Japanese Funeral Lanterns

[Claycat4]

What a lovely way to pay homage to a relative who has passed!

[hlhover]

Very touching....I never knew that Kurt. A loving way to honor someone who has died. I love the lanterns. Heather

[tetsuya6336]

Hey Kart, nice video!

I just realised that the family crest is similar to the one owned by a member of the 47 Ronins, Masatoki Nakamura(中村　正辰). If you dont know about the story of 47 ronins, you can refer to wikipedia by putting '47 ronins' in search blank.

So I guess that your wife's family is related to him somehow.

[BrishenAlston]

I'm very interested in Japanese family altars where photos are laid out and incense is burned. How does that work?--I'd like to make one for my family some day.

[lostinxlation]

I haven't heard of sleeping in the same room thing. I thought you shouldn't sleep at all. In general, when someone died, you should be awake all night to keep the candle lights on, which is where the term 通夜 comes from.

[softypapa]

I believe that you are indeed correct in noting that people will normally stay awake (TheJapanChannelDcom confirmed this as well). I guess that it is just my wife's family which does otherwise as when I asked her she told me she and her family slept through the night. I will update the info and annotations to reflect how things are supposted to be done. Thank you for your help. -Kurt :-)

[TheJapanChannelDcom]

I have been to funerals 36 hours after they died..

I also went to one with one hours notice..

[FeileCase]

HI KURT, TIBETAN BUDDHHISTS DO A SIMILAR RITUAL WHERE CHANTS ARE READ ALOUD TO THE PERSON AT THE TIM EOF DEATH AND AFTER DEATH FOR SEVERAL DAYS,,,OFTEN AROUND THE CLOCK. BECAUSE I HAD LATENIGHTS & EARLY MORNINGS AVAILABLE TO ME AT THE TIME...when A FRIEND OF MINE who had passed... I GOT THE LATE NIGHT SHIFT. IT WAS QUITE A COMFORTING EXPIERIENCE.

[MicknFumi]

I just asked Fumi about it, coz her grandma died last weekend. She said, when you sleep in the same room, you have to stay awake to make sure a candle stays alight. Interesting vid Kurt, I didn't know about it.

[softypapa]

@MicknFumi That`s very interesting. I wonder what is thought to happen should the candle go out. Rather spooky methinks. -Kurt :-)

[MicknFumi]

Yeah nah lol thats why you stay awake, so if it does, you just relight it.

[MicknFumi]

@fuzzypaws17 Sorry to hear about your wife mate...it would have been very hard.

[MicknFumi]

@fuzzypaws17 Oh you removed your comment (not that there was anything wrong with it), but it still popped up in my inbox...Have a good one mate : )

[MicknFumi]

@fuzzypaws17 I don't like busy cities, no matter what country I'm in...places like Shibuya crossing in Tokyo kinda freak me out when I have a thousand people coming toward me that I have to weave my way through.

[kidzero22]

hey kurt, what's your wife family crest?

[softypapa]

@kidzero22 The Suzuki family crest consists of several plum blossoms arranged in a symmetrical pattern. I think that the bento shop Tenjinya uses the same crest. -Kurt :-)

[spedknot]

great video, need to learn the most i can before i go visit after college.

[softypapa]

@spedknot I hope that you have a splendid trip to Japan. Let me know if you come through Shizuoka and want to go for a hike! -Kurt :-)

[spedknot]

@softypapa real nice to know that i have a friend in japan. I am hoping to get the chance to teach English there once i get my BA degree.

[bloodymissb]

Very interesting, thank you. It always seems like it's hard to obtain tidbits of information about Japan that are a little hush hush or rude to discuss, so I appreciate these little glimpses. They are enlightening.

As for the custom of sitting with the departed loved ones, I don't think the Japanese are completely alone in this, there are other countries who have done very similar(though maybe not exact) behaviors of keeping the deceased in the home and giving it company the first day or two.

[softypapa]

@bloodymissb Your points are excellent and its interesting to consider how many cultures share this custom. The Japanese are such a family-oriented society and many Japanese are keen to keep alive the memory of those who have passed. Photos of old people in kimono grace the wall above the family butsudan in the living room at my wife's home. These are the images of the departed who are enshrined in the altar and who's images are always close at hand. -Kurt

[Luminasita]

I mentioned the practice of sleeping in the same room as the departed to my husband, who said there used to be a similar tradition in the southern United States. Never heard of it before!

~Kat

[softypapa]

@Luminasita Hi Kat, There is a rather morbid spin on this tradition which I will share with you. I live rather close to a dense forest called Aokigahara (aka suicide forest) where many Japanese go to end their lives. The forest rangers often find bodies in the forest and keep a special room in the ranger hut. Apparently, rangers will take turns sleeping with the bodies in honor of this old custom. Don't know if this is really true though I saw it on a Japanese documentary. -Kurt

[allgoo19]

Thanks for the info softypapa. I didn't know this. It maybe a regional thing.

About the idea to make the video for the kids more intersting to them, how about showing something that the thing or event is actually attached to people's everyday life by posting a picture, drawing created for Japanese themselves. Yakitori in the other video for example, by googling, I got many hits for the images. If it's shown in anime, that will definitely get the kids attention.

[softypapa]

@allgoo19 I really like your suggestion of finding ways to relate a topic to the way people (kids especially) live and experience whatever is being taught. Thank you very much for taking the time to share your ideas. -Kurt :-)