The disposal of a dead person's body by burning it to ashes, often serving as a funeral or post-funeral rite. The ashes of the deceased are collected into urns to later be buried, enshrined, or scattered. In Japan, the urn may sometimes be placed within a kotsubako, a ceremonial box.
Cremation is universal in Japan compared to Western countries, the former from an imitation of the Buddha and space concerns and the latter traditionally from the Christian belief in the resurrection of the flesh.
