Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Mitama War in Yamato by Hushicho Review: Toukiden: The Age of Demons - A New Monster-Slaying Setting, A Familar Monster-Playing Experience. With all my years as a gamer, I never quite jumped into the micro-genre of teaming-up-to-fight-monsters that seems to excel on portable consoles, like the PSP and 3DS’s Monster Hunter franchise and the PS Vita’s Soul Sacrifice . I dabbled in a little Lost Planet 2 for a while on the PS3, and I’ve kept up with upcoming games like Freedom Wars , but this is an altogether new experience for me. So when I started Tecmo Koei and Omega Force’s Toukiden: The Age of Demons , I went in with a somewhat fresh perspective, someone looking for a new experience. Toukiden gives players a great portable game, one that largely succeeds based on its formulaic structure, even if at times a little repetitive. (Note: all of the screenshots within this review were captured by the author via the PS Vita’s built in screenshot feature). Toukiden: The Age of Demons is set in a world where the catastrophic event called The Awakening brought along eight years of calamity, flooding the world with the monstrous Oni and causing humanity to fall back to various villages protected by warriors known as Slayers. These Slayers are the last line of defense between survival and extinction, fighting with the power to purify Oni corpses and rid them of the aura of vile called Miasma that pollutes the air. Toukiden sets its priority from the very beginning, putting players into combat against a brutish Oni monster, and giving them the choice of six different weapons (don’t worry, you can change to something else soon after the start of the game, and try out a set of tutorials that introduce how each weapon can be used). Each weapon has its own set of strengths and weaknesses, and to Toukiden ‘s credit, each feels incredibly unique from one another. The Sword, for example, isn’t the typical button-mashing broadsword it is in most games. Here it is of a length that would make even Final Fantasy 7 ‘s Sephiroth envious, and is used with particular combos that offer strong and swift hits. Swordsmen can also perform evasive attack moves and focus their power into their blade for stronger hits for a limited time. The Spear can be used for distance attacks, sweeping multiple foes away or thrusting into single enemies for major damage. Spear users can take a defensive stance for an automatic counter attack, or pole vault into the air for an aerial dive attack. The Knives are useful for quick, successive hits, but also allow for special leap attacks and aerial combos. Short blade-specialists resemble the Ninja of most action games, with a dashing mode that lets them sprint-while-slashing, and a spinning attack that would make Tekken ‘s Yoshimitsu proud. The Sickle & Chain offers a lot of variety, allowing players to engage their enemies as mid-ranged specialists by using the chain for distance, and the sickle to cut down enemies who break through their defense. Players can also use the Sickle & Chain as a hookshot, drawing themselves instantly closer to their targets for quick damage. The Gauntlets are for fighting enthusiasts, and require a little more thought behind the hits. Pressing square the moment before an attack hits adds more damage, potentially making for a powerful four hit combo; there’s a burning attack that can heat up the body parts of an enemy, making them more susceptible to damage; there’s a block and counterattack option available for great damage dealing and damage evasion; and there’s a flurry attack that lets the player perform dozens of punches in seconds. Think of this as an RPG Monk class with a well-trained body fighter finding and exploiting flaws in their foe for a swift defeat. Finally there’s the Bow, which allows for regular and charged attacks, and singular and multiple nocked arrow attacks. The Archer can also used a “Cursed Mark” that explodes upon contact, and a homing attack. I found that the Sickle & Chain and Knives were great entry level button-mashing classes (with room for depth); the Spear and Bow are great, safe weapons to keep distance but do worthy damage; and the Sword and Gauntlet were a little more skill-based. But no matter the weapon, each class comes with a Stamina meter that gets used when sprinting, performing special attacks and when doing leap attacks. Players also have “Destroyer” attacks, moves that can instantly kill lesser enemies or tear off a limb in one hit by pressing the icon on the touch screen or by pressing square and triangle at once. While all of these are incredibly important for building a stronger team, there’s an extra layer to combat with Mitama. Mitama are the “souls of heroes trapped by Oni,” warriors whose spirits were eaten by monstrous enemies in the past, freed by the player, and whom lend their support with various special abilities and boosts. Equipping Mitama to your weapons comes with a great variety of powers, with some focusing on attacks, some on recovery, and some on support skills. The Mitama Abe no Seimei, for example, gives players special ranged magic: Eruption allows the player to trigger an explosion on the last attacked limb on a target’s body, usually causing a one-hit kill for smaller creatures or a torn body part on larger beasts. The Pursuit ability, however, shoots a projectile homing blast at the enemy, also targeting the last attacked body part. The Mitama Lady Tokiwa, on the other hand, gives players a quartet of healing abilities, including Panacea , which heals all allies on the map of any status ailments, and Vitality , which creates a field of restoration for any allies who stand in it. Taira no Nortisune and Minamoto no Yorimitsu’s Leech allows players to steal health every time they attack their foe; O no Yasumaro’s Barrier nullifies all damage for a limited time; and Takeda Shingen’s Illusion hides any allies who stand within its range. The point is, Toukiden has a generous amount of Mitama to use, which compliments players’ weapon skills and give specialties in speed, deceit, restoration and more. Players can either play to their strengths, using power buffing abilities to make attacks stronger or their movement faster, or cover their bases and maintain a decent defense in the face of the unknown. This also lends itself to more options in building squads to take down specific kinds of monsters, either in playing multiplayer with other players, or in choosing A.I. companions to take with you in single player. But what is a world worth saving if you don’t care about it? All of these details come back to you, the player, who at the start of the game has become the newest recruit of the Slayers. You’ve come at a crucial time, to fight against the Oni and protect Utakata Village, home to a band of other notable warriors. It’s also part of an alliance of villages making a final stand against the Oni, with Toukiden using the player’s arrival as a setting off point for a major change in the war for peace. Unfortunately this plot starts building about halfway through the game, missing some opportunity to start the game with a bigger bang. It’s more of a by-the-numbers gathering of heroes — with your character the special and unique “golden child” of a sorts, able to commune with far more Mitama than a normal Slayer — and then a sudden twist that rises into a decent climax, but nothing never seen before. But still, Toukiden is indeed an interesting world, one set in a fantasy setting but taking much of its influence from historical Japan. This is seen most in “The Otherworld,” a place where Miasma builds up and warps time and space, causing the lands to resemble ancient periods. The “Age of Grace,” for example, resembles the Nara and Heian eras, while the “Age of War” resembles the Sengoku era. It is here where players will conduct missions and where they can take on the Oni. At first the stages will seem bland and uninspired — especially in the “Age of Grace” — but later stages, like the “Age of Peace,” show off beautiful designs that may distract you while hunting mercilessly hunting evil. While there’s little variety in the terrain you battle in (since movement is limited without an innate way for players to jump), there’s still plenty to look at in the background, with lakes full of destroyed ships, streams of autumn red leaves that players can wade through, wooden bridges to cross, and florescent trees that are breathtaking at night. In these stages are a fair amount of beasts, with new ones that appear in each new Age. These range from the lowly Imps to the dangerous Poisonspitter spiders, from the lumbering Drumbles to the literally electrifying Blitzers. And while the lesser beasts in the game have a decent degree of difference design-wise, it’s really the boss fights that make Toukiden shine. As mentioned before, Slayers have the innate ability to “Purify” things polluted by miasma. When enemies are defeated, players can purify them to receive special items that can be later sold or used to create new weapons and armor. When facing giant enemies, however, players can use the Four Eyes ability (read: Detective Mode) to see which limbs are getting weaker, concentrate attacks on them, and sever them one by one to impede the enemy’s movement and attack power. After severing limbs, players can then hurry and Purify the limb, preventing the beast from regrowing it while also obtaining a special item. Doing this creates a transparent purple effect that takes the place of the body part destroyed, so that for the game’s purpose the creature can still move along as usual, but mechanically the creature is now deformed. Take for example the Windshredder. Omega Force does a brilliant job animating the Windshredder, to the point that its ferocious behavior and feral agility make it hard for players to attack it for long before it can get away or counterattack. Severing limbs drastically affects its ability to dodge and pounce on the heroes, making it more likely to instead slip and fall on its side long enough for a decent combo chain or special attack. This is where Toukiden is at its best, forcing players to work together at taking down the Oni lethally. Having a Gauntlet user burn the limbs of beasts while someone else attacks it means faster limb damage; having a Knives, Spear or Sickle & Chain user for group or aerial attacks is great for flying enemies or titanic foes with hard to reach limbs; having a Bow user who can attack from afar and hit vital areas is a fantastic aid in battle. Having the right Mitama abilities to keep you going is vital to success as well. But all of this unfortunately follows a completely repetitive formula: fight in a mission, come back to the village, purchase weapons and Mitama upgrades when possible with the Haku currency, save and go to the next mission. Rinse, repeat. Even the monsters are just palette swaps of one another (with slightly different abilities), and many missions involve hunting down a particular type of monster before moving onto the next type. Kill 10 Imps, then kill 10 Blazing Souls; secure Red Zone (which has both Imps and Blazing Souls). Now kill 5 Drumbles, wait for the Boss fight to appear, and…well, you get the idea. There are many things Toukiden throw in to break this pattern: Quests, which are challenges that require you to fight X amount of enemies or find X amount of items in exchange for Haku; an Offering Box where players can pray for special boosts before battles; a Guardian Tree where players can make offerings for items; and Tenko, which resemble the mythological Kitsune (magical multi-tailed foxes), who can teleport and bring items from specific periods back for the player. As you can see, all of these are related to finding more and more items; the higher the scarcity the better, lending itself towards a mildly addictive and never-ending cycle to get better items for better weapons for better fighting for better items and on and on. Rinse, repeat. There’s also a slowly developing story with the other Slayers at Utakata Village, with the laid back spearsman Ibuki; the ditzy and youthful Sickle & Chain master Hatsuho, who claims she’s older than everyone; the incredibly smart but longwinded archer Nagi; the all-around tough guy brawler Fugaku; the strong-willed field leader Oka; the mysterious ninja Hayatori; the grizzled leader Yamato; the kind Kikka, among others. Players explore the various characters’ backgrounds with mildly interesting minor milestones, but generally there’s never quite enough to make you too involved in the overall plot. There’s dialogue options and side-missions here and there, but none that drastically alter the scope of the narrative. Toukiden knows what it is: a portable, generally multiplayer experience that runs smooth online and has great tactical team mechanics (you can even use copies of players you’ve fought alongside online in your offline single player missions). And while the other options available are solely a means of superficially fluffing the game, it does attempt to at least deliver a serviceable plot with interesting characters, something that could be built ever stronger in future iterations. If you’re looking for a fun, formulaic game where you can take down monsters with friends, then Toukiden is that game, a pleasant addition to the Vita’s list of titles. For a closer look at the game, check out my gallery of Toukiden screenshots below; for more on the game, check out all of DualShockers’ Toukiden news, screenshots and trailers.

Futsunomitama (布都御魂) Futsunomitama is a divine sword described in the "Kojiki" (The Records of Ancient Matters) "Nihonshoki" (Chronicles of Japan) and mythology. It is also called Futsunomitama no Tsurugi (sword) or Futsumitama no Tsurugi. It is also called Sajifutsu no Kami or Mikafutsu no Kami, and the word "futsu" in these names indicates the sound of cutting something off with a sword. Summary. Takemikazuchi no Kami (The god Takemikazuchi) used this sword to pacify Ashihara no Nakatsukuni (the Central Land of Reed Plains). On the Jinmu tosei (Eastern expedition of the Emperor Jinmu), when the emperor failed to kill Nagasunehiko and was beleaguered in the Mount Kumano, Takakuraji presented the Futsumitama sword to the Emperor Jinmu. The spiritual power of the sword awakened the army from the poisonous air and revived them to win the war, so it is said that the sword was very useful in the conquest of the Yamato Province. The sword has the power to defeat Araburu Kami (malignant gods). During the reign of Emperor Jinmu, Futsunomitama was enshrined in the Imperial court by Umashimaji no Mikoto who is said to be the founder of the Mononobe clan. In the reign of Emperor Sujin, Ikagashiko no Mikoto of the Mononobe clan transferred the sword to the Isonokami-jingu Shrine where it was worshipped as a goshintai (object of worship housed in a Shinto shrine and believed to contain the spirit of a deity). The enshrined deity of the Isonokami-jingu Shrine is Futsunomitama no Okami which is said to be a divine spirit of Futsunomitama. Futsunomitama was later buried in the kinsokuchi (tabooed land) at the back of the haiden (a hall of worship) of the shrine, but in 1874 it was excavated by Masatomo KAN, the chief priest of the shrine at the time, and enshrined in the honden (main shrine building) and it is still worshipped today as goshintai. The object excavated by Masatomo KAN was a single-edged iron sword that was curved to the opposite side to the ordinary Japanese swords. It had a ring pommel at the handle. The length of the sword is about 85 centimeters, although it varies slightly from record to record. The Kashima-jingu Shrine also has a huge straight sword named Futsumitama no Tsurugi (sword) or Futsunomitama no Tsurugi. Its origin is unknown, but it is estimated to have been made in the days between the end of Nara Period and the early Heian Period. It is designated as a national treasure and exhibited in the treasure hall of the Kashima-jingu Shrine. Kashima-jingu Shrine National Treasure. Literary works in which Futsunomitama appears. Futsunomitama appears in Michiyo AKAISHI's manga comic "Towa kamo shirenai" (May Be Eternal). Hitsugi, a guardian of miko (a shrine maiden), took the Futsunomitama that was enshrined in the Kashima-jingu Shrine and cut the stone torii (shrine gate) to create kekkai (barrier). Later, when Hitsugi used the sword to cut lava to stop an eruption of Mount Fuji, the sword was destroyed. Mitama: War in Yamato by Hushicho. Welcome to my site! I started in professional art and sequential art -- comics to most! -- in the late 1990s. After working with a bunch of people all over the world, including Japanese doujinshika and the major American comic publishers, I started a few independent projects at the turn of the century. Man, does that make anyone else feel really old to say? In 2007, I launched the comic Incubus Tales , which has endured through a few hosts coming and going, as well as other notable comics doing the same. To this day, Dhiar and his shop are still open into the small hours, an oasis of warmth in a too-often cold world. I've done plenty of other things too! Take a look. I hope you like what you see! I also accept commissions at all times. If you're interested, contact me ! Information is below. Incubus Tales 2007 onward The Medium Men 2007-2008 Midnight Down 2007-2008 Kallikrates Elpis 2008 Lamia 2010-2011 * Witchbro 2012-2013 * * indicates a series that is currently on hold, but which is intended to continue in future. If you're interested in seeing my artwork, please check out my comics (click the title!) or my gallery on PaperDemon, or my art-focus tumblr! Incubus Tales - Family Special Edition A very special story just right for new collectors. Incubus Tales - I for Incubus Super-heroics, satire, and tights everywhere! A true fan favourite chapter gets the prestige treatment in this elegant release. Witchbro - Dudecraft The adventures of a fratboy gifted with magical powers! Roaring Twilight Core Sourcebook An accessible role-playing system for supernatural adventures set in a 1920s world! Mitama: War in Yamato Chronicle of a struggle against ancient evil. Yamato Mikoto. Mikoto has long black hair which she has tied in a ponytail with bluish-purple eyes. She wears a purple kimono with a sarashi underneath along with a dark red sash and thigh-length boots. She also wears a red shoulder guard on her nonweapon arm, arm guards, and keeps her katana in the sash at her waist. Personality [ edit | edit source ] Mikoto has a serious and honorable personality, unwilling to use cowardly tactics even in an emergency, as shown through her disapproval of Pass Parading the monsters that were chasing them onto the Hestia Familia. She also has a softer side as she cares for the well-being of her friends and is fiercely loyal to them. History [ edit | edit source ] Mikoto originally hails from the Far East. Her parents died several years after her birth. Tsukuyomi and Takemikazuchi took the young girl into their orphanage, where she lived for years, eventually joining the Takemikazuchi Familia. Mikoto and the other members of the Takemikazuchi Familia used to sneak Sanjouno Haruhime out of her mansion at night to play with her. They were eventually caught, damaging relations between Haruhime's father and the shrine. They pursued their nightly fun regardless. Two years before the story, Mikoto and the other Takemikazuchi Familia members moved to Orario to earn money to help support the shrine. Abilities [ edit | edit source ] Martial Artist : Having been trained by Takemikazuchi, Mikoto masters multiple fighting styles as well as knowing plenty of different techniques. Among the multiple styles that she masters, one of them is judo, which although it is useless against monsters, due to the great variety of shapes and sizes of these, is very useful against people, allowing her to manipulate the bodies of her opponents. Likewise, Mikoto excels in the use of multiple weapons, and, although she usually prefers to fight using a katana, she also has a great skill in the use of spears, axes, bows, short swords and throwing weapons, such as shurikens and kunais. In addition to that, she is skilled in teamwork, fighting efficiently along with her other teammates. She also has some ability in ninjutsu, however, she does not usually use it since the essence of it lies in the use of sneak attacks, traps and ambushes, using whatever is necessary to achieve her goal, which is not in accordance with her direct and honest personality. Despite this, she is willing to use it if it is to protect the people she loves.

Mikazuchi ( 円月投 ( ミカヅチ ) ): A technique created by Takemikazuchi from a foreign technique known as Frankensteiner ( 幸せ投げ ( フランケ ンシュタイナー ) ), which he modified and renamed using his own name. It consists of jumping into the air and holding the opponent with the legs and then throwing them against the ground. Mikoto said that it possess the power of a bolt and stated it is the most powerful technique of all the ones that she possess. It seems to be difficult to learn, since from her Familia only she was able to learn it. Zekka ( 絶華 ( ぜっか ) ): A technique Mikoto learned prior to the Hestia Familia's first expedition. It is the most advanced quick-draw technique that she knows and it is just as powerful as Mikazuchi. Mikoto named it basing in her alias.

Concurrent Chanting (並行詠唱): A high-level technique involving casting magic while fighting or moving around. Its difficulty is likened to dealing with a bomb with both hands while fighting due to the chance of failing a chant or not being able to control their own magic power. Magic [ edit | edit source ]

Futsunomitama (フツノミタマ): Futsunomitama is a type of gravity magic that crushes a given area. Upon use, a dark purple sword of light falls down on the opponent, and at the same time, multiple centric circles appear below them. As the sword touches the circles, it creates a huge dome- shaped force field with a radius of ten meters around them. This magic was temporarily able to stop the Black Goliath despite their difference in power. Skills [ edit | edit source ] Yatanokurogarasu ( 八咫黒烏 ( ヤタノクロガラス ) ): Yatanokurogarasu enables Mikoto to search for enemies within a set effect range including hidden enemies. The skill only works on monsters that Mikoto has encountered before and will consider any clones of a monster to be an entirely separate monster. It has an active trigger.

Yatanoshirogarasu ( 八咫白烏 ( ヤタノシロガラス ) ): Yatanoshirogarasu enables Mikoto to search for other Familia members within a set effect range. However, she is only able to search for members of the same Familia as her. It has an active trigger. Development Abilities [ edit | edit source ]

Abnormal Resistance (耐異常): Abnormal Resistance negates the effect of abnormalities, such as poison. Yasukuni Shrine [Yasukuni Jinja] In what has become an annual ritual in more ways than one, Japan's prime minister sent a symbolic offering to the controversial Yasukuni war shrine on 15 August 2014, the anniversary of the end of World War II. The act that brought immediate condemnation from South Korea and China. Although Prime Minister Shinzo Abe did not visit the Yasukuni Shrine himself, two of his cabinet ministers did. In Seoul, South Korean President Park Geun-hye said some Japanese politicians were acting in a way that hurts both countries. A commentary from China's Xinhua news agency said Japan is sowing the seeds of another war. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the controversial Yasukuni shrine December 26, 2013, sparking outrage in China and South Korea and further damaging Japan's already frosty relations with the region. Yasukuni shrine honors the spirits [kami] country's nearly 2.5 million war dead, including convicted Class A war criminals from the Pacific War [aka World War II]. Abe said his visit was a personal one to honor the spirits of the dead and was not meant to hurt Chinese or Korean sentiments. He said his presence was meant to show Japan was against war. Nonetheless, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang responded sharply to Abe's action. Abe did not personally visit the Yasukuni Shrine on October 17, 2013, the first day of an annual autumn festival, but did send a ritual offering. About 160 Japanese lawmakers from a nonpartisan group worshipped at the Yasukuni Shrine on the morning of October 17, 2013 to mark the autumn festival. Xinhua commentator Shi Xiaomeng wrote that "The recent ritual offering by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo and the ensuing noisy visit to the notorious facility are but a blatant provocation to the victimized nations and a threat to post- World War II order. Such brazenly provocative moves are meant to undermine relations and overturn the post-World War II order. For the nations victimized by Japan's war-time aggression, the Yasukuni Shrine has proven to be a symbol and spiritual tool of Japanese militarism." On 15 August 2013, over 100 Japanese politicians paid a group visit to Yasukuni Shrine to mark the 68th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II. North Korea's Rodong Sinmun newspaper suggested that the politicians paid the visit with the aim to "call back the 'departed soul of Yamato" and that the shrine honored "militarist maniacs steeped in extreme Yamato nationalism to their bones." Visits to the shrine regularly provoked responses from North and South Korea, and China due to the controversial nature of the internees. Two Japanese Cabinet ministers visited the controversial Yasukuni Shrine that honors the country's war dead, prompting an angry reaction from South Korea and China. The visit came on the anniversary of Japan's 1945 surrender in World War II, which in South Korea is celebrated as Liberation Day. Public visits by Japanese officials to Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine regularly draw ire from Seoul and Beijing, which were two of the main victims of Japanese aggression in the first half of the 20th century. China summoned Japan's ambassador to protest the visit. Beijing's foreign ministry said the move "seriously harms the feelings" of the Chinese people. South Korean President Park Geun-hye called on Tokyo to face up to history and take "sincere measures" to alleviate the pain of those who are scarred by history. President Park made it clear that it would be difficult to build trust between the two countries, if Japan doesn't have the courage to face its past wrongdoings and the heart to care for the pain of others. "I expect responsible and sincere measures from the Japanese government in order to heal the pain that many Koreans have suffered with until now, due to the agony and wounds left behind by the history of the two countries." Prime Minister Shinzo Abe decided against a visit on the anniversary, out of concerns it could further worsen ties with Japan's neighbors. But he did send an aide to deliver an offering at the shrine. About 6,000 took part in a government-sponsored memorial ceremony in Tokyo to mourn the souls of about 3.1 million war dead. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said present-day peace and prosperity is built on the sacrifice of the war dead. He promised to keep lessons from the war in mind and strive to build a future full of hope. At noon, participants held a minute of silent prayers. Emperor Akihito said he hopes the horrors of war will never be repeated. He said he will mourn for those who died during the war and pray for world peace and Japan's continued prosperity. Prime Minister Abe pledged to face the past humbly at a ceremony marking Japan's anniversary of the end of World War Two on Thursday, but he made no mention of the country's war-time aggression in Asia. That's a break from the tradition for many years. Prime ministers have all touched on the issue in their speeches at the government-sponsored ceremony, saying Japan inflicted considerable damage and pain against the people of Asian nations during the war. Abe himself had mentioned this in 2007 when he served his first term as prime minister. A group of Japanese lawmakers visited the controversial war shrine seen by some as a symbol of Tokyo's pre-war colonial aggression. A total of 168 members of parliament visited Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine on April 23, 2013. The annual visit comes days after three Japanese cabinet members prayed at the shrine, prompting condemnations from South Korea and China. South Korean foreign ministry spokesperson Cho Tai-young denounced the visit during a regular press briefing. "Yasukuni Shrine is the place where war criminals are enshrined and it beautifies a war. They should have time to reflect on themselves and should think about what impression it gives to people in the related country and what people are thinking about it." From ancient times the people of Japan believed that the mitama (soul) of the deceased remained upon the land to be celebrated by their descendants. It was believed that the mitama of the deceased would watch over the good fortune of their descendants together with the ancestral Kami. The ancestral Kami were celebrated upon this land for celebra-tion by their descendants would bring the greatest joy to the mitama of these Kami who protected the livelihood and prosperity of their descendants. Yasukuni Jinja was founded upon this belief from ancient times. To convey to posterity the noble sacrifice of those who worked for the Imperial Restoration, the Emperor Meiji decreed in June 1869 that a shrine be built in Kudanshita of Tokyo called Tokyo Shokonsha. When the Emperor Meiji visited Tokyo Shokonsha for the first time on January 27 in 1874, he composed a poem; "I assure those of you who fought and died for your country that your names will live forever at this shrine in Musashino". As can be seen in this poem, Yasukuni Shrine was established to commemorate and honor the achievement of those who dedicated their precious life for their country. In 1879, Tokyo Shokonsha was renamed Yasukuni Jinja. The name "Yasukuni" was designated by the Emperor Meiji. In this name is His Majesty's sincere hope for the eternal peace and tranquility of the nation. (The character for "Yasu" has the same meaning as "peaceful".) Currently, more than 2,466,000 "divinities" are enshrined [not buried] at Yasukuni Shrine. These are souls of men who made ultimate sacrifice for their nation since 1853 during national crises such as the Boshin War, the Seinan War, the Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese wars, World War I, the Manchurian Incident, the China Incident and the Greater East Asian War (World War II). These people, regardless of their rank or social standing, are considered to be completely equal and worshipped as venerable divinities of Yasukuni. Japanese people believe that their respect to and awe of the deceased is best expressed by treating the dead in the same manner as they were alive. Hence, at Yasukuni Shrine, rituals to offer meals and to dedicate words of appreciation to the dead are repeated every day. And, twice every year-in the spring and autumn-major rituals are conducted, on which occasion offerings from His Majesty the Emperor are dedicated to them, and also attended by members of the imperial family. In 1948, 28 Japanese war criminals were brought before the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (IMTFE) in Tokyo. Of the 25 who were convicted, 14 were officially enshrined at Yasukuni. The Yasakuni Shrine [Yasukuni Jinja] is controverial because it contains the souls [kami, not buried but enshrined] of 1,068 "Martyrs of Showa" who were "cruelly and unjustly tried as war criminals by a sham-like tribunal" of the Allied forces (United States, England, the Netherlands, China and others). The International Military Tribunal for the Far East (known as the Tokyo War Crimes Tribunal) began in May 1946. There were 28 Class A defendants from a cross-section of senior Japanese officials, including generals, admirals, career diplomats, and bureaucrats. Most prominent among them were Hideki Tojo, Prime Minister of Japan through most of the war, and wartime foreign ministers Koki Hirota (a former premier), Mamoru Shigemitsu, and Shigenori Togo. Class A defendants were charged with three categories of offenses: conspiracy to commit aggression, aggression, and conventional war crimes. The prosecution produced more than 400 witnesses, almost 800 witness affidavits, and more than 4,000 other documents.14 Additional tribunals that sat outside of Tokyo judged over 5,500 individuals in more than 2,200 trials. These Class B and C war criminals were charged with committing atrocities during battle, during occupation, or against prisoners of war. Some of these trials were held in Yokohama and others were convened throughout the former theater of war. General MacArthur's hastily organized trials in Manila, the first war crimes trials in the Far East, found Japanese generals Tomoyuki Yamashita and Masaharu Homma guilty, and both were executed. In Shanghai, American tribunals were also held for Japanese soldiers who participated in the trial and execution of American pilots under the "Enemy Airmen's Act," promulgated by the Japanese after the Doolittle raid on Japan in April 1942, as well as for personnel at POW camps in China who abused prisoners. The U.S. Navy held trials for war crimes committed in the Pacific. Many of these proceedings involved close cooperation with British, Australian, and Dutch authorities. The Yasakuni website stated that " . to defend the independence of the nation as well as the peace of Asia, the sad development of wars with other countries arose. In the Meiji Period there was the Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War. In the Taisho Period there was the First World War. Then in the Showa Period occurred the Manchurian Incident, the China Incident and the Greater East Asian War . the judgment professed by the Military Tribunal for the Far East that Japan fought a war of aggression. Can we say that this view is correct? We must pass judgment on this matter in the same manner of a tribunal that passes judgment after gathering credible proof. We cannot help but feel that the possibility of ulterior motives have not been discounted. Isn't it a fact that the West with its military power invaded and ruled over much of Asia and Africa and that this was the start of East-West relations? There is no uncertainty in history. Japan's dream of building a Great East Asia was necessitated by history and it was sought after by the countries of Asia. We cannot overlook the intent of those who wish to tarnish the good name of the noble souls of Yasukuni." Asian countries regard the Yasukuni Shrine as a symbol of Japanese militarism and felt indignant at the Japanese Government's disregard for other people. Japanese public opinion criticized the official visit to the Yasukuni Shrine on the 40th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II, describing it as "an adverse current. Several major newspapers in their editorials strongly protested the visit by Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone and other cabinet ministers in their official capacities. Nakasone was the first post-war prime minister to visit Yasukuni in his officialcapacity as head of the government. China bitterly opposed the August 12, 2001 visit to the Yasukuni Shrine by Prime Minister Koizumi. On August 15, 2012, two Japanese Cabinet ministers paid a visit to the Yasakuni Shrine. The visit by National Public Safety Commission Chairman Jin Matsubara and Land Minister Yuichiro Hatahomage was the first visit by a cabinet minister since the Democratic Party came to power in 2009. It coincided with the 67th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War II and took place amid worsening tensions between Japan and neighboring China over competing sovereignty claims on uninhabited islands (known Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China) and a similar dispute with South Korea over other uninhabited islands known as Dokdo in Korea and Takeshima in Japan.