Doshisha Days

Well for whatever reason, Firefox bastardizes my layouts that I so meticulously craft for my posts. Shikata ga nai. Anyway, I had left off with me finding myself underdressed, and visiting enshrined war criminals (when you put it like that, it makes my fashion statement seem somewhat prescient). Next and last on my list of Tokyo landmarks I visited with my class was the Boueichou (pronounched Boe-eh-cho) which translates as the Japan Defense Agency Headquarters. Located in a large sectioned off part of Shinjuku ward, the Boueichou does not exactly overpower with one massive structure ala the Pentagon, but the sprawling maze of buildings is nonetheless remarkable. We spent most of our time in one building which was the old headquarters of the Self Defense Forces (SDF). Now a museum, this building was the setting for two events any student of Japanese history would be aware of. Firstly, it housed the War Crimes Tribunals for the Far East, which consequently led to the death sentencing of former Prime Minister Tojo Hideki among others. The top photo above was the stage where the officials sat during the proceedings. The second event, reenacted to some extent in the picture was the ersatz coup d'tat and ritual suicide of famed Japanese Novelist Mishima Yukio in 1970. A right wing nationalist and aesthete that yearned to return Japan to its samurai roots, Mishima arrived at the HQ with his entourage with the pretext of paying a visit to the commandant. Once inside, he took everyone hostage, and ordered that the SDF gather outside. Once gathered, Mishima delivered a prepared speech where he attempted to incite a movement that would restore the emperor to his rightful place and return Japan to its former (albeit short-lived) glory. The reaction was not what Mishima had anticipated; jeers and mocking from the cadets. Afterwards, Mishima returned to the chamber where he committed seppuku, self disembowelment followed by decapitation. The rumor was that the man that was supposed to sever Mishima's head was his lover and couldn't cut it (literally). After a few repeated strokes, the head did roll, and another one of Mishima's entourage followed suit. Many speculate that Mishima knew that his coup would fail and it was simply a means of staging the death that he wanted for himself.
After that, our class dissolved into groups for a few hours before we all gathered in Shibuya for dinner and drinks at an izakaya. Around 1 am we split up for good, and I went with a friend to Roppongi for the rest of the night. The rest of my Tokyo adventures will continue later.