Yasukuni Jinja

Guide to Inner GardenMemorial Monument for Escort Ship Crew Members

Escort ships, known as kaibokan in Japanese, were relatively small vessels with displacement of around 800 tons that were primarily tasked with convoy escort and coastal defense.
They were equipped with top-grade antisubmarine and anti-aircraft weapons and carried out their missions in an area of the sea extending from the Kuril Islands in the north to Singapore in the south. However, out of the 189 ships that were built, 85 were sunk, taking with them over 10,000 crew members.
This monument was donated in 1980 by the Kaibokan Memorial Association to honor the crew members’ sacrifices.