{"id":1866,"date":"2026-08-14T04:53:02","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T04:53:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uscnews.org\/?p=1866"},"modified":"2026-08-14T04:53:02","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T04:53:02","slug":"a-look-at-the-history-and-beliefs-behind-japans-controversial-shrine-to-the-war-dead-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uscnews.org\/?p=1866","title":{"rendered":"A look at the history and beliefs behind Japan\u2019s controversial shrine to the war dead"},"content":{"rendered":"

People wait to pray at the main hall at Yasukuni Shrine, which honors Japan’s war dead, in Tokyo on Aug. 15, 2024, as the country marks the 79th anniversary of its defeat in the World War II. (AP Photo\/Hiro Komae, File)<\/small><\/p>\n

2026-08-14T04:43:50Z<\/p>\n

Emperor Meiji first visited the site that would become one of Japan\u2019s<\/a><\/span> most controversial<\/a><\/span> shrines in 1874. He vowed that the names of those who died<\/a><\/span> for their country would live there forever.<\/p>\n

More than 2.4 million people are now honored at Yasukuni, a memorial and Shinto<\/a><\/span> shrine in central Tokyo<\/a><\/span>. Among them are 14 war criminals<\/a><\/span> who are also commemorated each Aug. 15, when Japan\u2019s surrender<\/a><\/span> ended World War II.<\/p>\n

The shrine provides spiritual comfort for some who mourn relatives and others who visit to express gratitude. Yet for Asian<\/a><\/span> countries that endured Japanese imperial rule and expansion, Yasukuni remains a symbol of Japan\u2019s militarism<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

Visits by Japanese leaders<\/a><\/span> frequently draw criticism from China and South Korea<\/a><\/span>, which see them as a sign of insufficient remorse for Japan\u2019s wartime aggression.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a look at the history and religious background of a shrine that is both a sacred place of remembrance and a source of controversy.<\/p>\n

Yasukuni\u2019s foundation followed a historic transformation<\/h2>\n

Imperial rule was restored in Japan in the 19th century after the fall of a military government that ruled for more than 250 years. A year into the new imperial era, in 1869, Emperor Meiji ordered the construction of the shrine that would later be renamed Yasukuni.<\/p>\n

The name derives from two Japanese characters that can be translated as \u201cpeaceful country,\u201d and its purpose was to honor those who fell defending the imperial cause. <\/p>\n

\u201cYasukuni Shrine was initially conceived as a way to send a message to the Japanese people,\u201d said Akiko Takenaka, a professor of history at the University of Kentucky. \u201cThe message was about the emperor; the message was about a new Japan.\u201d<\/p>\n

In that Japan, Takenaka added, Meiji became the one who could bestow the highest honor on those who died fighting for the empire and men were expected to consider it an honor to sacrifice their lives for him.<\/p>\n

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