Did you know that the "idea of ​​graves," long considered common sense among Japanese people, is now causing concern for many people? For starters, the traditional approach to graves is no longer compatible with modern lifestyles. Graves have been cared for for generations, but in today's declining population, there is naturally a shortage of people to care for them. The neglect of graves is not a sign of individual decadence or poor treatment of our ancestors. It is not a matter of personal selfishness or something that can be solved by individuals; it is a major societal issue. Isn't it time for each of us to reconsider the ideals of graves?

These changes in social structure are behind the increasing number of people closing their graves and reburying their remains in tree burials, which incur no extra costs. Tree burials are said to be the most popular, but it is undeniable that even those who have reburied their remains in tree burials are expressing distress. Did you know that there are various styles of tree burials? Furthermore, there are some tree burials where you have to pay ongoing management fees even if you don't have to pay the cost of erecting a tombstone.

Also, there are cases where a large amount of perpetual memorial service fees is demanded under the guise of perpetual memorial services. Initially, the remains are buried in an urn at the base of a tree, but if a tree burial involves the remains being removed after a few years and placed together in a communal grave, wouldn't it have been better to have a communal grave from the beginning? Furthermore, once the communal grave is filled, the remains are treated as waste and disposed of with the garbage.

I want to think carefully about my grave, and I don't want to act without careful consideration and end up regretting it later. So, is there a type of grave that allows me to cherish my connection with the deceased, allows me to visit the grave when necessary, doesn't impose a financial burden on surviving family members, and requires little maintenance? The method must be socially and legally acceptable, and emotionally acceptable.

Personally, I sometimes find dilapidated ordinary graves creepy, but I don't feel that same unease with ancient graves like kofun. Old tombs were very large, and the scale is clearly different from modern ordinary graves. The scale is such that the entire mountain is the grave. Of course, I understand that these are the graves of great people who held great powers in their lifetime, but when I imagine the feeling that "this entire mountain, this entire forest is the grave!", it no longer feels creepy at all. When I thought about what this difference might be, I realized that it might be the difference between something that is man-made, or something that feels like a part of nature. Of course, I don't have any special abilities like psychic powers, and I'm just an ordinary person who doesn't subscribe to any particular religion. I'm not sure, but I thought that by returning the body to nature, the soul might be able to rest in peace more smoothly.

Of course, there is a certain reverence toward nature, but if you think about it carefully, nature is filled with life and death. Conversely, nature breathes and thrives through the repeated cycle of birth and death of a wide variety of living creatures. Conversely, it is we modern people who treat death as something extraordinary, and even come to abhor it. In today's health-conscious and materialistic climate, the thing we most want to avoid has become a "highly expensive death." Human death is actually a much more everyday occurrence, and we live our lives treating it as something to be avoided rather than facing it head-on. I wondered if this modern perception might be a form of social brainwashing, so I did a little research.

After doing a little research, I learned that ordinary graves were a result of the temple parish system of the Edo period, and that before that, scattering ashes in the mountains was the norm. I also learned that ordinary graves themselves are not a Buddhist concept, but were merely a political policy of the time.

I was initially concerned about having a grave that would require ongoing payments like maintenance fees and donations, down to future generations...but I also had doubts about the idea of ​​throwing the ashes into the sea and completely disappearing without a trace. I feel like there would be no place to pray when visiting the grave, which could lead to regret later. And since humans are not originally marine creatures, I'm not particularly keen on scattering ashes in the ocean, where they cannot be returned to the earth.

To turn a mountain into a grave, you first need to acquire the mountain itself. In other words, you need to purchase real estate. But wait, aren't mountains selling for cheap these days? It's only recently that real estate has fallen in value so cheaply. Real estate has had value since ancient times. You could simply purchase the mountain, but even if you personally own a mountain, it will eventually be inherited or sold and used for other purposes. So, a project to treat the forest as a grave and manage it like one would be an eternal project. With many people resting there, the place will remain a natural forest with a meaningful role as a grave. Furthermore, this "Forests as Graves" project should have a positive effect on the sustainability of the global environment. The key to the survival of humanity is harmony with nature and a shift to a sustainable lifestyle. We believe that environmental awareness and the choices each individual makes in their daily lives will enable us to restore the Earth to its future.

"Forest scattering" is a natural burial where the remains are returned to nature. It is similar to "tree burial," which involves burial at the base of a tree, but is slightly different. While "tree burial" involves digging a hole in the ground and burying the remains in an urn, "forest scattering" involves grinding the remains into a fine powder beforehand and scattering them in the mountains. The remains are not buried underground, but rather scattered over the ground like the "Grandpa Who Made Flowers Bloom." In the wild, grass grows and bare ground is rarely found, so the white remains are not left in one place. The powdered remains gradually return to the soil as they are exposed to wind and rain. Furthermore, while in a typical "tree burial," the remains are exhumed and interred after a certain number of years, in the case of "forest scattering," the remains cannot be manually retrieved, so they rest there forever. Japan has a long tradition of "mountain worship," which views the entire mountain as a sacred object. ・・・

"Ocean scattering" is a funeral method that has become popular not only in Japan but around the world. Scattering ashes into rivers is not permitted in Japan, so this method seems to be gaining popularity. It is particularly popular as a way to say goodbye to a deceased loved one, and services such as chartering a motorboat or cruiser to scatter ashes offshore are popular. However, the drawbacks of this method include the fact that the ocean is easily affected by weather, which can suddenly result in a cancellation on the scheduled date, and the relatively high cost of chartering a boat. Our company, SANKOTSUYAMA, offers an "Ocean Scattering Plan," which uses our small boat, eliminating the additional cost of chartering a boat. All costs are included in the price. Furthermore, "ocean scattering" does not necessarily require the services of a specialized scattering company. Individuals are not prohibited from scattering powdered ashes into the sea. However, scattering ashes is prohibited near fishing ・・・