| Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, January 15, 2016 | 1:00PM - 3:00PM | Seminar Room 108N, Munk School of Global Affairs 1 Devonshire Place M5S 3K7 |
East Asia Seminar Series
Yasukuni Shrine is well known for the political controversies its presence has generated both within Japan and between Japan and its neighbors. But what exactly was Yasukuni Shrine’s role during that war? How could one shrine impart such significant and lasting influence throughout Japan and beyond? In my talk I follow one army private who was killed in Northern China in 1934. Through a reconstruction of the postmortem fate of his body and spirit—including his cremation and return of ashes back home, memorials in his hometown, and the lavish memorial service conducted at Yasukuni Shrine—I demonstrate the ways in which private grief for war death was institutionalized into a national experience. The experience of various events and rituals hosted by the shrine functioned as a training ground for those involved to practice an acceptable brand of grief, which was reproduced and disseminated by modern media to involve the entire nation.
Akiko Takenaka is Associate Professor of History at University of Kentucky. Her book Yasukuni Shrine: History, Memory, and Japan’s Unending Postwar (University of Hawaii Press, 2015) is the first book-length work in English that critically examines the controversial war memorial.
If you are attending a Munk School event and require accommodation(s), please email the event contact listed above to make appropriate arrangements.
Disclaimer: Please note that events posted on this website are considered to be public events – unless otherwise stated – and you are choosing to enter a space where your image and/or voice may be captured as part of event proceedings that may be made public as part of a broadcast, webcast, or publication (online and in print). We make every effort to ensure your personal information is kept and used in compliance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). If you have any questions please get in touch with our office at munkschool@utoronto.ca or 416-946-8900.