Japan, which lost the Second World War, is still very restrained in its display of the history of 1931-1945 period. There is not a single state military museum in the country, which exposition would cover this period. However, in the very center of Tokyo, on the territory of the infamous Yasukuni Shrine, there is a large non-state military museum, dedicated to the military history of Japan until 1945.
Even many people who are far from Japanese history know about Yasukuni. Founded in 1869, this temple honors over 2,600,000 people, who died for the Japanese Empire from the mid-19th century to 1946 as gods. Among others, Japanese war criminals, executed shortly after the war, are also honored here. Which is not liked by the countries, that were subjected to Japanese aggression during the Second World War. As a result, diplomatic scandals periodically flare up around the temple. In addition, Yasukuni is the center of nationalist agitation, which anger anti-war groups in Japan and also leads to conflicts. As for the majority of the Japanese, for them Yasukuni is a place of religious worship for the fallen soldiers.
In 1882, the Yusyukan Museum was opened on the territory of the Yasukuni Shrine, which exhibited exhibits, related to the fallen soldiers of the Japanese Empire. The museum was organized according to the European model and was housed in a special building, also built in the European style. Yusyukan is considered one of the first Western style museums in Japan, today its collection consists of more than 100,000 items.
Unfortunately, the old building of the museum did not survive the terrible Tokyo earthquake of 1923. The new Yusyukan building, designed by the eminent Japanese architect Itoo Tuyuta, was opened in 1932. Its massive features still remind of the fact that one of the important design features was to ensure high seismic resistance of the structure.
In 1947, the US occupation administration closed down Yushukan as part of a campaign to combat the glorification of the Japanese militarism. The building of the museum was leased to an insurance company, but the temple managed to save a significant number of exhibits. Time passed, and aversion to wartime horrors was gradually replaced by nostalgia. In 1961, part of Yasukuni's office space was assigned to the «Museum of Temple Relics» — and there were no non-military relics in the temple. In 1980, the insurance company moved out of the Yushukan building, and influential Japanese businessmen began collecting donations to rebuild the war museum. After several years of work on the renovation of the building and the formation of the exposition, on July 13, 1985, Yushukan reopened its doors. The last major reconstruction in the museum was completed on July 13, 2002, when a new entrance hall was made — samples of equipment were moved there from under the open sky. Today, the museum building consists of three parts: the entrance hall, permanent and temporary exhibitions.
Access to the entrance hall is free. The largest exhibits of the museum are located here: the Zero (A6M5) fighter plane, artillery pieces and even a steam locomotive, used in Burma during World War II. In addition, there is a cafe in the lobby where you can taste dishes prepared according to old recipes and a shop that sells books, films, music and a variety of souvenirs.
The permanent exhibition is located on the two floors of the main building. It is worth noting, that in addition to exhibits, dedicated to the history of wars and the memory of the soldiers, who died for the Emperor, materials other topics are exhibited here: the roots of the samurai spirit, the relationship of the museum with the Imperial family, the history of the Yasukuni temple and the museum itself.
Besides main exhibition, museum usually has a temporary exhibition, which is located in the exhibition hall on the ground floor. The cost of her visit is included in the price of the general ticket, but you can also purchase a separate ticket.
In some places, the exposition is striking in its eclecticism: along with a rare sword or a painting by a famous artist, you can see a rusty soldier's bowler hat or an amateur drawing. However, for the Japanese, both are the memory of the fallen soldiers, worthy of perpetuation. In addition to small exhibits (photographs, documents, uniforms, personal weapons, etc.), the museum displays a steam locomotive, a tank, several aircraft and cannons, as well as an exploding boat, a projectile aircraft and a human manned torpedo, which were supposed to be controlled by the kamikaze (suicide pilots). It should be noted, that the museum demonstrates a particularly respectful attitude towards the kamikaze.
A big plus for non-Japanese is, that almost all of the exhibits have captions not only in Japanese, but also in English. In addition, the authors of the exposition took care of general historical explanations, presenting the materials of the exposition in the canvas of world and regional history. Among the shortcomings, it is worth noting the following: in the museum, you can take pictures only on the territory of the entrance hall (photography of expositions is prohibited); there are no audio guides that could provide information on exhibits in languages, other than Japanese and English.
The museum is fully accessible for people with disabilities — all places that are inconvenient for wheelchairs are equipped with ramps, and there is a special elevator between floors. Vending machines selling hot and cold drinks are located both near the museum and in a separate hall inside the permanent exhibition. At the same time, there are chairs for relaxation in the lobby, which allows fans of Japanese military history to enjoy the exhibition at a leisurely pace, with a break for rest. The issue of arranging a smoking area is also interesting. In Japan, smoking is prohibited in public areas, so there are no smoking areas inside the museum. But in the yard there is a small trailer, where you can smoke in any weather.
The Yushukan Museum is located north of the Imperial Palace on Kudanshita Hill next to the Yasukuni Shrine (Kudanshita Metro Station). It is open seven days a week from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm, which compares favorably with most Japanese museums that are closed on Mondays. Last entry is 30 minutes before the museum closing time.
The adult ticket cost in 2020 is 1000 yen (about $10). As in other Japanese museums, there are discounts for students and schoolchildren, as well as for groups of over 20 people. The museum has neither a ticket office (tickets are sold by a machine), nor controllers (they are replaced by an automatic turnstile).
Museum web-site: https://www.yasukuni.or.jp/english/yushukan/
