While scattering ashes was common in Japan from the Nara period onward, its gradual decline is thought to be largely due to the Danka system, which was implemented as part of the Edo Shogunate's policy of religious control. Under the Danka system, all funeral and memorial services were the responsibility of each individual's temple. Regular worship and memorial services were made mandatory, strengthening the authority of temples. The practice of interring ashes in stone graves became established. Obon, Higan, and other memorial services were also established thanks to the Danka system.
Furthermore, in modern times, the criminal offense of abandoning a corpse under the Criminal Code and the Grave and Burial Law may have contributed to the idea that interring ashes in a grave is the norm. Certainly, laws allowing people to bury bodies freely could lead to rampant murder. However, scattering ashes was extremely rare during the Meiji and Showa periods when these laws were enacted, and it is believed that scattering ashes was not anticipated when they were enacted.
In modern times, scattering ashes is once again gaining recognition as a funeral method that returns to nature. Scattering ashes is not against the law. The natural practice of returning to nature is gaining attention not only in Japan, but is a global movement.
Views on life and death, attitudes toward remains, and feelings about methods of commemoration are influenced by the values, laws, and systems of each era. Some values place importance on continuing the practice of "interring ashes in ordinary graves," a long-standing tradition that dates back to the Edo period and continues to the present day. It is true that among these people, there are some who find the burial method of "scattering ashes" unacceptable. However, it is also true that there has been an explosive increase in the number of people who accept scattering ashes and wish to have their ashes scattered. |
