Shinto and Taoist Funeral Traditions: What to Expect

Shinto and Taoist (Daoist) are separate traditions, from Japan and China, and they meet death in very different ways. This guide is for guests, friends, coworkers, and professionals, and for families thinking about planning in the United States. It describes common practice, not a rule for every family, and it covers the two traditions in turn.

Who is this guide about?

Shinto is the indigenous religion of Japan, and Taoism is a religious and philosophical tradition of China. Many Japanese and Chinese Americans mix traditions, and many families would not call themselves “Shinto” or “Taoist” at all, while still following customs that come from them. For the wider Japanese and Chinese picture, see Japanese Funeral and Memorial Customs and Chinese Funeral Traditions.

Why are most Japanese funerals Buddhist?

The Encyclopedia of Shinto at Kokugakuin University explains that Buddhist clergy have been involved in Japanese funerals since the seventh century, and that involvement peaked when the Tokugawa government required every household to register at a Buddhist temple. The structure of Japanese funerals today keeps indigenous practices with Buddhist rites layered on top. The Encyclopedia says Buddhist rites still account for the great majority of Japanese funerals, though there is growing demand for Shinto services, known as shinsosai.

What shapes Shinto funeral practice?

Purification. In Shinto, contact with death is a source of kegare, a state of defilement that is cleansed by purification rites, and the idea still has force in Japan, even at Buddhist funerals. People who attend a Buddhist funeral often receive a small bag of salt to purify themselves before returning home. Shinto priests take particular care around death. Green Shinto, a website on Shinto, reports that Shinto funerals are not held in shrines but in other places, such as cemeteries and homes. It describes several reasons families choose a Shinto funeral: regional tradition, cost, and a break with a local Buddhist priest are among them.

What might I see at a Shinto funeral?

The same source describes a wake the day before the funeral, as in a Buddhist funeral. Mourners wash their hands before they enter, which marks a Shinto funeral as different, and priests lead the rites, often with a purification wand. Mourners may offer a tamagushi, a sacred branch, at the altar. After the funeral, guests purify themselves, as at a Buddhist funeral. If you are invited, ask a family member how to take part.

What shapes a Taoist funeral?

Daoist Info describes Daoist funerals as part of Chinese folk practice, with a full set of rituals whether the person who died was a Daoist priest or a lay person. Chanting scriptures is regarded as the foremost way of making merit. Rites are meant to pardon the person’s wrongs and help them ascend or be reborn well. The seven-day ritual (zuoqi) is the most common: rituals are performed every seven days after the death, from the first seven to the fifth, with the longest ritual on the seventh. Elaborate ceremonies such as the Water and Land Ritual can last seven days or longer. Daoist and Buddhist elements are often combined: Daoist Info notes that Buddhist monks may chant Daoist scriptures and Daoists may chant Buddhist ones.

What might I see at a Taoist funeral?

A cemetery’s blog describes loud, expressive mourning, especially as the coffin is closed, and mourners turn away rather than watch it being sealed or lowered. A funeral-industry guide describes incense and photographs, a priest chanting scriptures while others play drums and other instruments, mirrors covered, and a feast. After the funeral, relatives mourn for 49 days with prayers every seven days, and descendants may not cut their hair during that time. Guests commonly give the family an envelope of money to help with costs, according to the funeral-industry guide, which also says to give only one gift.

How can I be a good guest?

Ask a family member or friend what to expect and what to wear. Avoid bright colors, especially red, which is a celebratory color in Chinese culture; a Singapore funeral director’s guide gives this advice. For people of other faiths, a Singapore guide says guests such as Christians and Catholics may choose not to offer joss sticks and can still pay respects. Follow the family’s lead.

What should families planning a funeral in the United States think about?

For a Shinto service, ask whether a priest is available locally, and plan for purification rites such as hand-washing at the entrance. For a Taoist or mixed Buddhist-Taoist service, contact the temple you use early and ask about the schedule of weekly rites over 49 days. Tell the funeral home about evening chanting, incense, and food. For wider guidance on costs and options, see How to Compare Funeral Homes and Understand Pricing.

What doesn’t this guide cover?

• Ritual and priestly detail, which belong to the traditions
• Differences between Taoist lineages and regions, and Shinto shrine and household practice
• Buddhist funerals, covered in Buddhist Funeral Traditions
• Review by the community. This guide needs review by Shinto and Taoist priests and Japanese and Chinese community members before it is promoted widely

Practices vary widely by community, family, and faith. This is general information, not religious or legal advice and not a substitute for the family’s own guidance. It has not yet been reviewed by members of the Shinto and Taoist community.