The is a Japanese military and war

museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

located within

Yasukuni Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It was founded by Emperor Meiji in June 1869 and commemorates those who died in service of Empire of Japan, Japan, from the Boshin War of 1868–1869, to the two Sino-Japanese Wars, First Sino-Japane ...

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

. As a museum maintained by the shrine, which is dedicated to the souls of soldiers who died fighting on behalf of the

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 ...

including convicted war criminals, the museum contains various artifacts and documents concerning Japanese war casualties and military activity from the start of 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 ...

to the end of

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 ...

. The museum was established in 1882, and describes itself as the first and oldest war and military museum in Japan. It has attracted controversy for its revisionism of Japan's wartime actions and militaristic past.

History

The museum was initially established in 1882 to preserve and display

-era artifacts of the

Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...

. Following 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 ...

and

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 ...

, the Meiji Emperor issued his 192nd order in 1910, which ordered the preservation of military artifacts. The building was expanded when the number of documents and artifacts increased after

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 ...

, but was demolished during the

1923 Great Kantō earthquake The 1923 Great Kantō earthquake (, or ) was a major earthquake that struck the Kantō Plain on the main Japanese island of Honshu at 11:58:32 JST (02:58:32 UTC) on Saturday, 1 September 1923. It had an approximate magnitude of 8.0 on the mom ...

. The structure was rebuilt by Itō Chūta, reopening in 1932. During

, looted weaponry was also displayed on loan from the Ministry of War, but the museum itself was closed down during the postwar period. Yasukuni Shrine lost funding from the government under the Shinto Directive issued by the Occupation Authorities, and the shrine put the museum building up for rent in order to obtain funds. In November 1947 the Fukoku Mutual Life Insurance Company signed a rent agreement with the shrine and began using it as its

Kudankita is a district of Chiyoda, Tokyo, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan, consisting of four ''Japanese addressing system, chōme''. It was a part of the former ward of Kōjimachi. As of March 1, 2007, its population is 1,404. Kudankita is a luxury and prestigio ...

office. The company left the building in 1980, and it reopened as the Yūshūkan museum on July 13, 1985. The building has undergone several renovations since then, and the outdoor exhibitions were moved indoors and re-exhibited on July 13, 2002. Yushukan02

Exhibitions

The museum's exhibitions are centered on the shrine's dedication to the spirits of deceased Japanese soldiers. The museum also contains weaponry used by the Imperial Japanese Army, as well as Allied documents and exhibitions related to the modern

Japan Self-Defense Forces The are the military forces of Japan. Established in 1954, the JSDF comprises the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. They are controlled by the Ministry of Defense ...

and United States Forces in Japan. A

cenotaph A cenotaph is an empty grave, tomb or a monument erected in honor of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere or have been lost. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although t ...

of a war horse is also located within the museum grounds.

First floor

The first floor entrance hall can be entered free of admission, and contains an

A6M Zero The Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" is a long-range Carrier-based aircraft, carrier-capable fighter aircraft formerly manufactured by Mitsubishi Aircraft Company, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. It was operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) ...

fighter aircraft Fighter aircraft (early on also ''pursuit aircraft'') are military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air supremacy, air superiority of the battlespace. Domina ...

and a Class C56 steam locomotive number C56 31 used on the Thai-Burma Railway (often known as the Death Railway). Simone, Giann
A trip around the Yushukan, Japan’s font of discord July 28, 2014
''

Japan Times ''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched by ...

'' Retrieved March 16, 2016 A Type 89 15 cm Cannon and Type 96 15 cm Howitzer are also displayed in this area. The large exhibit room on the first floor contains a Yokosuka D4Y bomber and Type 97 Chi-Ha recovered from Yap Island, along with a Kaiten-type torpedo and replicas of an Ohka Model 11 aircraft and battleship ''Mutsu''. Mementos of deceased Japanese soldiers are also shown in this room, including a uniform worn by a paratrooper, and various letters left behind by deceased soldiers. Photographs and portraits of the "Spirits of Yasukuni Shrine" (deceased Japanese soldiers) are shown at the end of the hallway.

Second floor

The entrance hall escalator leads to the second floor exhibit room. Various war-related materials are exhibited in chronological order, including different types of swords, armor, guns, and a golden flag wielded by the Imperial Japanese Army during 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 ...

. The

war flag A war ensign, also known as a military flag, battle flag, or standard, is a variant of a national flag for use by a country's military forces when on land. The nautical equivalent is a naval ensign. Under the strictest sense of the term, few co ...

of the 321st Imperial Japanese Army division displayed in this room is the only one of its kind that has been recovered fully intact. The floor also contains a small cinema theater, which plays various documentaries related to the shrine and modern-day Japan.

Stores

The museum's gift shop sells regional souvenirs in addition to various books and documents concerning Yasukuni Shrine. Toy army flags and other military-related toys can also be purchased here, and English-language pamphlets are available for foreign visitors. The museum also houses a cafe where the items on the menu are created using ingredients and recipes resembling those actually used on Japanese Navy ships.

Revisionism

The museum contains revisionism in its accounts of Japan's actions in

, as well as glorifying Japan's aggressive militaristic past.Simone, Gianni,
A trip around the Yushukan, Japan’s font of discord
, ''

The Japan Times ''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched by ...

'', 28 July 2014

Appearances in literature

Natsume Sōseki , born , was a Japanese novelist. He is best known for his novels ''Kokoro'', ''Botchan'', ''I Am a Cat'', ''Kusamakura (novel), Kusamakura'' and his unfinished work ''Light and Darkness (novel), Light and Darkness''. He was also a scholar of Br ...

. * Ryūnosuke Akutagawa.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yushukan Museums established in 1882 Buildings and structures demolished in 1923 Buildings and structures completed in 1932 Museums in Tokyo Military and war museums in Japan Buildings and structures in Chiyoda, Tokyo World War II museums in Japan 1882 establishments in Japan Historical negationism in Japan Military history of Tokyo