Yasukuni Shrine
At the top of Kudanzaka, a great torii stands facing east—one of the few shrines oriented to the east. Yasukuni Shrine began as the 'Tokyo Shokonsha,' founded in 1869 (Meiji 2) by imperial decree of the Meiji Emperor, and was renamed only in 1879 (Meiji 12). What it enshrines is not a particular deity but the soldiers and military personnel who died serving the nation since the arrival of the Black Ships in 1853 (Kaei 6), collectively enshrined under the name 'eirei' (heroic spirits); by 2004 (Heisei 16) the count exceeded 2.46 million. The grounds are among Tokyo's foremost cherry-blossom spots, and the Meteorological Agency has even chosen three Somei-Yoshino trees here as the reference specimen for declaring the start of Tokyo's blossom season. Walk inward from the torii, and every monument, statue and lantern presses down on a piece of modern history.
Japan · 26 The overlooked corners inside
The overlooked corners inside
Yasukuni Shrine Noh Stage
Originally the Shiba Noh Stage in Tokyo's Shiba Park, this structure was built by Iwakura Tomomi and others and presented to Yasukuni Shrine in 1903 (Meiji 36). After World War II, the stage faced demolition under the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (GHQ), but it was ultimately preserved. More than just one of the shrine's important buildings, it carries a living link to Japan's traditional performing arts and history.
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org
Yushukan Museum
The Yushukan is the treasure hall attached to Yasukuni Shrine, opened in 1882 (Meiji 15). Its name comes from a line in the "Encouraging Learning" chapter of the Xunzi — "a gentleman, when he travels, will surely seek out worthy men" — meaning that one should choose virtuous company to guard against wrongdoing and stay on a true course. The museum collects and displays materials connected to the deities enshrined at Yasukuni, spanning the war dead and those who died in service to the nation from the upheaval of the Bakumatsu-Meiji Restoration through the Pacific War. It is a military museum, run by the Yushukan division of the shrine's staff.
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org
Chinreisha
Tucked directly south of the main hall, Chinreisha is a small wooden sub-shrine enshrining two groups of spirits. The first honors those killed in war since 1853 (the arrival of Commodore Perry's fleet) who were never enshrined in the main hall — including Japanese who died fighting the Meiji imperial forces in the Boshin War (1868–69). The second, unusually, commemorates all war dead regardless of nationality, said to include foreign civilians and soldiers killed by the Japanese military. This inclusive, enemy-and-ally scope stands in deliberate contrast to the main hall's focus on honoring Japan's own war dead.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Second Torii
The second torii gate, spanning the main approach just outside the inner gate, is the oldest of the four torii still standing within the shrine grounds. Cast in bronze by the Osaka Arsenal, it was erected in 1887 (Meiji 20) and remains the largest bronze torii in Japan. Flanking the approach further out stands a stone torii donated in 1933 (Shōwa 8), considered one of the largest stone torii in Japan alongside the stone torii at Yasaka Shrine in Kyoto.
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org
Monument to Justice Pal
The Monument to Justice Pal stands before the Yushukan museum, erected in 2005 to honour Indian jurist Radhabinod Pal (1886–1967). At the 1946 International Military Tribunal for the Far East — the Tokyo Trials — Pal was India's representative judge and the only one among eleven justices to argue that all defendants should be acquitted. In a dissenting opinion running to over a thousand pages, he contended that the tribunal lacked legal foundation, that retroactively applied laws could not legitimately punish past acts, and that trying only one side amounted to 'victor's justice dressed in legal procedure.' The inscription records that controversial legal position, which remains debated to this day.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · yasukuni.or.jp
Third Torii
The Third Torii — also called the Stone Torii — spans the entrance to the outer garden and… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ja.wikipedia.org
Mother's Statue
Erected in 1974 (Shōwa 49), this bronze statue honors the mothers who raised their childre… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org
Military Dog Memorial Statue
A bronze German Shepherd stands at attention here, dedicated in March 1992 and sculpted by… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: yasukuni.or.jp · en.wikipedia.org
War Horse Memorial Statue
This life-size bronze horse was unveiled on 7 April 1958, sculpted by Saitama artist Kunio… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: yasukuni.or.jp · girls.jbis.or.jp
Dove Memorial Tower
Built in 1982 (Shōwa 57), the Dove Memorial Tower (鳩魂塔, Hatakondama-tō) commemorates the c… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org
Site of the Renpeikan
This marker records the site of the Renpeikan — one of the three great sword-training hall… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org
Statue of the Special Attack Heroes
This bronze statue honours the men of the Special Attack Units — the kamikaze — who died i… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org · yasukuni.or.jp · en.wikipedia.org
Monument to the Coastal Defence Ships
Donated in 1980 by the Coastal Defence Ships Memorial Association, this monument commemora… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: yasukuni.or.jp · en.wikipedia.org
Great Purification Pavilion
This large purification pavilion (大手水舎, ōtemizuya) was built in 1940, funded by donations… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
White Dove Dovecote
The dovecote beside the inner gate is managed by Yasukuni Shrine's White Dove Society (白鳩の… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: ichigaya.keizai.biz
Sazare-ishi
The sazare-ishi on display here is a physical embodiment of Japan's national anthem, Kimig… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org
Worship Hall (Haiden)
The haiden is the hall where ordinary visitors perform their formal acts of worship. Built… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org
Main Hall (Honden)
The main hall (本殿, honden) was completed in May 1872 (Meiji 5) to a design by Owari master… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org
Reijibo Hoanden (Hall for the Book of Souls)
The Reijibo Hoanden was built in 1972 to house the reijibo — the handwritten name register… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Spirit-Consoling Spring
The Spirit-Consoling Spring (慰霊の泉, Irei no Izumi) is a memorial fountain offering cool wat… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org
Yasukuni Kaikan
Yasukuni Kaikan — formerly known as the Kokubōkan (National Defense Hall) — houses a rest… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org
Hitachi Maru Memorial Monument
This monument records one of the worst transport-ship disasters of the Russo-Japanese War… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: yasukuni.or.jp · en.wikipedia.org
Tanaka Detachment Loyal Soul Monument
This monument marks one of the most costly engagements of the Siberian Intervention (1918–… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: yasukuni.or.jp
Monument to the Guardian Military Police
Donated on 6 April 1969 by the National Kenyūkai Federation — the veterans' association of… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: tokyochiyoda.blog.shinobi.jp
Monument to the Imperial Rescript to Soldiers and Sailors
Engraved on this monument are the words of the Imperial Rescript to Soldiers and Sailors (… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ja.wikipedia.org
Outer Garden Rest House
The outer garden rest house holds two dining options. Yachiyo Shokudō takes its name from… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: ja.wikipedia.org
FAQ
What overlooked corners are worth seeing inside Yasukuni Shrine?
Yasukuni Shrine Noh Stage, Yushukan Museum, Chinreisha and more — 26 spots in all, each with sources and a guide in your language to read or listen to on the spot.
Is the Yasukuni Shrine guide free?
The first 5 spots are free to read; the other 21 unlock with a one-time purchase (not a subscription).