wakibitos

韓国の友人が四世代前から続く彼の家の墓所の写真を送ってくれた。去年の夏雑草を刈ったときに撮ったという。この写真をみた日本の友人は、土饅頭どまんじゅう型の墳墓は女性器をかたどっていると云う。

ひと昔前まで韓国の埋葬は土葬が一般的だったようだが、いまはほとんどの人が火葬だという。土葬か火葬かは別として、石墓より土饅頭型の墓のほうが温ぬくもりがあっていい、と僕は思う。

韓国の友人は僕の遺骨をこの墓の一角に入れるという。写真奥の一段低い墓に入れるか、墓の近くに僕の好きな樹木を植え、その根に埋葬するというのだ。ありがたいことこの上ない。

この話しを聞いて埋葬･血縁･家族･地縁･仏教･基督教･道教･神道など、いろいろなことを考えた。墓や夫婦･家族とはいったい何なのだろう、地縁･血縁や友情･愛情だけでは捉えられない、仏教でいう眷属けんぞくということか。

A Korean friend of mine sent me a picture of his family’s cemetery, which has been there for four generations. He said he took the picture last summer when he was cutting weeds. Upon seeing the photo, my Japanese friend said that the earthen manju-shaped tombs resemble female genitalia.

Burial used to be the norm in Korea until a few decades ago, but now most people are cremated. Regardless of whether burial is by earth or cremation, I think that a manju-shaped grave is better than a stone grave because of its warmth and warmth.

My Korean friend said he would put my remains in one corner of this grave. He will either put them in the grave at the back of the photo or plant my favorite tree near the grave and bury them in its roots. I am very grateful.

Hearing this story, I thought about burial, blood, family, land, Buddhism, Christianity, Taoism, Shintoism, and many other things. What exactly is a grave, a couple, a family, or what Buddhism explains as kenzoku? (Translated with DeepL.)