Mass Graves in Japan

Reuters has reported on the way in which those affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan are dealing with their dead:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/23/us-japan-graves-idUSTRE72M1JE20110323

Buddhist traditional mortuary practices call for a particular sequence of events that must be followed after a death. Deceased individuals are to be returned home and placed in bed with their heads pointing north. A funeral, wake, and cremation are required before the ashes are transferred into an urn using chopsticks. The urn is displayed in the home for a period of time before eventually being buried.

With bodies expected to number in the tens of thousands as a result of the earthquake and tsunami, there is already a considerable back-up at morgues and crematoriums that cannot cope with the demand. A shortage of kerosene (used for cremations) is also leading to the closure of crematoriums.

With many bodies unidentified, authorities are being forced to bury them in mass graves, some only temporarily with exhumation and future cremation planned.

Witnessing events such as these illustrates the way in which funerary practices can be greatly influenced by natural disasters and other factors. This must be kept in mind when studying the archaeological record, as things are not always as they appear. Although Buddhist mortuary practices exist, they are not evident (and would not be archaeologically evident) in a situation where mass graves are the only burial option.