ANT 101

1) Select one aspect of culture from the list . Once you've made your selection, please delete all other options.

Rites of passage <<<topic

2) Select a source to use for Part I of the paper. You will be using your textbook and the article by Miner for this part of the paper, but for this worksheet, include the source you found through your own research. Review the tutorial on evaluating sources and enter your reference in the space below.

Yamaguchi, P. (2017). Keeping the Culture of Death Alive: One Hundred Years of a Japanese American’s Family Mortuary. Genealogy, 1(3), 15.

3) Include the reference for Part II that corresponds to the topic you’ve chosen. Copy and paste the reference entry from the table (e.g., if you chose Education, you would use the article by Jonson for Part II).

Tsuji, Y. (2011). Rites of passage to death and afterlife in Japan. Generations Journal of the American Society on Aging, 35(3), 28-33. Retrieved from the EBSCOhost database.

4) Summarize the main points from each of your sources. See this guide for help with summarizing your sources. Summary of your source for Part I (include one to two paragraphs, totaling at least 300 words). Enter your summary in the space below.

The ritesof passage for the Japanese after death is a complex heritage, especially when practiced in a country that is distant from their homeland Japan. The identity of the Japanese heritage in the American society is upheld by the Fukui Mortuary, a site where the culture and identity of the Japanese people have been sustained for ten decades. Notably, the culture of the Japanese people, particularly before and after death, utterly differs from that of the American society (Yamaguchi, 2017). The complexity of this heritage is expressed during the time of death, a cultural practice that has been continually practiced by the Fukui Mortuary in the United States. While in their daylight and professional spaces, the Japanese-Americans perceive their norms and habits as American (Yamaguchi, 2017). However, this differs during bereavement and mourning spaces whereby they have to tag along other Japanese-Americans to offer comfort through customs and rituals that have crossed bridges over generations.

The common custom practiced by the Fukui Mortuary is the after death rituals. The ritual and prayers of the Japanese-Americans are conducted every seven days till the 49th and again at the 100th day. While this differs from the American norms where the dead are treated as mere memories, the Japanese-Americans have upheld their customs. Primarily, the article focuses on the Fukui Mortuary and over ten decades of leadership and community involvement in the U.S for the Los Angeles-based Japanese American community (Yamaguchi, 2017). By exploring the communication and culture of this site and its connection to gender, ethnicity, and generation, the piece evaluates how the Fukui Mortuary has served the Japanese-Americans in times of bereavement and death. The mortuary is not only part of the extended families, but also significant to the familial identity (Yamaguchi, 2017). Considerably, the article examines the significance of this mortuary to the community as it facilitates multicultural arrangements such as the implementation of Buddhist and Christian practices as well as non-religious ceremonies that are imperative for this community.

Summary of your source for Part II (include one to two paragraphs, totaling at least 300 words).Enter your summary in the space below.

The article “Rites of Passage to Death and Afterlife in Japan” by Yohko Tsuji highlights on how the American and the Japanese cultures differ based on their treatment of the dead. Notably, the article examines how the Japanese treat the dead and how they pay respect to their ancestors. For example, the Tsuji, 2011, states that the death ritual continues for seven days until the 49th day and again on the 100th day. Besides, a series of periodic ritual succeed at the first, third, seventh, thirteenth, seventeenth, twenty seventh and thirty-third death anniversaries (Tsuji, 2011). The preserved rites by this community serve as a rite of passage to ancestor hood. Considerably, the ritual that is observed on the 49th day after the death of a loved one is referred to as a turning point whereby the spirit of the deceased, which was in limbo between this world and the supernatural world, joins the realm of the dead whereby he/she becomes a new Buddha. Hence, this is why the ceremony observed on the 49th day is more elaborate and has more attendees who seek to preserve this custom. Therefore, the Japanese consider death as a rite of passage that should be celebrated.

Significantly, the article highlights how it is standard practice for the Japanese culture to offer gifts to the family that lost a loved one. According to Tsuji, 2011, reaching old age is a celebratory achievement in this culture and also marks as a rite of passage to the next phase. The practices by the Japanese are a replication of the culture which is grounded in honor and respect. As such, the article examines how this cultural practice values death as it is considered an important rite of passage into an ancestor. Considerably, long life is rewarded in the Japanese culture as well as death. Thus, this utterly differs from the American culture where the dead are treated as memories.

5) Write a working thesis statement based on your sources. See this example .

Working Thesis Statement:

Rites of passage are an important transitional period in an individual’s life like birth, marriage, and death. In this paper, I will examine death as a rite of passage and how it is perceived differently by both the Japanese and American Cultures. As the rites of passage differ from culture to culture, I will examine how the Japanese perceive death by highlighting on their celebratory rituals relative to that of the Americans who perceive it as a devastating occurrence with no periodic rituals being observed.