There are waka poems in the Manyoshu that show that scattering ashes has been a tradition in Japan since ancient times. These poems beautifully describe the feelings felt when scattering ashes.
「玉梓能 妹者珠氈 足氷木乃 清山邊 蒔散」
（The younger sister of Tamakamoashi is scattered on the pure mountainside of Ashihiki.）
「玉梓之 妹者花可毛 足日木乃 此山影尓 麻氣者失留」
（The younger sister of Tamazusa is a flower, and if you sow it in the shade of the mushrooms, it will disappear.）
This poem by Yomitanishi expresses the feelings of the poet upon scattering his wife's ashes. "I wonder if my beloved wife has turned into jewels or flowers. I scatter them in the pure mountains and in the shade, and they will vanish away," the poem likens his wife's ashes to beautiful jewels and flowers, and expresses his loneliness as they become part of the mountain's natural surroundings. The poem conveys the poet's deep love for his late wife. In addition to this, the Manyoshu also contains other elegies mourning the death of a person that also sing of scattering ashes.
「秋津野の人のかくれば朝撒きし 君が思ほえて嘆きは止まず」（巻7・1405）
（Whenever someone mentions Akizuno, I remember you scattering the bones that morning, and I can't stop grieving.）
「玉梓の妹は玉かも あしひきの 清き山辺に撒けば散りぬる」（巻7・1415）
（Tamazusa's wife was a jewel, so when he scattered his bones on the pure mountainside of Ashihiki, they scattered everywhere.）
「玉梓の妹は花かも あしひきの この山陰に撒けば失せぬる」（巻7・1416）
（Is Tamazusa's wife a flower? If I scattered her bones in the shadows of this mountain (Ashihiki), they would disappear.）
In these songs, bones are described as flowers or jewels. We can sense the transience of life, the sadness of those left behind, and the unchanging love that has endured through the ages. We can see that scattering ashes was a heartfelt ceremony for the unforgettable deceased. We also know that in this era, scattering ashes was mostly done in the mountains and fields. There are no records of scattering ashes at sea. |
