Not far from Nogizaka Station in Akasaka, Minato ward is Nogi Shrine.
A Shinto Shrine established back on November 1, 1923, the shrine is dedicated to General Nogi Maresuke and his wife Nogi Shizuko after the their deaths back on September 13, 1912.
Before I discuss the shrine, its important for people to know who General Nogi and his wife are.
General Nogi is considered as a national hero in Imperial Japan due to his loyalty and self-sacrifice to Emperor Meiji.
General Nogi was a Japanese general in the Imperial Japanese Army and the governor-general of Taiwan. He was also involved in the 1894 capture of Port Arthur from China and also capturing the Port again from the Russians during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905. The casualties were quite high with 57,840 army casualties and 33,769 wounded.
The number of deaths stayed in the mind of General Nogi to the point that he requested permission to commit suicide in which Emperor Meiji refused.
The General also did not want to outlive his master, so once Emperor Meiji passed away on July 30, 1912, he and his wife Shizuko (the fourth daughter of Satsuma samurai Sadano Yuji) committed suicide by seppuku shortly after Emperor Meiji’s funeral cortege left the palace and was accordance with the samurai practice of following one’s master to death (known as “junshi”).
In his suicide letter, General Nogi said he wished to expiate for his disgrace in Kyushu (when he was a lt. colonel, he lost the 14th Infantry Regiment’s regimental banner which is considered a property of the Emperor and is seen as an extreme disgrace to lose it to the enemy) and for the thousands of casualties at Port Arthur. His body was also donated to medical science.
Under State Shinto, General Nogi was revered as a kami and Nogi Shrine, a Shinto Shrine was created in his honor and exists on the site of his house in Nogizaka area of Tokyo.
Tokyo Mayor at the time, Baron Sakatani Yoshio, took the initiative to organize the Chuo Nogi Kai (Central Nogi Association) to build a shrine to the couple within their residence.
If anything, the shrine is interesting to visit, especially if you know the history behind it. For some, they see a shrine next to Nogizaka Station (just a minute walk away) and walk by to check it out.
But if anything, Nogi Jinja (Nogi Shrine) is a Shinto Shrine worth checking out if you are in the area.
