1974 by these mothers' children. * Statue of Kamikaze Pilot: A bronze statue representing a

pilot stands to the left of the Yūshūkan's entrance. A small plaque to the left of the statue was donated by the Tokkōtai Commemoration Peace Memorial Association in 2005. It lists the 5,843 men who died while executing suicide attacks against Allied naval vessels in World War II. * Statue of Ōmura Masujirō: Created by Okuma Ujihiro in 1893, this statue is Japan's first Western-style bronze statue. It honors Ōmura Masujirō, a man who is known as the "Father of the Modern Japanese Army." * Monument of Justice Radha Binod Pal: This newer monument was erected at Yasukuni Shrine in 2005. It honours

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n Bengali judge Radha Binod Pal, the lone justice on the

's trials of Japanese war crimes committed during World War II to find all the defendants not guilty. On April 29, 2005, Indian Prime Minister

Manmohan Singh Manmohan Singh (26 September 1932 – 26 December 2024) was an Indian economist, bureaucrat, academician, and statesman, who served as the prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He was the fourth longest-serving prime minister after Jaw ...

told his counterpart Koizumi Junichiro that "the dissenting judgement of Justice Radha Binod Pal is well known to the Japanese people and will always symbolise the affection and regard our people have for your country." * Statues honoring horses, carrier pigeons and dogs killed in war service: These three life-sized bronze statues were all donated at different times during the second half of the 20th century. The first of the three that was donated, the horse statue was placed at the Yasukuni Shrine in 1958 to honor the memory of the horses that were utilized by the Japanese military. Presented in 1982, the statue depicting a pigeon atop a globe honors the homing pigeons of the military. The last statue, donated in March 1992, depicts a

German shepherd The German Shepherd, also known in Britain as an Alsatian, is a German Dog breed, breed of working dog of medium to large size. The breed was developed by Max von Stephanitz using various Old German herding dogs, traditional German herding dog ...

and commemorates the soldiers' canine comrades. Opened, full bottles of water are often left at these statues. * (Monument for the dead in Hitachi Maru Incident) * (Monument of Tanaka squad) * (Monument of Kempeitai (Military police corps)) * (Monument of

Imperial Rescript to Soldiers and Sailors The was the official code of ethics for military personnel, and is often cited along with the ''Imperial Rescript on Education'' as the basis for Japan's pre-World War II national ideology. All military personnel were required to memorize the 2 ...

, which is a Shōchoku (imperial edict) and code of ethics that

issued to soldiers of the army and the navy on January 4, 1882)

Other buildings and structures

(from Kudanshita Station) Shokonsaitei

* (Stone pillar on which the shrine name is engraved) * – near the ''Daiichi Torii'' * Red stone – near the ''Daiichi Torii'' * (The stone of battle site) * (Tall lantern) – the largest

tōrō are a type of traditional East Asian lantern made of stone, wood, or metal. Originating in China, stone lanterns spread to Japan, Korea and Vietnam, though they are most commonly found in both China – extant in Buddhist temples and traditional ...

in Japan * – ''Ōtemizusha'', which means large '' temizuya'' (main purification font), was established in 1940. * Dovecote (shirohato kyusha): Almost 300 white doves live and are bred in a special dovecote located on the grounds of Yasukuni Shrine. * (North gate) * ''Nōgakudo'' ( Noh Theater): Originally built in

Shiba Park is a public park in Minato, Tokyo, Japan built around the temple of Zōjō-ji. The park is located between the Minato municipal offices and Tokyo Tower. Many of the footpaths in the park offer excellent views of Tokyo Tower, so the park is a pop ...

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

in 1881, and moved to Yasukuni Shrine in 1903. Noh dramas and traditional Japanese dance are performed on its stage in honor of the resident divinities. * * * (Yasukuni Archives): Opened on October 7, 1999, archives more than 100,000 volumes including reference material that describes the circumstances under which the divinities enshrined in Yasukuni Shrine died, as well as source material for research on modern history. * Yūshūkan: Originally built in 1882, this museum is located to the north of the main hall. Its name is taken from a saying – "a virtuous man always selects to associate with virtuous people." The building was repaired and expanded in 2002. The museum is a facility to stores and exhibit relics, and it also houses the weaponry of the Imperial Japanese Navy, notably including a Zero Fighter plane and Kaiten suicide torpedo. The museum has come into great controversy owing to its revisionist depiction of Japanese history, particularly of the militarist period from 1931 to 1945, in which it is perceived as denying

Japanese war crimes During its imperial era, Empire of Japan, Japan committed numerous war crimes and crimes against humanity across various Asian-Pacific nations, notably during the Second Sino-Japanese War, Second Sino-Japanese and Pacific Wars. These incidents ...

and glorifying Japan's militarist past. * ''Shinchi Teien'' (): This Japanese style strolling garden was created in the early Meiji Era. Its centerpiece is a small waterfall located in a serene pond. It was refurbished in 1999. * Sumo Ring (): In 1869, a sumo wrestling exhibition was held at Yasukuni Shrine in order to celebrate the shrine's establishment. Since then, exhibitions involving many professional sumo wrestlers, including several grand champions (''

yokozuna , or , is the top division of the six divisions of professional sumo. Its size is fixed at 42 wrestlers ('' rikishi''), ordered into five ranks according to their ability as defined by their performance in previous tournaments. This is the o ...

'') take place at the Spring Festival almost every year. The matches are free of charge. * * (Teahouse) * (Teahouse) * (Teahouse): The Kōuntei is used as a tea ceremony school room by the Urasenke from Monday to Saturday, and was used for manufacturing the Yasukuni (Kudan) sword before World War II. * (Yasukuni clock tower)

List of priests

Guji (chief priests): term of office

* : 16 July 1879 – 6 February 1891 (died in office) * : 17 February 1891 – 28 April 1909 * : 29 March 1909 – 21 April 1939 * : 21 April 1938 – 17 January 1946 * : 25 January 1946 – 20 March 1978 (died in office) * : 1 July 1978 – 31 March 1992 * : 1 April 1992 – 20 May 1997 * : 21 May 1997 – 10 September 2004 * : 11 September 2004 – 7 January 2009 (died in office) * : 15 June 2009 – 19 January 2013 * : 19 January 2013 – 28 February 2018 (a great-grandson of Yoshinobu Tokugawa, the last Tokugawa shogun) * : 1 March – 31 October 2018 * : 1 November 2018 – 31 March 2024 * : 1 April 2024 – present

Gon-guji (associate chief priests): term of office

* : 16 April 1938 – 3 October 1945 * : 16 November 1945 – 30 June 1948 * : 26 April 1948 (interim) * : 31 August 1948 – 9 February 1979 * : 9 February 1979 – 16 July 1982 * : 16 July 1981 – 1 November 1984 * : 1 November 1984 – 17 November 1989 * : 1 August 1985 – 5 November 1990 * : 1 November 1990 – 20 May 1997 * : 21 May 1997 – 8 September 2009 * : 19 January 2000 – 31 October 2003 * : 1 June 2004 – 30 June 2015 * : 1 November 2009 – 23 June 2017 * : 21 September 2015 – 30 January 2020 (died in office) * : 1 November 2017 – present

Organization

Yasukuni shrine is an individual religious corporation and does not belong to the

. Yasukuni shrine has departments listed below. The controls the overall system, and the assists the Gūji.

* ** **

* ** ** ** **

* ** **

* ** ** **

Cultural references

Bank notes

* 1942–1948: Empire of Japan 50 sen banknote File:Yasukuni 75Th.JPG, Japanese 7 sen stamp depicting Yasukuni Shrine's ''honden'' File:Japanese government small-face-value paper money 50 Sen (Yasukuni Shrine) - front.jpg, Empire of Japan 50 sen banknote with Yasukuni Shrine

Postage stamps

* Japanese 17 sen stamp (1943) * Japanese 27 sen stamp (1945) * Japanese 1 yen stamp (1946)

Scenic postmarks

* *

Popular music

* (Singers: Masaru Shio, Yuriko Futaba etc.) * (Singer: Chiyoko Shimakura)

Plays

* (My Classmates the Cherry Blossoms )

Books

* 1881: (The chronology of Bukō (Edo, Musashi Province), 2nd volume) (Author:) * 1863–1872: (The diary of Masaomi Hirosawa) (Author: ) * 1868–1877: (The diary of Kido Takayoshi) (Author:

Kido Takayoshi , formerly known as , was a Japanese statesman, samurai and ''Shishi (Japan), shishi'' who is considered one of the Three Great Nobles of the Restoration, three great nobles who led the Meiji Restoration. Early life Born Wada Kogorō on Augu ...

) * 1905: (History of Yasukuni Shrine) (Author: ) * 1905–1907: ( I Am a Cat) (Author: Natsume Sōseki) * 1911: (History of Yasukuni Shrine) (Authors: Terauchi Masatake, , ) * 1917: (My thirty years in Tokyo) (Author: Katai Tayama)

Posters

* 1871: (Big French circus on the grounds of Shokonsha (Yasukuni) shrine)

Swords

In 1933,

Minister of War A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

Sadao Araki Baron was a general in the Imperial Japanese Army before and during World War II. As one of the principal nationalist right-wing political theorists in the Empire of Japan, he was regarded as the leader of the radical faction within the polit ...

founded the in the grounds of the shrine to preserve old forging methods and promote Japan's samurai traditions, as well as to meet the huge demand for '' guntō'' (military swords) for officers. About 8,100 "Yasukuni swords" were manufactured in the grounds of the Yasukuni Shrine between 1933 and 1945. File:靖国刀（九段刀）刀身と拵え（外装）.jpg, Yasukuni (Kudan) sword (inscription: Yasuhiro) File:Yasuhiro.jpg, The center of Yasukuni (Kudan) sword (inscription: Yasuhiro)

Controversies

References

Sources

* Nelson, John. "Social Memory as Ritual Practice: Commemorating Spirits of the Military Dead at Yasukuni Shinto Shrine". ''Journal of Asian Studies'' 62, 2 (May 2003): 445–467. * Ponsonby-Fane, Richard. (1963)
''Vicissitudes of Shinto.''
Kyoto: Ponsonby Memorial Society
OCLC 36655
* Pye, Michael: "Religion and Conflict in Japan with Special Reference to Shinto and Yasukuni Shrine". ''Diogenes'' 50:3 (2003), S. 45–59. * Saaler, Sven: ''Politics, Memory and Public Opinion: The History Textbook Controversy and Japanese Society''. München: Iudicium, 2005. . * Shirk, Susan L. ''China: Fragile Superpower: How China's Internal Politics Could Derail Its Peaceful Rise''. Oxford University Press, US. 2007. .

External links

* * * * * *
Wheelchair accessibility information on Yasukuni Shrine
Monuments and memorials in Japan Buildings and structures in Chiyoda, Tokyo Buildings of the Meiji era Shinto shrines in Tokyo Empire of Japan Religious buildings and structures completed in 1869 1869 establishments in Japan Religious organizations established in 1869 19th century in Tokyo Japanese imperialism and colonialism Association of Shinto Shrines World War II memorials in Japan Gokoku shrines State Shinto Former Beppyo shrines Chokusaisha Bekkaku Kanpeisha Independent shrines {{State Shinto