Tokyo Shokonsha renamed Yasukuni Shrine (1879)

In June 1879, the shrine originally established as Tokyo Shokonsha was officially renamed Yasukuni Shrine. The renaming occurred in Tokyo, where the site had been chosen by imperial order. The shrine commemorates those who died in service of Japan, with its purpose expanding over time to include deaths from various wars spanning the Meiji, Taisho, and early Showa periods.

Episodes

Background and detail

Background. The shrine was founded in June 1869 to commemorate those who died in service of Japan, starting with the Boshin War. Its site in Chiyoda, Tokyo, was chosen by order of the Meiji Emperor. Originally named Tokyo Shokonsha, meaning shrine to summon the souls, it served as a place for honoring war dead.

Renaming. In 1879, the shrine was renamed Yasukuni Jinja. On June 4, the shrine was registered to Bekkaku-kanpeisya and renamed Yasukuni shrine by Dajoan. This official change marked the transition from its original designation as Tokyo Shokonsha to its current name.

Commemoration. Following the 1877 Satsuma Rebellion, the Emperor had 6,959 souls of war dead enshrined at Tokyo Shokonsha. The shrine's purpose expanded over the years to include those who died in wars involving Japan spanning the entire Meiji and Taisho periods, and the earlier part of the Showa period.

Administrative Context. Enshrinements at Yasukuni were originally announced in the government's official gazette so that the souls could be treated as national heroes. The shrine's honden, where enshrined deities reside, was built in 1872 and is where priests perform Shinto rituals.

People involved

Sources

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.