Sumo Yokozuna Asashoryu visits Meiji Shrine – Could Yasukuni be next?
While the blogging community and the media seems to be making a big news story out of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to the Meiji Shrine over the weekend as a substitute or a possible build-up for a later visit to Yasukuni Shrine, none of the articles seem to mention the fact that Sumo Grand Champion Asashoryu also visited the shrine over the weekend:
Japan’s sumo grand champion performed traditional new year’s rites at a Tokyo shrine stamping powerfully before thousands of sumo fans and visitors.
The Mongolian-born Asashoryu, who holds the highest rank of yokozuna, offered the sacred rites along with two other sumo wrestlers at Tokyo’s Meiji Shrine.
“Sacred rites”? Perhaps that’s a secret code word for placating conservatives by indirectly honoring Japan’s imperialist past! And let’s not forget the 3 million Japanese people who also offered New Year’s prayers at the Meiji Shrine. Clearly they were a bunch of right-wingers!
Oh, oops, I forgot that Meiji Shrine just so happens to be one of the most popular shrines in Japan and that famous people go there all the time. Nevermind.
