Japanese farewell

Spiritual and personal

Japanese funeral rites have two parts: the wake and the farewell ceremony. The wake is held in the evening. The person who has died lies in a coffin with a shuttered window at face height. Family members, friends and companies buy flowers, which are displayed with name cards, and food is also offered symbolically. A Buddhist monk attends the wake and reads sutras for around 30 to 40 minutes. These are intended to help the deceased begin the journey into the next world and become a good Buddhist. During the reading, guests approach a prepared table alone or in pairs. It holds incense grains, or Makkō (抹香), and an incense burner. The farewell ceremony takes place on the morning after the wake. It begins in the same way as the previous day: the monk reads sutras and visitors pray for the deceased. This time, however, incense is burnt and prayers are said twice rather than once. The coffin is then opened so that everyone has the opportunity to say goodbye. Personal belongings are placed inside; in our example, these included clothes, a jumper and a hat because the grandfather always took great care over his appearance, as well as sheet music for the favourite songs he had sung with friends at karaoke. We offer a personal, traditional Buddhist ceremony in Japan, Germany or elsewhere in the world. Please contact us for further information.