The price of death
Subtitle: the funeral industry in contemporary Japan
By: Hikaru Suzuki.
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Published: 2000
Place of publication: Stanford, Calif
Language: eng
Number of pages: 266
Subjects: Undertakers and undertaking -- Japan; Funeral rites and ceremonies -- Japan
Description: "Funerary practices have long been a classic topic of anthropological inquiry, which has tended to focus on death rituals as expressions and reinforcers of community ties and values. In this book, the author looks at funerals as an urban business, based on her fieldwork at a large Japanese funeral company. Her central theme is the progressive commercialization of what once were primarily religious rituals.".

"The book depicts the process of contemporary Japanese funerals, the practices of those who provide commercial funeral services, and the motivations and behavior of the mourners who purchase those services. In so doing, it examines the role of funeral companies in shaping Japanese cultural practices and in changing an important aspect of Japanese society."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 239-255) and index.