靖国神社 (Yasukuni Shrine)

Yesterday I visited Yasukuni shrine which is controversial in China, Korea and Japan. Cherry blossoms were not in full bloom but I enjoyed them. Relatively, there were a lot of people who enjoyed them and prayed before spirits of the war dead. I realized that the shrine is far different from what Japanese communist thinker, China and Korea define. I've also regarded the shrine has many problems but I changed my mind basically. I think I found the essence of the shrine.



I saw a white pigeon were fling above the cherry blossoms. Blossoms in Yasukuni were beautiful but I found those blossoms were doleful in comparison with other cherry blossoms. After that I came back home, I compared the photo I took at Yasukuni with other cherry's photo. It was sure those were doleful. In other words, maybe, Yasukuni's blossoms have beauty of sadness more than others.



There is an famous army song called "同期の桜" (Douki no Sakura) which means "Cherry blossoms of graduates in the same class. I cite it a little.



貴様と俺とは同期の桜

離れ離れに散ろうとも

花の都の靖国神社

春の梢（こずえ）に咲いて会おう



It means :



You and I are cherry blossoms of graduates in the same class.

Even if we fall separately,

we blossom on a treetop and meet again at Yasukuni shrine in floral capital.





I imagined what they felt when they sang the song. A thinker said our spirit as a member of society has become tainted, imperial soldiers fought for "us" but we just hog the legacy given by them. That may be true.



China and Korea regard the shrine as a symbol of militarism and of evil spirit of Japan, and regard visit by prime minister is a nascent revival of militarism and evil spirit of Japan. I had thought it may be true but I changed my mind.



The shrine was a very normal shrine. Common people visit and prayed. There is no wright wing people when I visit. It was peaceful place in the extreme. I prayed at front shrine, saying "Thank you very much, please rest in peace, please protect us if we are invaded." in my mind.



About 2.4 million dead from modern age wars are enshrined at Yasukuni. 2.1 million of them are dead from WWII. They are military and army civilian employee.



A left wing philosopher, Tetsuya Takahashi, regards it is a shrine to honor war and war dead. But I thought the shrine is not such a shrine. I thought the shrine is a institution for requiem. Takahashi wrote that imperial Japan utilized the shrine to whip up war sentiment and that Imperial Japan utilized people's pure sentiment by awarding an honor as a god to them.



People who support Yasukuni shrine said "It is Japan's traditional culture". But I doubted of it. Because we don't have any culture to enshrined the fallen who were common people. Therefore, I didn't agreed with them but I changed my mind after that I saw aspect what old people said at a museum in Yasukuni shrine.



The museum is 遊就館(Yuushuukan). This is also a controversial. China and Korea criticize what the museum inhibits and say. The museum explains how the death contributed Japan and Asia. It says "Thanks to Japan, deaths from WW2 contributed many Asian countries to independent of western countries.". China and Korea also criticize about it. But it is sure it was an aspect of the war and several countries have friendly feelings toward imperial Japan.



We don't have culture to have a bad word to say about goners. If we say it, it is unmoral. And the shrine is requiem institution. We should not criticize them. To praise death for their achievement is to mourn in Japan, I think. It is not different from burial of irreligion. Traditionally, shinto has been doing it. All in all, China and Korea step in it too much. We can discuss about it outside of the shrine's issue.



There are many photos of death in the museum, an old man said to his friends "Let's go to meet our friends." in front of the gate of the corner. His friends said "oh, yes.". They are gods but very different from traditional gods because they were friends, parents and teachers and so on. They never worship them but mourn them profoundly.



The museum displayed many farewell notes written by deaths. To be honest, I could not read all of them because I had to fight to keep from crying. I was impressed by a note written by admiral Daigo Tadashige who was executed by a Dutch retaliatory trial which didn't cross-examine and didn't have him to take the stand. He said "I born again to re-established Japan any number of times." along with showing　concern to his family. I wish he enjoy rich delight in Japan now. But I suppose he would lament over us now.



There are many problems about class-A war criminals who were war leaders, blending of church and state, the shrine never quit to enshrine people whose family want to quit to do it, and also some soldiers caused a crime would be enshrined. We should consider about them. But I thought those are different from the essence of the shrine. I think the shrine is a symbol of Japanese empathy and compassion for deaths.



I took the photo at Yaukuni shrine.