shinto — Brute Norse

Myth speaks of an exclusive community of dead warriors, whose sacrifices in service for their divine monarch granted them access to live in a grand hall, where they would be served and entertained by young maidens, and continue their fight on a cosmic scale from the spectral realm in perpetuity.

In this episode we explore the development, consequences, and controversies of the idea and location of Yasukuni Jinja, where 2,5 million of Japan's military dead are enshrined and venerated as gods. We trace its humble origins as a war memorial, circus venue, and pacifying ground to soothe angry warrior ghosts, to its more infamous stage as a spiritual meat grinder of the State Shinto Military Industrial Complex, able to transform young men into national deities on an industrial scale.

A cautionary tale against romanticizing death and martyrdom, this episode explores how the Imperial State manipulated aesthetics and indigenous beliefs for immediate military gains. We meet the Christian existentialist kamikaze pilot Ichizo Hayashi, and tour the shrine grounds with the ghost of Eirik's great-uncle Ingolf, all the while making phenomenological comparisons to the Norse concept of Valhalla.

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Some sources for this episode:
- Hardackre, Helen (2017). Shinto: A History. Oxford University Press.
- Kolstø, Janemil (2007). "Rethinking Yasukuni: From Secular Politics to Religious Sacrifice". University of Bergen.
- Ohnuki-Tierney, Emiko. (2006). Kamikaze Diaries: Reflections of Japanese Student Soldiers. The University of Chicago Press.