The changing face of funerals

The Japanese funeral and burial culture that was formed during the Edo era is changing. Accompanying the postwar economic growth, the traditional family structure has gradually been dismantled over successive generations and there has been a trend toward nuclear families. The Great East Japan Earthquake broke up families and caused local communities to collapse. The great number of dead as well as missing and unidentified bodies has led to a review of funeral and burial customs in that area.

With the super-aging society fast approaching, Christian churches are considering how to deal with funerals and burials as one means of outreach. Churches are faced with challenges such as how to deal with funerals of church members, how to show consideration for their family members, and how to assist non-Christians who are troubled about funerals and burials.

The changing face of funerals in Japan

Rites of passage in Japan are usually conducted in Shinto-style during a person’s life and in Buddhist-style when they pass away. Recently, there’s been a big shift in Buddhist-style funerals. Instead of being held at home or temples, they are increasingly being held at ceremony halls. In the same way, graves were previously located on temple grounds, but are now being built in publicly owned graveyards and privately-owned cemetery parks. Funerals are becoming personalized, and there is a trend toward keeping a person’s ashes in a personal grave rather than one belonging to the wider family.

The funeral and burial culture of Japan is expected to change even more drastically in the coming years due to the estimated rise in the number of deaths. In 2004, 1.02 million people died. The number has continued to increase and is expected to reach 1.66 million a year by the year 2039. For the next 50 years or so, 1.5–1.6 million funerals a year are expected to be carried out. Probably less than 1% of those will be Christian funerals.

Mourning non-believing loved ones

Japanese churches hold funerals for church members but are not so likely to hold funerals for unbelievers. Some churches are reluctant about holding a funeral for unbelieving family members (even parents) of a church member. For this reason, people are under the impression that churches will conduct a funeral for Christians but not for non-believers. Isn’t that shameful? Shouldn’t we as Christians be willing to hold the funerals of our beloved family members at church even if they weren’t Christians?

Theological grounds for why churches should conduct funerals of non-Christians

What are the theological grounds for churches conducting funerals for unbelievers? The answer is probably funerals based on common grace. Common grace is a theological concept in which God shows astonishing favor towards people living in sin, and instead of bringing immediate destruction upon them, leaves them a chance of salvation.

In Matthew 5:45, Jesus says, “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and unrighteous” (NIV). Here, we see God’s amazing favor toward all humans, regardless of whether they are believers. In 2 Peter 3:9 we see God’s amazing patience toward all people: “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” And in Jonah 4:11, we see God’s gracious compassion toward “people who cannot tell their right hand from their left.” Would it not be right to say, then, that in the same way God is concerned about all Japanese people? Even for people who do not share in the bounty of special grace through our Lord Jesus, can’t we accept them as those who have been created by God and have been allowed to live by God’s gracious compassion? Can’t we hold a funeral for them at church to bring comfort to the bereaved?

From Christian Shimbun, April 17, 2016
Written by Katsuhiko Seino, translated by Grace Koshino
Illustration contributed by Christian Shimbun