1. Procedure for holding a wake and funeral

2. Schedule after the funeral

3. Description on traditional practice concerning funerals

1.	Matsugo-no-mizu	: Water of the last moment
2.	Kamidana-fuji	: Confining a household shrine
3.	Makura-kazari	: Decoration by bedside of the deceased
4.	Kakejiku	: A hanging picture
5.	Kitamakura	: Turnig the dead person's head to the north
6.	Sakasagoto	: Practice for inverting manners of a daily life
7.	Shinishozoku	: A dress for a journey to eternity
8.	Kichu-fuda	: Period of mourning
9.	Mofuku	: Mourning dress
10.	Juzu	: Rosary
11.	Ihai	: Mortuary tablet
12.	Shoko	: Incense offering
13.	Koden	: Obtuary gift
14.	Omote-gaki	: Title written on a front side of an envelope containing contribution to the priest called " Fuse ".
15.	Tsuya	: Wake
16.	Kokorozuke	: Tips
17.	Kotsuage	: Gather a person' s ashes
18.	Kiyome-shio	: Purification salt
19.	Koden-gaeshi	: Giving a token in acknowledgement of an obituary gift.
20.	Kiake	: Out of mourning
21.	Kaimyo/Homyo	: A posthumous Buddhist name
22.	Otoki	: Dishes served in memorial services
23.	Mochu-hagaki	: Mournig card
24.	Bunkotsu	: Burying parts of a person s ashes in separate places.

1.Matsugo-no-mizu : Water of the last moment

Giving water to the deceased in hopes of his/her revival. Prepare a new writing brush or splittable chopsticks, cover its and with sanitary cotton in water by which thread and then soak the sanitary cotton in water by which the lip of the deceased is moistened.

2.Kamidana-fuji : Confining a household shrine

Conceal the household shrine with a white paper with flap doors closed. This has been said to keep the household pure from impurity of death.

3.Makura-kazari : Decoration by bedside of the deceased

Place a small table covered with a white cloth ( white or silver altar cloth ) with three items ( flower,incense and a lighted candle ) displayed and a bowl of rice, dumpling,water and the like offered on a Buddhist alter. It is a rule to spread the flower, incense and the lighted candle from left to right as you face them.

4.Kakejiku : A hanging picture

The alcove ( a recess spot in a Japanese room ) has traditionally been considered as the place where soul of a dead person or divine spirit arrive. The alcove post has been said to be as a border between spiritual world and real world. During mourning period or in occasion of praying for the memorial service, the hanging picture of Gods or Buddha is displayed.

5.Kitamakura : Turnig the dead person's head to the north

According to the teaching how Buddha entered Nirvana, the dead person s head is turned to the north. If the body cannot be headed to the north for a certain reason, it may be turrned to the west.

6.Sakasagoto : Practice for inverting manners of a daily life

Executing a funeral through manners opposite to those of a daily life, for example, adding hot water for washing the body of the deceased and placing an inverted screen beside the remains. This concept relates to retrogression in time and reversal of position in the postmortem world.

7. Shinishozoku : A dress for a journey to eternity

The deceased is put on so called a grave clothes, a hood and a money pouch containing six pieces of money. This costume has a close resemblance to the traveling outfit in old days. So the SHINISHOZOKU can be regarded as the costume for starting on a journey to eternity. The six pieces of money in the pouch are said to be used as a ferriage for crossing Japanese Styx.

8. Kichu-fuda : Period of mourning

Put up a mourning-bordered paper notice with Period of mourning written thereon out side the house. Hanging out the lantern has effective way to notify neighbors of bereavement.

9. Mofuku : Mourning dress

In old days, people used to wear white in funerals. Especially the chief mourner was expected to wear " Shinishozoku " to act as substitute for the deceased. Today, people wears full dress in black for a funeral.A man usually wears black mourning dress or a set of haori ( Japanese traditional half coat) and hakama( divided skirt for formal wear for men ) of black silk material ( called Habutae ) with five crests. Woman usually wears black afternoon dress or solid black kimono with five crests over a white silk "Habutae" underwear.

10. Juzu : Rosary

Originally JUZU used to be a tool for counting number. It has been used to have mental concetration so as to get rid of worldly thoughts. A wide variety of rosaries ( different number of beas,side materials ) have been used dependent on a user who is either a man or a woman, or the religious sect. The rosary having 108 beads should be handled gently so as to get rid of 108 evil passions.

11. Ihai : Mortuary tablet

Generally ,Japanese believes that spirits do not exist in daily living enviroment, but come to see us when they are called in memorial rites performed in honor of ancestors. The spirits have been thought to appear with the aid of a certain medium such as the mortuary tablet, dagoba, tombstone and the like. The plain wood tablet, will be replaced with the black lacqquered tablet when the mourning period expires.

12. Shoko : Incense offering

Offering burned incense to a departed soul. In old days, mourners carried incense and put burned incense into an incense burner in front of the tablet of the deceased for worship. The shoko may be executed 3 times, each of which is offered to Buddhism and priest, or 2 times for burning the primary and the secondary incenses. However it may be executed once in case of a large number of mourners.

13. Koden : Obtuary gift

The Koden has originated from returning the money for the incense. At present this system has been established for the purpose of giving an offering to the deseased and reducing a financial burden of the family based on the concept of the funeral rite as an affair relating to the whole community.

14. Omote-gaki : Title written on a front side of an envelope containing contribution to the priest called " Fuse ".

Fuse stands for contribution in reward for services of the temple and priests.

15. Tsuya : Wake

It is a common custom worldwide to hold a wake for keeping a watch over the deceased. Generally relatives and mourners keep awake all throgh the night so fire is kept alive, as well as keeping food and drink in steady supply for spending the time merrily. Mourners keep a wake to watch the soul of the deceased from an evil spirit.

16. Kokorozuke : Tips

Giving contribution to neighbors who helped the funeral or housekeeping. It is a general custom to give tips to the driver of the casket coach, or a person working for the crematory.

17. Kotsuage: Gather a person' s ashes

Collect the ashes of the deceased with wooden or bamboo chopsticks by near of kin first. Ashes of those parts of the body in order of legs, arms, hipbone, back bone, teeth and skull are collected. Finally the ash of the Adam' s apple is picked up by a person who is the closest to the deceased by blood.

18. Kiyome-shio : Purification salt

It is an established custom to sprinkle the mourner coming from the funeral with salt before entering into the house for the purpose of exorcising. This custom, however, has no significant meaning because teaching of Buddhism dose not regard death as impurity.

19. Koden-gaeshi ：Giving a token in acknowledgement of an obituary gift.

Provide every mourner with some gift worth about half the amount of the received obituary gift on the seventh day of the death, shonanuka or several days before or after the 35th day of death. By this custom, reception of the obituary gift is acknowledged and mourners are notified of the end of mourning.

20. Kiake : Out of mourning

According to Buddhism, the mourning period expires accompanied wth the 35th and 49th day of memorial services after the death. According to Shinto, the mourning period expires on 30th and 50th days of celebration after death. The soul of the deceased stays in the real world until the 49th day of death. Attaining the 49th day of death, it has been said to leave for eternity.

21. Kaimyo/Homyo : A posthumous Buddhist name

These names used to be changed accompanied with growth of the soul in old days. They were used to name those who entered the Buddhist priesthood. These names represent symbols of faith in Buddha and attainment of spiritual awakening of Buddha.

22. Otoki : Dishes served in memorial services

Vegetarian dishes served in a Buddhist service. This word has been formed by mixing the word " Otogi " ( to keep awake) and " toki " ( to purify and coordinate) . In some are in Japan, a meal tray for the deceased is prepared during the services.

23. Mochu-hagaki : Mournig card

It is a soial custom to omit the New Year s greetings during the mourning period. Notice of omitting the New Year s greetings shall be sent to your friends and acquaintances from the end of November to early in December before the New Year so that they do not have to send New Year s greetings to you.

24. Bunkotsu : Burying parts of a person s ashes in separate places.

According to the teaching, on the day when Buddha entered Nirvana, Buddha s ashes through cremation was buried in eight places for holding religiou services by the respective followers. The ash of the deceased is partially kept buried in a grave in his/her native place, or in case of the Shinshu sect of Buddhism, it is partially kept in a mausoleum of a head temple.