A Study on Current Situation of “Tomb dismantling” in Hokkaido

Abstract

This study aimed to grasp the current situation of ongoing “tomb dismantling”. Tomb dismantling is to remove remains of ancestor and restitute the division in a graveyard for reasons such as the absence of successor. A questionnaire survey was conducted to all 179 local municipalities in Hokkaido focusing on the current 5-year-state of the number of neglected tomb, group burial sites and transfer of remains. As results, the following insights were obtained. The number of neglected tomb was steadily increasing and the tomb dismantling by administrators increased approximately twice. The restitution of cemeteries from users has increased steadily by about 1.5 times over the past five years, accounting for about half of the relocation of remains. The graveyard officer recognizes that the main reason for tomb dismantling is due to lack of successors, change of residence, and then a change to a new burrials. In recent years, public graves have spread. In the past five years, the total acceptable amount of remains has been tripled, and the actual number of burials has also doubled. The number of remains transferred has increased 1.5 times over the last five years. The move to the public cemetery has increased by a factor of 4.5, and it is becoming the main destination after tomb dismantling. As the remains transferred beyond the scope of local municipalities when new group burial sites are built, the group burial sites are considered to be a major factor in accelerating tomb dismantling.