There is also concern that a declining population could put temple management at risk. Fewer parishioners mean fewer funerals and memorial services, and therefore fewer offerings. There is also a growing trend for people who live in cities to close their rural graves and move them to the city. This leads to the disappearance of rural temples, leading to the loss of family temples. Graves will no longer be maintained, and they will fall into further disrepair. Family temples used to be the center of settlements, so their disappearance will further accelerate the decline of regional cities.
While one might think that problems do not arise in urban areas, in fact, similar issues are becoming apparent in urban areas as well. The infectious disease outbreak has led to a growing trend to avoid large gatherings, leading to simplified funerals and memorial services, and increasingly, in cases of direct cremation, where the body is sent to the crematorium without a funeral, there are also increasing cases where a Buddhist priest is not even invited to the funeral.
From the Edo period to the present, Japanese Buddhist temples have focused on funerals and maintaining graves, which has led to them being mocked as "funeral Buddhism." However, in an effort to survive, temples are also trying to stabilize their operations by opening cafes, restaurants, yoga and meditation classes, study groups, and childcare centers. We have entered an era in which it is no longer possible to continue doing things the same way as before in many areas of Japan. It seems likely that we will face changes in many areas in the future. |
