Wisma Yasoo Becomes A Satriamandala Museum In Today's History, October 5, 1972

The Satriamandala Museum was inaugurated on October 5, 1972, originally known as Wisma Yasoo, the residence of President Soekarno's wife, Ratna Sari Dewi. (Special)

JAKARTA - Today's history, 50 years ago, on October 5, 1972, President Soeharto inaugurated Wisma Yasoo as the Satriamandala Museum. The museum is used to accommodate everything related to the military world. From dioramas to war equipment.

Previously, Wisma Yasoo was the house Soekarno gave to his fifth wife, Naoko Nemoto. The woman who later gave birth to the name Ratna Sari Dewi was very happy. Because, the house is a solace for the loss of a loved one.

Tokyo is one of the most memorable cities in the world for Bung Karno. He loves everything about the Japanese capital. The atmosphere to the artwork. His love for Tokyo intensified when Bung Karno met a beautiful woman at the Imperial Hotel in 1959.

The encounter made Soekarno's heart flutter. He seemed to meet his soul mate: Naoko Nemoto. Such things brings grist to his mill. Three years later, or in 1962 Bung Karno ventured to marry her.

President Soekarno and his fifth wife, Ratna Sari Dewi. (Wikimedia Commons)

At the same time, Naoko Nemoto converted to Islam. Bung Karno did not forget to give a new name: Ratna Sari Dewi. Her new name was like an affirmation that the Japanese woman was reborn. However, the grief of the woman who is often called Dewi does not immediately disappear. Because, 26 hours after getting married she got two sad news at once. Her mother and sister, Yasoo have passed away.

Bung Karno understood that very well. He did not want his wife to continue to be dissolved in sadness. As proof of great love, Soekarno also dedicated a house to Dewi. Soekarno also named it Wisma Yasoo.

"It's a heavy suffering that Dewi has to bear when she married Soekarno. Within 26 hours, Dewi lost two people she loved very much. Her mother died because Dewi embraced Islam, while her brother Yasoo committed suicide for the same reason. To treat Dewi's sadness, Bung Karno designed a house that would be occupied by Ratna Sari Dewi on Gatot Soebroto Street under the name Wisma Yasoo," said Julius Pour in the book Gerakan 30 September: Pelaku, Pahlawan & Petualang (2010).

Wisma Yasoo has been officially owned by Dewi for a long time. Everything changed when the Indonesian economy was hit by a recession. This condition was exacerbated by the events of the September 30th Movement (G30S) rebellion. Bung Karno's position was so cornered that he was placed under house arrest at Wisma Yasoo. In fact, Soekarno was at Wisma Yaso until he died.

The front view of the Satriamandala Museum, previously named Wisma Yasoo. (Wikimedia Commons)

After Bung Karno's death, Wisma Yasoo was taken over by the government. The owner of the power also changed the function of Wisma Yasoo which was originally a residence into the World Military Museum on October 5, 1972. President Soeharto himself acted to inaugurate it. Satriamandala Museum, the name. The collection is diverse. From dioramas to weapons of war.

"After Bung Karno's death, Mrs. Dewi and her only daughter, Karina, live in Paris. Bung Karno's legacy for him, Wisma Yasoo in Jakarta and Wisma Masa in Cipayung, Bogor, were taken over by Bakin (State Intelligence Coordination Agency). Since October 5, 1972, Wisma Yasoo has been used by the military as the ABRI Satriamandala museum,” explained Djoko Pitono in the book Soekarno: Obor Indonesia yang Tak Pernah Padam (2017).