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Yasukuni badges

Article about: Hi, need some help on the ones issued by Yasukuni shrine. My questions are on the colours of both the violet cord used in the bereavement one and the cloth colour in the one with numbers iss

  1. #1

    Default Yasukuni badges

    Hi, need some help on the ones issued by Yasukuni shrine. My questions are on the colours of both the violet cord used in the bereavement one and the cloth colour in the one with numbers issued twice a year by the shrine. Many thanks in advance for any hints.

  2. #2

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    Sorry, cannot understand what you want to know. Are you asking about the ones in the photos below? What's the question?
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture Yasukuni badges  

  3. #3

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    Yes, exactly. I would like to know why the violet colour was chosen in the first one. Is it for the loyalty to the emperor?
    And what was the meaning of colours in the second badges with numbers? There were several versions of the cloth the little sakura was placed on. I wonder whether it had any additional meaning.
    Many thanks in advance

  4. #4

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    Purple was regarded as a divine color since ancient times as the dye taken from clams was so expensive. Generally dark colors became to signify higher court ranks and pale colors like yellow signified lower ranks. The ribbon colors signified the seating arrangements made for the bereaved family attending the enshrinement ceremony at Yasukuni shrine, like movie tickets with reserved seat numbers on them.

  5. #5

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    According to my research, these badges were made twice a year from 1936 to 1944. (I am a little unclear if the earlier years had a ceremony twice a year, but the earliest dated example I found was spring 1936.) Generally speaking, the ribbon colors changed for each badge (that is, twice a year) although the 1940 badges for both ceremonies had the same color ribbon. That said, I do not know the meaning of the colors. Obviously, someone or some committee decided upon the colors for some reason or another (special meaning? available stock? competitive pricing?), but I have yet to find any source detailing this.

  6. #6

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    Nick, the numbers refer to the seating/group arrangements, not the colors as far as I know. I have never seen, say, 1940 badges with different colored ribbons.
    The top number is the group number; the bottom number refers to the individual. 100 people (or pairs) in each group.

  7. #7

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    Thank you very much. Still no hard evidence and some more accurate guesses. Maybe there is any kind of a document introducing the badges? Even issued from the shrine's site? I asked at Yasukuni, but they say they don't know now what was the purpose of the colours. However the cloth could vary in spring and autumn each year. Maybe it was due to the availability of this but maybe not. The one shown on photo is from autumn 1941 and it's 2 coloured, and I have a whole green one fro spring that year.

  8. #8

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    Kokugakuin University has specialized scholars on the subject. So if you went as far as asking Yasukuni, you should be able to learn more at the university.

    Huge numbers of families were invited and this was supposed to honor and console the bereaved families. So it was a multiday event with entertainment by top stars of the time, after the religious ceremonies. There were also small children involved, so color-coding was essential for effective crowd control for which various ribbons were used.

    VIP families, depending on their allocated number could go directly to Yasukuni to register at gates set up for specified range of numbers. Photo A

    Other families were instructed to register at nearby elementary schools, etc, where they got assigned group numbers. Photo B. Group photos were taken and later issued as a photo album, including a roster of those enshrined in that session.

    I'll show some photos from the April 1941 ceremony to give you an idea how the event was organized.
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture Yasukuni badges   Yasukuni badges  

    Yasukuni badges   Yasukuni badges  

    Yasukuni badges   Yasukuni badges  

    Yasukuni badges  

  9. #9

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    This was the kind of crowd they had to control in the presence of the Emperor.
    Click to enlarge the picture Click to enlarge the picture Yasukuni badges  

  10. #10

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    Absolutely interesting. Thank you very much. Was the emperor present at the ceremonies?

    Yasukuni explained that before World War II it was run by the state. After the war shrine became a private corporation and is managed by 靖国神社崇敬奉賛会. So they told me to make an inquiry about the

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