A social-historical study of the spread of urban life-styles and changing views of life and death in Japan

在明治中期，kokubetsu-shiki（葬礼上的告别仪式）和神道婚礼仪式被开发出来，目的是改善和文明日本习俗。这就是所谓的现代日本的成年礼。“除了与传统日本家庭有关的习俗外，大多数宗教习俗都被认为是迷信。这些适合新的城市生活方式的现代成年仪式与家庭密切相关。起初，只有知识分子参加这些仪式，但逐渐大城市的普通民众也开始参加。随着1960年代经济的高速增长，这些习俗遍布全国。在此之前，“shaso”（公司葬礼）“只由大公司举行，但在繁荣之后，中小型企业也为他们的创始人举行了shaso。在这段时间里，许多人开始举行大规模和昂贵的仪式。自20世纪90年代以来，老年人数量的增加，沿着出生率的下降，使得根据旧的ie系统举行葬礼变得困难。例如，过去很难购买没有后代的坟墓的使用权。为了让人们选择自己的埋葬方式，现在正在开发“自然葬”（将骨灰撒在海洋或陆地上）和其他新的埋葬习俗。举办传统葬礼的社会压力已经减弱，日本的葬礼变得更加私人化。因此，人们对死亡和丧葬仪式的看法越来越多样化。

In mid-Meiji, kokubetsu-shiki (farewell ceremony during funerals) and Shinto wedding ceremonies were developed with the aim of improving and civilizing Japanese customs. These were the so-called modern Japanese "rites of passage." Except for those customs relating to the traditional Japanese household, or ie, most religious customs were considered mere superstitions.These modern rites of passage, suitable for the new urban life-style, were closely connected to the ie tem. At first, only intellectuals took part in these rites, but gradually the general populace of large cities also began to participate. Following the period of advanced economic growth in the 1960s, these customs spread throughout the entire country. Prior to this period, "shaso" (company funerals) " were only conducted by large companies, but after the boom, medium and small-sized businesses also held shaso for their founders. A large number of people also began conducting large-scale and expensive ceremonies during this time.Since the 1990s, the increased number of elderly people, along with a decrease in the birth rate have made it difficult to hold funerals based on the old ie system. For example, it used to be very difficult to buy the rights to a grave without descendants. "Shizen-so" (natural funeral : scattering bone-ashes in the ocean or on land) and other new burial customs are now being developed to allow people to choose how they will be buried. Societal pressure to conduct a traditional funeral service has weakened and Japanese funerals are become more private. As a result, views of death and mortuary rites are becoming more diversified.