Japanese Death Rituals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Japanese Death Rituals - Essay Example This peculiar aspect of the Japanese death rituals is quiet confusing. While on the one side, the Japanese exhibit a ceremoniously discernable respect for a deceased individual; on the other side they consider the death to be some sort of an infectious occurrence that has the potential to pollute the family members and close ones of a dead person. Japanese abhorrence for cats in their death rituals and their fascination with directions is really typical. The practice of digging a woman's grave deeper then that of a man's though unusual is perhaps indicative of the subaltern status of the women in the Japanese society. One universal aspect of the Japanese beliefs about death is that a funeral in Japan is considered to be a predominantly community event where the members of a community or a neighborhood do everything possible to help a bereaved family perform the necessary funeral rituals and extend the possible material and emotional support to the family members of a deceased person, so as to help them come to terms with their grief. Also, the close affiliation of death and funerals in Japan with religious beliefs, ceremonies and rituals is something that is common to a majority of the world cultures and societies. The special reverence shown by the Japanese for a dead person by lighting incense and candles and such other rituals are also universal in their approach.