Kezouin Fuchu-shi Cemetery / Love Architecture

As society changes, there is a growing demand for "Places for Memorial Services.” Due to the declining birthrate, aging population, and changing lifestyles, the average household size will decrease to 2.37 persons by 2021. The percentage of single-person households will increase to 29.5%, due to which family forms are diversifying in Japan. The focus of family consciousness is shifting from ancestor worship = the dead to marital and parent-child relationships to the living. The ancient custom of inscribing "XX family ancestral grave" and placing the remains in the grave is a form that has spread in less than 100 years since it became common as a result of legal reforms and national moral education since the modern era. We have chosen the form of memorial service according to the lifestyle of each era. In recent years, family-based graves based on vertical succession by lineage or blood have reached their limits, and various forms of graves have emerged, including joint graves with perpetual memorial services that do not require heirs, tree burial services, and single-life ossuaries. These forms respond to the weakening of ancestor worship and the shrinking size of families, but they are no more than a collection of individuals.