Burial under the tree is becoming popular in Japan

In the ‘wooden burial’ ceremony, families put the ashes of the deceased on the ground and plant trees on top of the ashes to mark the grave site.

Religious and cultural communities across East Asia are of the opinion that there should be a space to visit the deceased. (Source: Getty Images) As the global population continues to grow, the space to bury the dead in their final resting place has become a luxury. In some major cities in the US as well as in some other countries around the world, cemetery land is seriously lacking. At the same time, many countries are transforming burial rites, changing the way cemeteries work, and even demolishing historic cemeteries to reclaim land for the living. In Singapore, for example, the government forcibly demolished family graves and replaced them with burying houses cremation . Land for graves in cities is also valid for only 15 years, after which the remains are cremated and that space is left to the next person. In Hong Kong, cemetery land is considered the most expensive real estate per square meter and the government has resorted to the influence of pop stars and other celebrities to encourage people to cremate instead. for burial. Wood burial As early as the 1970s, Japanese officials were concerned about the lack of space burial in urban areas. They offer many novel solutions, from building cemeteries in towns far from the city, where families can organize a vacation to visit loved ones, to renting buses. to bring the dead body to burial in the countryside. Beginning in 1990, the Grave-Free Promotion Society, a voluntary social organization, openly supported the cremation and scattering of the ashes of the deceased. Since 1999, the Shōunji temple in Northern Japan has been trying to come up with a more creative solution to the cemetery land shortage crisis in the form of “wood burial” or Jumokusō. During this burial, families place the ashes of the deceased on the ground and plant trees on top of the ashes to mark the grave site. A smaller temple named Chishōin was also built and placed in a small forest. Here, every year the monks perform a ritual to pray for the deceased. Their families and relatives can still visit and perform religious ceremonies here. Social Transformation The idea of ​​a wooden burial is gradually gaining popularity in Japan. Temples and many other public cemeteries have begun to adopt this model. Scholar Sébastian Penmellen Boret wrote in her 2016 book that the form carpentry burial reflects the larger changes in Japanese society. After World War II, Buddhism’s influence on Japanese society declined as hundreds of new religious movements blossomed. (Source: yahoo.com) In addition, increasing urbanization has eroded the traditional relationships inherent between families and local temples, where their ancestors’ graves are buried and cared for. Method burial Under the trees is also significantly less expensive than traditional burial methods. This is an important thing for many Japanese who are struggling to make ends meet. Religious and cultural communities across East Asia are of the opinion that there should be a space to visit the deceased. According to Confucian tradition, every son is responsible for taking care of his parents, grandparents, and deceased ancestors through ritual offerings of food and other items. During the Obon festival usually held in mid-August, Japanese Buddhists will visit the family graves and make food and drink for their ancestors, as they believe that the deceased will visit the world. humanity during this time. The ancestral offerings are repeated every six months at the spring and autumn equinoxes, called “ohigan”.