Death and Funeral Practices in Japan

This book provides a clear and comprehensive introduction to the past, present, and future direction of death rituals and deathcare systems within Japan.

Hannah Gould is a Cultural Anthropologist working in the areas of death, religion, and material culture, with a regional specialisation in Australia and North-East Asia. Aki Miyazawa is a Sociologist of Religion working in the areas of death and funerary practices in contemporary societies. Shinya Yamada is Professor of Folkloristics at the National Museum of Japanese History and a world-leading expert on death and funerals in Japan.

1. Japan: An Introduction 2. History 3. Governance 4. Demographic and Legal Frameworks 5. Religion 6. The Funeral Industry 7. The Funeral 8. Finances 9. Cremation and Crematoria 10. Cemeteries and Interment 11. Commemoration 12. Conservation