Funeral Rites in the Works of Rumiko Takahashi
by Harley Acres
While the afterlife has been explored in works such as Kyokai no Rinne, the cemetery is a setting infrequently visited in works of Rumiko Takahashi; however, the funerary process has been a part of her works in both Maison Ikkoku, Ranma 1/2 and a number of short stories. These stories will allow us to explore the world of Japanese funerary rituals along with some of the unique features of Japanese cemeteries and how they differ from what is commonly seen in the west.
The funeral process begins with the washing of the body followed by the wake. One of the first decisions that must be made is when the funeral should take place based upon six-day lunar cycle. “Tomobiki” a day which means “to drag your friends along” is considered a particularly bad day to host a funeral due to the implication that it could draw attendees to an early demise. This is where the ominous name for the neighborhood where Urusei Yatsura is set originally comes from. [1]
A wake is the setting for Takahashi’s 2002 short story Akai Hanataba (Red Bouquet). Mr. Yoshimoto’s ghost returns to watch his friends and family gather at his memorial service and he soon realizes he squandered his life and did not appreciate his family while he was alive. Setting the scene are all the trapping of a modern memorial- the otsuya or all-night vigil. Historically this vigil served a practical purpose- to ensure that the deceased truly was dead. Now the otsuya is a step in a long line of traditional ceremonies that must be carried out to ensure the spirit of the dead departs the living world. At the wake friends and family eat, drink and pay their respects to the departed. After the guests leave the family will spend the night in the same room with the departed, who is laying in state in a coffin. We can see some of this recreated in the live-action adaptation of Akai Hanataba.
One funerary feature illustrated in Akai Hanataba- Japanese coffins have a small, openable window where the face is. The window can be opened for guests that would like to look upon the departed and offer any final words. The coffin is packed with dry ice to ensure the body is preserved until it is time for the cremation. In the original manga the window can be clearly seen, however in the live-action adaption of the short story the family simply had an open casket.
Another uniquely Japanese aspect of the funeral process is that of "kaimyo". Kaimyo (戒名) are names given by a Buddhist priest to the deceased in order to prevent the spirit from returning to the living world when their name is spoken. One aspect of the kaimyo is that the longer the name, the more the temple charges the family. Most of the kaimyo names are common and written with only a few kanji, but some kaimyo can cost tremendous amounts and result in a sizeable amount of money paid to the temple responsible for the wake. [2]
This financial aspect of funerals is an often commented upon growing problem in Japan. Money is paid to temple for a kaimyo (on average about 381,000 yen, roughly $3500 US dollars), while guests that attend the funeral give financial offerings themselves. The offerings are called “koden” and they can range around 3,000 yen to 50,000 yen, roughly 30 to 500 US dollars. [3] On the other hand, the mourning family is expected to use approximately a quarter to a half of the koden offering of each guest to make their own financial gifts back to that same guest as well as helping to offset some of the cost of food and liquor for the guests at the wake. Many Japanese have expressed frustration with the expenses associated with funerals, from kaimyo names to cemetery plots, headstones and the heavy cost involved with holding the wake and the cremation. Temples that profit from selling kaimyo names often cite that this is one of the few sources of revenue to maintain their temple grounds due to declining donations in general.
During the wake Buddhist sutras are read, the guests depart and the otsuya, the all-night vigil, continues with only the close family of the deceased remaining behind. After the wake the body is taken to a crematorium for cremation. The coffin is placed on a tray and burned, leaving behind only the bones. The cremation flame is of a much lower temperature than in the west where typically the bones are burned to ash. In Japan, the bones are left more intact that the fine ashen powder of western crematoriums. In a process known as Kotsuage (骨揚げ) (the gathering of a person’s ashes), the family then takes the bones and places them into an urn starting at the feet and working their way up so that the corpse is properly oriented feet first in the urn. [4] When moving the bones from the cremation tray to the urn the bones are gathered using a special set of elongated chopsticks. Larger, heavy bone fragments may require two sets of chopsticks to lift and pass from one relative to another. This is the only time an item is passed between a pair of chopsticks. Doing so during a meal is an extreme faux pas in Japan due to the funerary connotations. “Bunkotsu” is the distribution of the bones and ashes. The urn containing the deceased’s remains are sometimes placed in the home or in the family gave, much as they are in Western culture.
One of the most significant cemeteries in Japan is Okunoin Cemetery at Mount Koya as it is the home of the Shingon sect of Buddhism. As it is such a desirable place to be interred, some Japanese corporations own company plots in Okunoin, and you can have your ashes interred in the corporate grave. Some corporation’s grave markers are indicative of their businesses such as UCC (Ueshima Coffee Company) and their coffee cup headstone. Others include the company logo emblazoned on a stone such as Sanki and Komatsu, the Japanese construction company.
This idea, that in Japan bone fragments survive the cremation process is important in helping to fully grasp Takahashi’s 1988 short story Hachi no naka (鉢の中) (Hidden in the Pottery). The story deals with Mrs. Tonegawa, a woman who, on the surface, seems abusive towards her mother-in-law in the wake of her husband’s death. A neighbor is asked to take care of Mrs. Tonegawa’s plants after the mother-in-law passes away. The neighbor soon discovers bone fragments hidden in one of the plants. The mystery of whose bones these are and how they came to be placed in the plant pots is the crux of the story. Ultimately it is revealed that Mrs. Tonegawa removed the bones of her late husband from his funerary urn after his cremation in order to keep him nearer to her and away from his cruel mother after she was to be interred next to him.
Another sequence set in a cemetery takes place in Maison Ikkoku. This is one of the series most memorable scenes where Godai and Mitaka are arguing in front of the Otonashi family grave and must hide behind the headstone when the family comes to visit (chapter 127). A few elements draw our eye when we examine the headstone and some of the objects surrounding it.
Here we have the Otonashi family’s burial plot. Each tombstone has the family name written upon it. 99% of Japanese deceased are cremated, so bodies are not interred at graves in Japan as they are in the West. If we look closely, behind the Otonashi family grave is one labeled “Yamakawa”. Surrounding the Yamakawa grave are a number of flat, wooden boards with writing on them. These are called “itatoba”. Itatoba (板塔婆) sometimes known as a “sotoba” (卒塔婆) have the name of deceased individuals written on them, however the these are not the same name the individual had during their life. [5] Instead, these names are the “kaimyo”, the expensive Buddhist name that the family paid the temple for. Occasionally the Itatoba also have inscriptions written in Sanskrit, the written language in which the earliest Buddhist texts were written.
Some gravestones are comprised of five stones, these are called “gorin-to” (五輪塔) with each stone representing one of the five elements associated with Buddhism (earth, water, fire, air and the void). These types of gravestones are very old, and more modern stones are rectangular as we see used in the Otonashi family grave. A small stone trough is also placed in front of the grave and filled with water in case the spirits should become thirsty. Small bamboo cylinders are also used to hold flowers.
In Ranma 1/2 the Saotome family grave is essentially the same as the Otonashi one. Just as with the Otonashi grave we see no Itatoba associated with it. Needless to say, a hidden lock that reveals a family heirloom is not standard design in Japanese grave markers as we find with the Saotome grave.
Ultimately, while the ceremonies may be different from those in the West, the atmosphere is quite similar. At times somber, at times celebratory, sometimes taxing, sometimes liberating, the grieving process takes all forms... even in Rumic World. [6]
Footnotes
- [1] A liner note from Animeigo's release of Urusei Yatsura episode 1-2 gives further explanation. The words "Senshoo," "Tomobiki," "Sembu," "Butsumetsu," "Taian," and "Shakkoo" are known as "Rokki," a kind of "Rekichu," or diary reference, in Buddhist reckoning. They refer to how "lucky" a given day will be. These names are used to determine which days will be best for important events, especially weddings. "Taian," the luckiest day, means "great peace." "Tomobiki," which means "pulling friends" or "friends coming along". It also means a day of no winners and no losers, wherein the early morning and late afternoon are lucky, and the rest of the day is unlucky, as opposed to "Shakkoo," which is just the opposite. People try to avoid having funerals on Tomobiki, because, as its name states, it will pull friends along, and cause them to suffer the same fate as the deceased. "Butsumetsu," which means "the death of Buddha," is considered the unluckiest day. "Senshoo" means that the morning is lucky, and the afternoon is unlucky. It also means that one will be lucky with things which one is doing in a hurry. "Sembu" is the reverse: unlucky mornings, lucky afternoons, and luck in taking things easy.
- [2] Swarts, Erica Diehlmann. Kaimyo (Japanese Buddhist Posthumous Names) as Indicators of Social Status. The Ohio State University, 2001. http://buddhism.lib.ntu.edu.tw/DLMBS /en/search/search_detail.jsp?seq=127478.
- [3] “What is koden? How to wrap and how to buy the koden bag[with images].” Living in Japan. May 22, 2019. Accessed October 13, 2022. https://livinginjapan.net/2019/05/00242/.
- [4] Tetrault, Sam. "Kotsuage: The Japanese Cremation Ritual Explained." Join Cake.com. May 3, 2022. Accessed October 13, 2022. https://www.joincake.com/blog/kotsuage/.
- [5] “Japanese Cemeteries – The Traditions of Japanese Burial Sites.” Voyapon. September 10, 2020. Accessed October 13, 2022. https://voyapon.com/japanese-cemeteries-traditions/.
- [6] For a wonderful insight into Japanese funerals I highly recommend Juzo Itami's 1984 film The Funeral (お葬式/Ososhiki). The film deals with two married actors played by Tsutomu Yamazaki and Nobuko Miyamoto traveling home for the funeral of the latter's father and the comedic circumstances that surround Japanese funeral rituals.
You can watch a video by Harley Acres via the embedded clip above which shows more artwork from the stories mentioned here and footage from Juzo Itami's The Funeral. Please visit our Rumic World YouTube Channel for more video essays.
Rumic World
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