ABSTRACT
Changes in funeral customs in modern Japan are examined in three areas, while simultaneously investigating a change in their accompanying concep tions, namely a diminishing awareness of defilement. The three areas are those of the organizations which manage funerals, the methods for disposing of corpses, and the burial grounds. Each of these are currently undergoing major changes, with shifts from traditional funeral cooperatives (sōshiki-gumi) to undertakers (sōgiya), from burials (dosō) to cremations (kasō), and from traditional cemeteries (bochi) to modern memorial parks (reieri).
