In the early period of the Ryukyuan (Okinawan People) the deceased were buried in caves and on the hillsides along the seashore. For many years the Okinawan people buried their family and relatives in this fashion.This practices went on until some time around the late 13 hundreds.

The initial place the tombs came from was a place in southern China named Fujian. It was a Buddhist priest who constructed and built the first detailed tomb in the 14th century, around nine hundred years ago. Back in that time and era the first Tombs were only used for the ones in high government positions only. The purpose of building the tombs, was to honor their ancestors plus carry on their family history.

At the beginning there was only two types of tombs built. The tombs were classified in two different types in according to their external shapes. One was the turtleback type and the other one was the gable type. The entire structure of a tomb, according to the common belief, is to symbolize the position of a woman giving birth to a child. This idea is related to Buddhist philosophy; meaning returning to the source where one originally came from.

At the beginning of the Meiji government in 1897, the Meiji government gave the Okinawan people permission and the right to build and have family tombs too preserve family history. Up until the Meiji Era government came in to effect the only ones that had the honor to be placed in tombs or the ones that was recognized, were the ones in the high government positions or, were wealthy and had close ties to ones in high positions with in the government. Now that the Okinawan people was given the right to have family tombs another responsibly was given to the oldest son to maintain the tomb; to in sure that the history of the family is carried on to the next generation. The only ones that are placed in the family tomb up on death is, the mother and father and any children that has not married and the first son and his wife or, the one that is responsible in caring for the tomb. In some cases you will find that the second son be the one to maintain the family tomb because; the first son may have passed away before marring or having a son. In a rare occasions you will see the third son with the responsible in caring for the tomb; in to the event there are no sons in the family you will see the first daughter caring for the tomb.

Maintaining the tomb carried some very sensitive duties once the tomb is open. Once a family member passes away and has been laid in the tomb, the tomb is closed for seven to thirteen years before it is reopened in less another family member dies that is to be put in the tomb. The reason is, all major events dealing with the tombs is done by using the Chinese calendar to insure the sign of that year coincides with the event that is about to happen in the tomb so the spirits living in the tomb are honored.

One of the biggest rituals in opening a tomb is, washing of the Bones this event is a very emotional task to complete. Even though it is called washing of the bones no water is used. The family members that inters the tomb inter with only dry clothes ,a small bowl and a large vase they will also have a set of wooden sticks somthing like chop sticks but much bigger and they are joined together like a set of tweezers. The first son or the one that is in charge has the task to start from the toes and go to the skull cleaning off all the skin or flesh that has not dissolved or desegregated and remove it with the cloth. Once the bones have been cleaned the bones will be pasted down to each family member starting from the feet of the deceased with the tweezer like chop sticks and pass it to the next person in which they will take the bone with there chop stick and pass it to the next person till it reaches the first son. The first son will then place the bones in a vase starting with the feet being the first thing in the vase placing them in the order the person would be structured with the skull at the top of the vase. In to the event the deceased person was married and the spouse is already in the tomb and placed in a vase; the person that is cleaning the bones has to take out all the bones in the vase and place both of them together back in the same vase in the same order as they were structured with the skulls on the top to unite them once again.

Recently it has been difficult to find large sites to build tombs such as a turtleback tomb, or the gable type tomb due to the crowding in the living space. Now it has become a growing business to sell pre-constructed small tombs. Along with the smaller Pre-constructed tombs taking hold, cremation has also taken a big step in the way most of the people are buried now.

You may think of cremation in the way that most people think of cremations; ashes are the only things left, not so in the way it is done in Okinawa. When a person is cremated in Okinawa the only thing that is burnt completely is the flesh. Once the flesh is burnt then the old method is back to the old tradition where the bones are put in a vase the same way as if they opened the tomb after a person was in the tomb for seven to thirteen years; this time they don't have to wait for seven to thirteen years, in this case the bones are already cleaned and are picked up with thongs by each surviving family member and placed in the vase in the same order as done before only at the cremation place dealing, "with the memories only once while passing the bones to the next family member" then the bones are brought to the home for one day then took to the tomb, Note; some villages keep the bones in the home the person lived in for a week then take them to the tomb.

After a person is put in the tomb the family sets up a spot in the house and honors that person for a total of forty-nine days after time of death. Every seven days there is always a special day for the person that died where family members and friends gather at the tomb where the person is laid and at the home where they lived brining food and fruit that they liked when they were alive. In most cases small mounts of money is laid at the foot of the family To-To-Me "Buts-Dan" close to the photo of the deceased person to help with the funeral. On the forty-ninth day the oldest son burns the deceased persons favorite cloths and some paper representing money with the thought that it will go to them so they will have their favorite cloths and some money to get what they might need in their new land or place were they live now.

Most of the Okinawans feel cremations is the best way because; you would not have to be around the very bad smell of a decaying body in the event some one past away shortly after one had been put in the tomb and you had to re-open the tomb to put this other person in the tomb. There is also another reason ; a person doesnft have to deal with the emotional aspect twice, once after death and then on down the road in the future when they bone cleaning needs to be done.

Last updated 03/06/10