일본의 화장, 불교식 장례 - 그 흐름과 변화

Cremation and Buddhist Funeral in Japan: the flow and changes

&nbsp;&nbsp;This paper analyses the historical flow of the cremation and buddhist funeral customs in Japan. Japanese funeral tradition so-called Sorez(葬列) or Mogari(殯) originally reflected luxurious and expensive features but it became ceremonial farewell in accordance with Hkusoure(薄葬令) in the 7th century and the Simplifying policy of funeral customs in Edo period(1609-1867).<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;In spite of some archaeological findings, Japan officially announced a Buddhist monk, Dosyo(道昭)&quot;s cremation ceremony in the 8th century which was recorded as its first tradition for emphasizing a strong connection between cremation tradition and Buddhism. Since the Meiji period, the cremation custom was introduced to the general public and it is the recent figure that the cremating rate in Japan reached almost 99%.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;The Buddhist funeral tradition in Japan started at the Prince Syotoku(聖德太子)&quot;s funeral in 621 through the funerary ceremony of Emperor Jido(持統天皇, 686-697) in 703 and through the present day. In doing so Japanese funerary culture has become deeply-rooted in the Buddhist culture. In particular, it was Nara era(奈良時代) when Buddhism became nation-wide religion and Buddhist funeral customs became a crucial part in Japan&quot;s cremation culture. The modern Japanese &quot;Domestic Religion Policy (檀家制度), however, has formed the basis of Buddism and funerary customs, Ancestral memorial tradition, Ie(family ties) in Japan. Accordingly it is unavoidable that the continuity of Japanese Ie(family ties) has been affected by Buddhism.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;The Japanese has been applying buddhist sorcery with two objectives as follows: to expel bad factors of death; and to practice Japan&quot;s representing cultural tradition, ancestral memorial service by comforting the deceased soul. All in all, it can be concluded that the three factors, funerary custom, ancestral memorial tradition, and Ie have been integrated and justified under the heading of Buddhism in a very religious way.