Religion and Theology

The Japanese traditionalists had many religious practices which they deemed vital in the Japanese culture. These are practices they celebrated throughout the year when convenient, to mark the beginning of some particular event or the end of some particular event of as a commemoration of particular circumstances that happened once in there history. For instance, the Japanese had traditional celebrations like Yakudoshi, which means unlucky birthdays, girlsboys day, death rituals, Hatsumode, martial arts, and weddings among others.

Death Rituals
The reason for picking on the death rituals of the Japanese tradition is the fact that it is something vital and a delicate subject in any culture or religion. When death is such delicate in most cultures, what happens next is an often sought answer by many people on how to handle death of loved ones. The Japanese have a strong tradition for taking care of the recently deceased and much of it involves Shinto and Buddhists roots. When someone passes away in the Japanese society, close families and friends immediately moisten the deceased persons lips with water in a ceremony called Matsugo-no-mizu. The household shrine is then closed off with white paper to prevent evil spirits from interfering with the recently deceased in a ceremony called the kamidana-fiji (Coldiron, 93). Here, a small table with incense, flowers and candles is placed near the deceased persons bed, sometimes a knife will be placed on the chest of the deceased to help drive away the evil spirits.

Following these preparations the family is informed and a death certificate if prepared. The funeral arrangement is generally the responsibility of the oldest son. He must make preparations for the wake, funeral, cremation and other ceremonies that follow. Often times this is done in concurrence with the local Buddhist temple where a priest is requested to attend the funeral ceremony. The date of the funeral itself is quite important as it must not be associated with special dates assigned for other Japanese religious celebrations like weddings for instance and the priest are very helpful in avoiding such dates.

The crematorium or the funeral home help prepare the body by washing it and blocking the orifices with cotton. Generally men are placed in suits and women in Kimono. Although depending on the age and social status of the man he may be or may not be placed in a kimono as well. What follows is that the body is placed in a casket with dry ice, a folded white kimono, sandals and most importantly six coins to pay for passave across the river of three crossings which is believed to be partaken by the spirit of the deceased (Kawano, 69). Moreover, items that can enhance burning are placed inside the casket as well.

At the wake and funeral the casket is placed on an altar with many flowers, pictures and decorations to celebrate their life. The head of the deceased is supposed to point towards the north, although the east is also an acceptable direction if the North aesthetically pleasing in the building. Another event that usually happens is the event of the Buddhist priest performing sutra at the altar of the deceased. This happens in the temple where condolences are given from friends and family and condolence money is also given sealed in envelops.

During the Japanese wake, all participants should be dressed in a special pitch-black shade designed for funerals (Kodo, 17). This is the occasion in Japanese society in which black ties are permissible. If then deceased was an active participant in the Buddhist tradition, prayer beads may be required of the guests during ceremonies.

The people who have attended the wake are required to bring condolence money, between five thousand and thirty thousand Japanese yen. And when they are leaving the wake, they are returned a quarter to half the value of their condolence gift in a present of some form. When the wake begins a Buddhist priest hired by the family will begin a sutra during which family members, seated closest to the altar, approach and offer incense three times to an urn on the altar. Guests may also be required to do the same at a smaller urn behind the family members. This ceremony can be quite long and generally only involves paying your respect to the deceased.

Finally, there is the cremation of the body. At the crematorium, the family places the casket on a tray which leads to the furnace. The family witnesses the casket slide into the furnace, after which they are instructed to return in one and half hours if the deceased was an adult, 45 minutes if the deceased was a child, and 15 minutes if the deceased was a stillborn. On top of these timings is an additional 15 minutes for cooling of the ashes. When the family returns, the remains of the deceased are presented to the family on a tray. At this point in time, the closest family members then partake in a bone collecting ceremony called kotsu-age. The family takes metal chop-sticks and working together they collect bones for placement in the ceremonial urn which will later be placed either at the home of the relatives, the family grave site or at a company grave site (Billy, 2001). Bones must be collected from the feet first so as to ensure the body will be placed right-side up inside the urn.
This is the only time in the Japanese traditional culture that they allow two parties chop-sticks to touch the same object. If you pass food or touch the same object as someone else at a restaurant you will be directly recalling the funeral memories of those around you, this is considered very rude and must be avoided at all costs.

Japanese graves are very condensed due to lack of space in Japan. This explains why the Japanese are cremated and placed in urns at their family grave. The family grave is generally a stone monument with a place for flowers, water and urns in a chamber underneath the monument. Sometimes the name and date of the grave stone purchaser is engraved on the side. In fact, names are generally carved on the stone itself but in pairs due to cost considerations.

Another interesting note of a Japanese grave stone is a wooden plank on which the deceased parties name is written. This is placed just after the death as well as on the marked special occasions. Some times a grave site will also have a small box for business cards to be placed when visitors pay respect (Kodo, 40). Some of the events that happen after the funerals are holding of memorial services on each seventh anniversary of the death up until the 49th, although not everyone strictly adheres to this.
The legitimacy of todays Buddhist funerals is highly questioned, reciting the widely accepted view that Buddha himself told his followers not to get involved in the funerals of laymen. The idea of natural funerals appears to be growing in popularity.