Mourning Rituals in Japanese Culture 1

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Mourning Rituals in Japanese Culture

Anahel Novo
Wake Forest University

The Wake (tsuya, kichu-fuda)


The wake is held as close as possible to the moment of
death, typically the day after. In preparation, families will
handwash the body of the deceased before placing them
in the casket for the wake. The casket is placed on a dais
adorned with flowers. At the wake, all in attendance must
wear black and a priest will lead the ritual chanting. Family
members burn incense 3 times at the urn closest to the
casket while other guests do the same behind them. It is
common for the guests to give the family koden or a
money gift to help with funeral expenses.

Funeral Service (kokubetsu - shiki)


The funeral service is held the day after the wake and follows the
same rituals such as the chanting, praying, and burning of incense.
However, the funeral service has a specific ceremony known as the
tengoku ceremony where the priest gives the deceased a new name
to be used in the afterlife. It is believed that if the deceased’s
previous name was used, it would beckon the spirit back to Earth.
After the ritual, families and guests can place flowers on the casket
before it is nailed shut and taken to the crematorium.

Cremation Process
When the casket is taken to the crematorium, family members
watch as it is placed in the cremation chamber. They then leave
as the body is cremated and return later to collect the ashes.
Some ashes are given to the family members to keep in the
household shrine while the rest of the ashes and bones are
placed in an urn. The bones are placed in a specific way so they
are not upside-down in the urn. The urn is then taken to the
family grave in the cemetery.

Cemetery Visits

Visiting graves is both an obligation and a privilege. Family


and ancestor worship are important aspects in both Shintoism
and Buddhism. Graves are maintained with fresh flowers and
burnt incense as a sign of respect. Family members visit the
grave once a week to pay respect during the mourning
period. On the 3rd, 7th, and 49th days of mourning, there is a
short memorial service held by a priest.

Condolence. “Shinto: Periods of Mourning: Grieving.” Grieving | eCondolence.Com, www.econdolence.com/learning-center/religion-and-


culture/shinto/shinto-periods-of-mourning.
Kondo-Arita, Megumi, and Carl B Becker. “Changing Funerals and Their Effects on Bereavement in Japan.” Sage Journals, 21 Feb. 2023,
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00302228231158914.
Wayne, James. “The Mourning Period in Japan.” Manly Manners, 9 Feb. 2016, manlymanners.wordpress.com/tag/the-mourning-period-in-japan/.

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