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The purpose of this paper is to discuss the Japanese funeral traditions; we are going to answer the most important question, What are the rituals of the Japanese funerals? We are going to reveal in details some of the most important highlights of the Japanese funeral culture, according to chronological order, starting from the moment of death till the burial process itself.
The First Moments After Death.
Japan has a mix of Buddhism and Shintoism beliefs; yet when it comes to death, most of the Japanese follow the Buddhism rituals (Wiren). The moment a person dies, “Water of the last moment” ceremony begins. This ceremony includes putting water on the lips of the deceased body. The Kamidana-Fuji ritual, then takes place, where the owners of the house cover their household shrine with a white piece of cloth to keep away the impure spirits. (Tradition Customs, 2012).
A knife can sometimes be placed on the deceased body`s chest in order to defend the body from evil spirits. Some candles and flowers may be placed next to the body too. Also, a white lantern is placed outside the house as a sign for neighbors that this house has just lost a person and the people of the house start calling the family to inform them about the death case. In case the deceased body had a wish to be an organ donor, it is preferable that the family members to do it within 3 hours after death (Malaysian Buddhist Cooperative Society Berhad)
A new name or as the Japanese call it the Kaimyou, is given to the deceased body. The main reason behind this ritual is that it is believed that whenever the dead person hears his/her name, it slows them as it acts as a distraction through their journey (This Japanese Life, 2011).
Arrangement of the Funeral.
The family of the dead person then chooses a suitable day for the funeral; it is more convenient to stay away from the “Tombiki” days that are supposed to be “happy days” usually for weddings and cheerful events (Seiyaku, 2016).
The deceased body is then placed on dry ice in a casket and some makeup is applied to keep the body in a good condition while people are paying the family condolence. The casket may include some of the favorite personal belongings of the person who passed away too. The casket`s head should be pointing north-west when it is placed on the alter that may have a picture for the dead person (Everplans).
The visitors usually leave an envelope with a certain amount of money to the family with the amount written on it and the family gives them back gifts in return, usually the gift lies within the 40%- 50% value of the money in the envelope (Portero, 2016).
The Burrial.
Since the Japanese follow the Buddhism beliefs mainly during their dark times (including death among the list, of course), deceased bodies are usually cremated. Buddhism in general doesn`t believe in an afterlife, but rather reaching nirvana which a high level of spiritual enlightenment (Buddha Net, 2016).
The cremation of the body is usually accompanied by chanting of the monks or the family members. The separation between the ashes and the bones is performed where two family members start moving the bones using chopsticks or metal pins.
The belief that if a deceased body was not properly buried that it will keep wandering the four corners of the world is not available in Buddhism (Budsas). Actually, taking into consideration the demographic factors of Japan (Info Please, 2016), such as the land area and the population, cremation is a very suitable choice for funerals.
Conclusion.
All in all, funerals all around the world depend mainly on the culture and religious beliefs of the hosting country. In conclusion, the Japanese funeral culture is mostly based on Buddhist traditions that are very popular in this side of the world. Hopefully, the paper gave you an insight about the funeral rituals in Japan.
References
Tradition Customs. (2012). Japanese Funeral. Retrieved from http://traditionscustoms.com/death-rites/japanese-funeral
Japan Guide. (n.d). Funerals. Retrieved from http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2060.html
Wiren, A. (n.d). Japan Visitor. Japanese Funerals. Retrieved from http://www.japanvisitor.com/japanese-culture/japanese-funerals
This Japanese Life. (2011). On Japanese Funerals. Retrieved from https://thisjapaneselife.org/2011/03/28/japan-funerals-mourning/
Budsas. (n.d). Buddhist Funeral Rites. Retrieved from http://www.budsas.org/ebud/whatbudbeliev/175.htm
Portero, A. (2016). Synonym. Death and Burial Traditions in Japan. Retrieved from http://classroom.synonym.com/death-burial-traditions-japan-5731.html
Seiyaku. (2016). ROKUYO. Retrieved from http://www.seiyaku.com/customs/rokuyo.php
Buddha Net. (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/dharmadata/fdd43.htm
Everplans. (n.d). Retrieved from https://www.everplans.com/articles/buddhist-funeral-traditions
Malaysian Buddhist Cooperative Society Berhad. (n.d). A Guide to a Proper Buddhist Funeral. Retrieved from http://www.urbandharma.org/pdf/buddhist_funeral.pdf
Info Please. (2016). Retrieved from http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0934666.html
