Yasukuni Shrine

Japanese: 靖国神社 - やすくにじんじゃ

Located in Kudankita, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. Formerly a special government-sponsored shrine. Enshrining approximately 2.5 million martyrs and war dead since 1853. Founded in 1869 as Tokyo Shokonsha (Shokonsha). The site was selected by Omura Masujiro. In 1879, it was renamed to its current name. In 1887, it came under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Army and Navy, and the Emperor visited the shrine at each special festival. From 1939, during the Second Sino-Japanese War, Gokokujinja shrines were established in each prefecture, and Chukonhi monuments in each city, town, and village, and a system of honoring the "war dead" with Yasukuni Shrine at the top was established. After the war, with the separation of religion and state, it became a religious corporation and does not belong to the Association of Shinto Shrines. However, since 1952, conservative forces such as the Japan War-Bereaved Families Association have sought to protect Yasukuni Shrine as a nation, and bills were submitted five times between 1969 and 1975, but were unsuccessful. During this time, in 1959, the government established Chidorigafuchi Cemetery as a non-religious cemetery for unknown war dead. In 1978, the shrine secretly enshrined 14 Class A war criminals who died in prison or executed, while in 1985, Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone became the first prime minister to officially visit the shrine after the war, drawing strong opposition from Korea and China as an act of glorifying those responsible for the war. Official visits by prime ministers were discontinued after that, but in August 2001, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visited the shrine, again drawing protests from neighboring countries. Furthermore, in the midst of a deterioration in relations with Korea and China over territorial and historical issues, Prime Minister Abe visited the shrine at the end of 2013, drawing strong protests from Korea and China. For many years, the construction of a new national non-religious memorial facility and the division of the burial grounds for Class A war criminals have been under consideration, but no progress has been made. The shrine's annual festivals are held on April 22nd in the spring and October 18th in the fall. There is also the Mitama Festival (July 13th-16th). The Yushukan Museum (opened in 1882) on the temple grounds is a memorial museum that commemorates the history of war in modern Japan, storing and displaying the belongings of the deceased, weapons, and war paintings.
→ Related topics Kudan | Separation of church and state | Chiyoda [ward] | Yasuhiro Nakasone Cabinet | Murayama Statement | Tomiichi Murayama Cabinet

Source : Heibonsha Encyclopedia About MyPedia Information

Japanese:

東京都千代田区九段北に鎮座。旧別格官幣社。1853年以降の殉難者，戦死者約250万柱をまつる。1869年東京招魂社（招魂社）として創建。社地は大村益次郎の選定による。1879年現名に改称。1887年から陸海軍省の所轄となり，臨時大祭ごとに天皇が参拝。日中戦争期の1939年からは府県ごとの護国神社，市町村ごとの忠魂碑が設立され，靖国神社を頂点とする〈英霊〉奉賛体系が整備された。戦後の政教分離で宗教法人となり，神社本庁にも属さないが，1952年以降，日本遺族会など保守勢力は靖国神社国家護持をめざし，1969年から1975年まで法案が５回上程されたが不成立。この間1959年に国は宗教色をもたない無名戦没者墓地として千鳥ヶ淵墓苑を設けた。その後1978年神社側は刑死・獄死したＡ級戦犯14人をひそかに合祀し，他方1985年中曾根康弘首相は戦後初めて首相として公式参拝を行い，戦争責任者を賛美する行為として韓国・中国などの強い反発を招いた。以後首相の公式参拝は中止されたが，2001年８月小泉純一郎首相が参拝，再び近隣諸国から抗議されている。さらに領土問題・歴史認識問題で，韓国・中国との関係が悪化しているさなかの2013年末に安倍首相が参拝，韓国・中国はこれに強く抗議した。長年，国立の無宗教の追悼施設の新設，Ａ級戦犯の分祀なども検討されているが進展していない。神社の例祭は春４月22日，秋10月18日。ほかに，みたま祭（７月13〜16日）。境内の遊就館（1882年開館）は，まつられている死者の遺品や武器，戦争画が収蔵・展示されるなど，近代日本の戦争の歴史を顕彰する趣の記念館である。
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