日本의 都市家族移動과 祖上祭祀의 變容

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore with a folklore methodology how the ancestral rites have changed according to migration of families toward cities in Japan as seen in the concentration of population in urban areas in contemporary Japan. Folklore has so far been regarded as ‘a discipline outside of city’. Yet now in an age of service society, the villages in farming, mountainous, and fishing areas have been urbanized with the rapid movement of population. And this drift is expected to accelerate further in the future. Therefore, we can no longer find the autonomous order, which once governed the village life of the past. There can be many views of the Japanese respect for ancestral rites. First, it could have come from the traditional custom that deifies the deceased who passed away to ‘the other shore(彼岸)’. It gave rise to the idea that burning incense to them is not only for the deceased but also for the living to be consoled. Second, seen in the perspective that the deceased can be pleased with the rite, the respect for the ancestral rites show people’s belief that their ‘ancestors did not die’. However, this is not enough to answer the questions this paper raises. The concentration of population in urban areas in Japan seems to be similar to that in Korea. But compared to Korean people, remarkably low percentage of Japanese people seem to move to city areas. The reason could be found in the ‘high price for moving’ due to the national policy of Japan. Another reason might be found in the ‘sentiment of Japanese people’, who are used to living with an awareness of the meaningless of the world despite, or due to all those natural disasters that have frequented Japan. Nevertheless, the impression I received at the houses of mourning, Saijo, temples, Shinto shrines, crematoria, and cemeteries seems to testify to the spirit of respect for the ancestors. Significance of the present study could be found in this aspect. Previous studies and theoretical literature were examined for this study. Further, this study demanded the main theme of ‘ancestral rites according to the drift to urban family’ and detailed research into the movement of family to urban areas as well as the changes and practice of the rites.