Yasukuni in Autumn

From October 17^th to 19^th, Yasukuni Jinja (靖國神社) held its Autumn Grand Festival (秋季例大祭 , Shūki Reitaisai). This festival is held every year, and is one of the three main events in the jinja’s ritual year, along with the Spring Grand Festival and the anniversary of the end of the War of Greater East Asia, August 15^th. Jinja Shinpō always covers it, because the rituals at Yasukuni Jinja are very important to the Shinto establishment, and as this year is the 80^th anniversary of the end of the war even more attention is being paid to events there. As normal, there was a front page article in the 27^th October edition.

The matsuri themselves were, of course, carried out as normal. Shinto follows tradition, after all. A lot of other things also happened as they do almost every year. The Tennō sent an emissary with an offering, but did not attend in person. The prime minister offered a “masakaki” (真榊), a very formal offering, but did not attend in person. “The Group of Diet Members who Visit Yasukuni Jinja Together” visited Yasukuni Jinja together.

A couple of things are worth noting.

First, the chief priest, Revd Ōtsuka, once again emphasised Yasukuni Jinja as the “Peace Jinja”. This is clearly a conscious response to the common characterisation of it as a “War Jinja”. Now, it is true that it doesn’t become a Peace Jinja just because the chief priest says so, but if he keeps saying so, and acts to make that the animating principle of the jinja’s activities, then it might well become the best characterisation. As I have noted elsewhere, if you want to pray for world peace at a jinja in Tokyo, Yasukuni Jinja is probably the most appropriate choice, and that is even more true under the current chief priest.

The other thing didn’t happen. Takaichi Sanaë did not pay her respects in person, but simply sent an ordinary offering.

This matters because Takaichi is now the prime minister of Japan, although she was not when the festival happened. At that point, she was the president of the Liberal Democratic Party, but as it does not currently hold a majority in the Diet (although it is the largest single party), it was not certain that she would be elected prime minister by the Diet. In the event, she was, on the 21^st. It would have been significant if someone who was about to become prime minister of Japan attended.

It not only matters, it is surprising. Takaichi has consistently paid her respects at the three big festivals at Yasukuni, and given press conferences about why it is natural and important for Japanese politicians to pay their respects there. I was, in fact, sure that she would go. Other people also noticed, but the only public statement I have heard from her about it is that she did not feel it was appropriate in her position.

This is not entirely consistent with her previous statements, but I have a theory about the reason. I think former PM Abë told her not to go to Yasukuni as prime minister, before he was assassinated. He did pay his respects, early in his second term as PM, and it caused major international problems. He then stayed away until after his resignation, but went to pay his respects soon after he had resigned. Takaichi was close to and respected him, and so would be likely to listen. And Abë was grooming Takaichi to be a future prime minister, so he might well have given her the advice.

The attitudes of the chief priest and the prime minister matter when asking what Yasukuni Jinja stands for. Although much of the ceremony at the jinja was unchanged, I think we could be at the beginning of an important change in its cultural significance.