Grave goods are a "final gift" to the deceased. While the term "grave goods" is often used today to refer to items placed in the coffin with the body during cremation, you may have heard of burial goods dating back thousands of years. These items were buried with the deceased because they were thought to be necessary for mourning or for survival in the afterlife. They are not simply objects; they contain the deep feelings of those who cherished the deceased, giving a sense of affection.
The culture of grave goods dates back to ancient times. The belief in an afterlife seems to have existed since ancient times. In archaeology, grave goods are considered to vividly reflect the cultural climate of the time, and tombs containing grave goods function as a kind of time capsule. In ancient Egypt, China's Qin Dynasty, and the Maya civilization of Central America, food and various tools were placed inside. It appears that people often buried items used during life with the deceased for their afterlife. If the deceased was not particularly wealthy, the grave goods were naturally simple, but it seems that wealthy and influential village leaders were buried with the finest items, with no expense spared. Regardless of financial means, the consideration to ensure the deceased's comfortable life in the afterlife is love itself, and it touches people's hearts throughout the ages.
However, since what we now call "grave goods" are cremated together with the body, they can never serve as a time capsule for the future. Items that should not be placed in the coffin include glasses, wedding rings, watches, leather goods, plastic items, shoes, banknotes, coins, thick books, golf clubs, fishing rods, watermelons and melons that contain a lot of water, cardiac pacemakers, spray cans, lighters, batteries, and other potentially explosive items... It's unfortunate that so many items are prohibited. This seems more to do with convenience for the contractors as they proceed with their work than any affection for the individual. This is a moment when the contractor's convenience gets in the way of culture and affection. It seems that we encounter these kinds of thoughtless scenes all too often in modern times. Just to be on the safe side, the items that can be placed in the coffin as modern-day burial goods are limited to "flowers, sweets, cigarettes, paper cranes, etc." Just like the gifts given to hospitalized patients.
★At SANKOTSUYAMA's "Memorial Storage" service, we offer a service to store mementos of the deceased. We accept items that are difficult to throw away. With Scattered Bone Mountain's "Memorial Storage" plan, we store personal belongings as grave goods for 33 years of perpetual memorial service. We accept personal belongings by mail or by collection. We also offer private plots for natural scattering of ashes. As an additional fee, we offer the option of burying a "grave goods time capsule" in the ground. Please place your heartfelt, genuine grave goods in the capsule. However, due to legal reasons, bones cannot be interred here. Not only "human remains," but also "pet remains" are not permitted. If the deceased had a hobby of collecting remains, we regret that we cannot accept any remains.
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