Tokyo - A 23-year-old undertaker won a
contest at Japan's biggest funeral expo on Thursday that tested
ancient skills in the ritual dressing of the dead.
"I practised every day to prepare for this competition,"
said a smiling Rino Terai after her win over three other
finalists.
"I took videos and made improvements by asking myself, does
this look beautiful? Am I treating the deceased kindly?"
Japan's Shinto religion believes that the soul is impure
shortly after death and the process of dressing a body - usually
in front of close relatives only - purifies the deceased spirit
before it is sent off to the "other world".
Japan's ageing society has increased demand for undertakers
with special skills, said Kimura Kouki, head of the Okuribito
Academy.
"There are about 2 000 undertakers whose expertise is in
dressing the deceased, but their skills vary a lot," he said.
"I wanted this competition to be a way to spur undertakers
to improve their skills."
The four contestants dressed live human volunteers laying on
mattresses arranged on a stage. They were observed by three
judges as funeral music gently played in the background.
The four were judged on the grace of their movements and
their ability to dress the body without revealing too much bare
skin.
"The movement of their hands were really beautiful," Akane
Matsuda said after watching the competition.