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    Museum of the «gods of war»

    • WWII
    • photo
    • Japan
    • museums
    Eugen Pinak
    16 February '21

    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.

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    ​The main gate of the Yasukuni Shrine. Photo by the author - Museum of the «gods of war» | Warspot.net
    The main gate of the Yasukuni Shrine. Photo by the author

    ​The queue of those wishing to pray at the haiden (the main temple building). Photo by the author - Museum of the «gods of war» | Warspot.net
    The queue of those wishing to pray at the haiden (the main temple building). Photo by the author

    ​Yushukan building — a view of the former main entrance to the museum. Photo by the author - Museum of the «gods of war» | Warspot.net
    Yushukan building — a view of the former main entrance to the museum. Photo by the author

    ​Fresh finds brought from the battlefield in Burma are displayed in a special showcase near the wall of the museum. Yushukan never stops replenishing his collection. Photo by the author - Museum of the «gods of war» | Warspot.net
    Fresh finds brought from the battlefield in Burma are displayed in a special showcase near the wall of the museum. Yushukan never stops replenishing his collection. Photo by the author

    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.

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    ​Entrance hall, outside view. Photo by the author - Museum of the «gods of war» | Warspot.net
    Entrance hall, outside view. Photo by the author

    ​Entrance hall, inside view. On the right you can see the edge of the store, behind it there is a cafe in a glazed room. Photo by the author - Museum of the «gods of war» | Warspot.net
    Entrance hall, inside view. On the right you can see the edge of the store, behind it there is a cafe in a glazed room. Photo by the author

    ​Artillery pieces in the hall of the museum. In the foreground is the Type 89 150mm cannon, followed by the Type 96 150mm howitzer. Photo by the author - Museum of the «gods of war» | Warspot.net
    Artillery pieces in the hall of the museum. In the foreground is the Type 89 150mm cannon, followed by the Type 96 150mm howitzer. Photo by the author

    ​Type 89 150mm gun. It took part in battles on the island of Okinawa in 1945. Photo by the author - Museum of the «gods of war» | Warspot.net
    Type 89 150mm gun. It took part in battles on the island of Okinawa in 1945. Photo by the author

    ​Type 89 150mm gun. Marks from shell fragments are visible on the gun. Photo by the author - Museum of the «gods of war» | Warspot.net
    Type 89 150mm gun. Marks from shell fragments are visible on the gun. Photo by the author

    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.

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    ​The largest exhibit in the museum is the Model C56 steam locomotive. It was produced in Japan during the war, brought to Thailand for service on local railways, and returned to its homeland only in the 1970s. Photo by the author - Museum of the «gods of war» | Warspot.net
    The largest exhibit in the museum is the Model C56 steam locomotive. It was produced in Japan during the war, brought to Thailand for service on local railways, and returned to its homeland only in the 1970s. Photo by the author

    ​A6M5 naval aviation fighter, known as «Zero» (top view). This aircraft took part in battles on the territory of what is now Papua New Guinea. Returned to Japan in 1975. Photo by the author - Museum of the «gods of war» | Warspot.net
    A6M5 naval aviation fighter, known as «Zero» (top view). This aircraft took part in battles on the territory of what is now Papua New Guinea. Returned to Japan in 1975. Photo by the author

    ​Zero, side view. Photo by the author - Museum of the «gods of war» | Warspot.net
    Zero, side view. Photo by the author

    ​Zero. Photo by the author - Museum of the «gods of war» | Warspot.net
    Zero. Photo by the author

    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.

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    ​Central Exhibition Hall (former main hall of the museum building). View of a part of the exposition, devoted to the Japanese navy. In the center is a man-torpedo «Kaiten», next to it — a semi-disassembled Type 93 torpedo. Photo by the author - Museum of the «gods of war» | Warspot.net
    Central Exhibition Hall (former main hall of the museum building). View of a part of the exposition, devoted to the Japanese navy. In the center is a man-torpedo «Kaiten», next to it — a semi-disassembled Type 93 torpedo. Photo by the author

    ​The «Kaiten» manned torpedo and the Type 93 torpedo. Photo by the author - Museum of the «gods of war» | Warspot.net
    The «Kaiten» manned torpedo and the Type 93 torpedo. Photo by the author

    ​Central Exhibition Hall. D4Y2 «Suisei» naval aviation dive-bomber with an MXY-7 «Oka» manned rocket hanging above it. Photo by the author - Museum of the «gods of war» | Warspot.net
    Central Exhibition Hall. D4Y2 «Suisei» naval aviation dive-bomber with an MXY-7 «Oka» manned rocket hanging above it. Photo by the author

    ​Top view of «Suisei» (from a special observation gallery). Photo by the author - Museum of the «gods of war» | Warspot.net
    Top view of «Suisei» (from a special observation gallery). Photo by the author

    ​Close-up of «Oka». Photo by the author. - Museum of the «gods of war» | Warspot.net
    Close-up of «Oka». Photo by the author.

    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.

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    ​Exploding boat «Shinyo». Photo by the author - Museum of the «gods of war» | Warspot.net
    Exploding boat «Shinyo». Photo by the author

    ​Tank «Chi-Ha». Brought from the island of Saipan, where it fought with the US troops in 1944. Photo by the author - Museum of the «gods of war» | Warspot.net
    Tank «Chi-Ha». Brought from the island of Saipan, where it fought with the US troops in 1944. Photo by the author

    ​Tank «Chi-Ha». There are bullet or shrapnel potholes on the turret. Photo by the author - Museum of the «gods of war» | Warspot.net
    Tank «Chi-Ha». There are bullet or shrapnel potholes on the turret. Photo by the author

    ​The alley leading to the Yasukuni Shrine at sunset. In the center of the photo one can see is a monument to one of the founders of the modern Japanese army Omura Masujiro. Photo by the author - Museum of the «gods of war» | Warspot.net
    The alley leading to the Yasukuni Shrine at sunset. In the center of the photo one can see is a monument to one of the founders of the modern Japanese army Omura Masujiro. Photo by the author

    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/

    Eugen Pinak

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