One last fashion statement

Shinto Shrine  (Photo by Bakkai)

"To be or not to be" is no longer the ultimate question.  In Shinto Japan, fashion trumps even death.

Because Shinto followers believe that dressing a corpse properly can cleanse its “impure spirit,” Japanese funeral directors take their fashion statements seriously.  They must therefore be adept in “the ritual dressing of the dead.”

In order to encourage such expertise, Tokyo’s Life Ending Industry EXPO 2017 held an “encoffinment competition.”  “Four contestants dressed live human volunteers… as funeral music gently played in the background.”

One viewer gushed, “The movements of [the contestants’] hands were really beautiful.”  Graceful movements plus an “ability to dress the body without revealing too much bare skin” were the key winning factors.

Resources

https://www.yahoo.com/news/drop-dead-beautiful-japan-undertakers-tested-dress-corpse-113351335.html 

Copyright September 5, 2017 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved