Past in the Present: The Genkō Shrine and the Ritual Reinvention of History

This paper examines the Genkō Festival at the Genkō Shrine in Fukuoka, Japan, and its annual rituals commemorating the 1281 Mongol Invasion of Japan. While these rituals honor the war dead from an “ancient” past, they are a rather modern phenomenon, emerging in the early twentieth century as part of nationalist efforts to construct historical memory. Tracing the transformation of Genkō commemoration—from a nationalist movement celebrating Japan’s victory, to a pan-Asianist project under imperial Japan, and to a contemporary diplomatic event—this paper explores how the meaning of “genkō” has shifted through ritual over time. By analyzing the 2024 rituals, which for the first time in decades included Mongolian participation, this study argues that these rituals not only reimagine the past but also serve as a platform for forging new geopolitical alliances under the rhetoric of reconciliation, peace, and the transcendence of historical enmity.