Comparative Studies of Ancestor Worship in Japan and China

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

This paper deals with the different ways ceremonies are held to appease the spirits of ancestors, focusing on customs of China and Japan. The role and results of each researcher is as follows : Toshihiro Yabu concluded that the origin of the custom of holding ceremonies for one's ancestors in Japan relates to that of China, through the analysis of "Shijing" and its influence on Japan. Kazumoto Nakamura revealed the fusion of strengthening religious beliefs in Jodo-shu and the concept of purity of bones of the body by the believers in Shari-belief, from the perspective of the shift in Japanese customs of ceremonies for their ancestors and the shift in concept toward the bones of the dead body. Yasuhiro Nakamura showed that theory of funeral and ancestor worships and the concept of soul in Confucianism had been accepted while 'Funeral Buddhism' was being established. Kosei Usami discussed life and death in the context of current society, such as problems of maintaining a family tomb in the age of the nuclear family or the age of decreasing population of children in society, organ transplantation, and mercy killing, by regarding customs of holding ceremonies for ancestors as an ethical function, taking into consideration the changes in the views toward life and death. Naohiro Kimura revealed that the emphasis on the sounds of metal percussion in ceremonies for ancestors is closely tied to Thunder God worships in China. On the other hand, sounds of wood-and-skin drums are favored in Japan. Yukihiro Nosaka focused on the group of novelists, named "Dai-san-no Shinjin (the Third New Face)," and presented the view of one's ancestors as displayed in the modern and contemporary Japanese literature.