Shinto Funeral Traditions: Rites, Customs and Etiquette

A Shinto funeral, known in Japanese as shinsōsai (神葬祭), is a funeral led by a Shinto priest in which the person who has died is honored as a spirit who joins the family's ancestors. These funerals are uncommon. Most funerals in Japan follow Buddhist rites, and the Shinto version differs mainly in what mourners offer (a sakaki branch instead of incense), in where it is held, and in the memorial rites that follow. Practice is not standardized across Japan and varies by region and by priest, so treat the outline below as typical rather than fixed.

What is a Shinto funeral?

Shinto is Japan's indigenous religion. It centers on kami (sacred spirits) and on keeping things ritually pure. In a Shinto funeral, the priest leads prayers and offerings that settle the spirit of the deceased and welcome it among the family's ancestral spirits, who are honored at the household altar.

A Shinto funeral is not the same as a Buddhist one, even though both take place in Japan and often look similar to outsiders. The two traditions use different offerings, different priests, different prayers and different memorial schedules.

Why are Shinto funerals rare?

Two things explain it: history and the idea of impurity.

History. During the Edo period (1603 to 1868), the Tokugawa government required households to register with a Buddhist temple, a system known as danka. Temples gained steady funeral work and came to run most death rites, a pattern sometimes called "funeral Buddhism." As of 2007, about 90 percent of Japanese funerals were Buddhist ceremonies, according to figures cited in reference works on Japanese funerals. Shinto shrines stayed focused on life events and seasonal festivals.

Impurity (kegare). In Shinto, death is a major source of kegare, often translated as impurity or pollution. It is not a moral judgment. It describes a state that needs to be cleansed through ritual. Because shrines are kept pure, death rites are traditionally held away from shrine grounds, and people in mourning avoid shrine visits and New Year shrine trips for a time.

What happens at a Shinto funeral?

The sequence varies, but the main stages are these:

1. Preparing the body. The family reports the death to the household altar and ancestral spirits. The body is dressed in white and placed in a coffin.
2. The wake (tsuya-sai) and spirit transfer (senrei-sai). On the evening before the funeral, the priest holds a vigil ceremony. In it, the spirit of the deceased is invited into a spirit tablet (reiji or reishi), which becomes the focus of later worship.
3. The funeral ceremony (sōjō-sai). This is the main service. It includes the priest's prayers, a eulogy, and offerings of tamagushi by the family and then by guests.
4. The cremation rite (kasō-sai). A short rite is held at the crematorium. Some families also hold a burial rite (maisō-sai) at the grave when the ashes are interred.
5. The return home (kika-sai) and shared meal (naorai). The family holds a purification rite on returning home, followed by a meal.

As in nearly all Japanese funerals, relatives usually take part in kotsuage, where they use long chopsticks to move bone fragments from the cremation tray into an urn. Two people hold the same bone together. Outside funerals, passing food from chopsticks to chopsticks is considered a serious breach of manners in Japan because it echoes this rite.

What is a tamagushi offering?

A tamagushi is a branch of sakaki, an evergreen tree sacred in Shinto, with white paper streamers attached. The offering, called tamagushi hairei, replaces the incense that Buddhist mourners offer. Family members go first, then guests, each placing a branch on the offering table in front of the altar.

If you are a guest, you do not need to know the steps in advance. The priest or a staff member normally shows you how to take the branch and turn it so that the stem points toward the altar. At a funeral, the two claps that are made at a shrine visit are traditionally done silently (shinobite). Watch those ahead of you and follow along.

What happens after the funeral?

Shinto memorial rites mark set milestones after death. They are held at about 10 days, then at 50 days and 100 days, and then each year, with longer gaps later such as the third, fifth and tenth years.

The 50th-day rite (gojūnichi-sai) is the most important of the early rites. It is the Shinto counterpart of the Buddhist 49th day, and it is when the mourning period for close relatives traditionally ends. To compare, see our guide to the Buddhist 49 days.

During the mourning period (kichū), which can last up to 50 days for a parent, spouse or child, families traditionally avoid shrine visits. They also skip New Year's celebrations and send a card in advance, called a mochū hagaki, to tell others they will not send New Year's greetings. At Buddhist funerals, and at many Shinto ones too, guests are often handed a small packet of salt to purify themselves before entering their own homes.

How is a Shinto funeral different from a Buddhist one?

The Buddhist posthumous name can be costly. Reference sources on Japanese funerals report prices ranging from standard rates to a million yen or more. Shinto has no equivalent standardized fee.

How much does a Shinto funeral cost?

There is no reliable published price for Shinto funerals alone. Priest fees are not standardized, and the total depends on the venue, the number of guests, the region and the meal. For context, a 2008 survey by the Japan Consumers Association found that the average Japanese funeral, of any religion, cost about 2.31 million yen, of which about 549,000 yen went to the priest. That figure is nearly two decades old, mostly reflects Buddhist services and has not been updated here, so use it only as a rough guide and ask the priest or funeral hall for a written quote.

Attending a Shinto funeral as a guest

• Dress in plain, dark formal clothing, as at any Japanese funeral. Our guide on what to wear to a funeral covers the basics.
• Gift envelopes. Giving money to the family is customary in Japan. The wording on the envelope differs between Shinto and Buddhist funerals, so ask the family or the funeral hall rather than guessing.
• Leave out Buddhist items. Do not bring prayer beads or incense. If you are unsure, follow the priest and the family.
• Language. Avoid saying the person has become a Buddha. In Shinto, the deceased joins the ancestral spirits.

What to do next

1. If you are arranging a Shinto funeral, contact a shrine or Shinto priest early. In Japan, funeral halls can often arrange a priest. Outside Japan, shrines are few, so you may need to ask a Japanese cultural association.
2. Ask the priest for a written list of the rites, the dates and the fees.
3. If family members hold different beliefs, our guide on interfaith funeral planning can help you talk it through.

For comparison, see Japanese funeral traditions, Buddhist funeral traditions and our broader overview of cultural funeral considerations.