1、 The Spread of "Family Gifts" in Japan

As a guidebook for coronation, wedding, funeral, and sacrificial ceremonies, "Family Rites" has been widely spread in China since the Southern Song Dynasty and has had an impact on Japan, Korea, Ryukyu, and other regions. In the early Edo period, Japanese Confucian scholars began to practice funeral rituals based on the "Family Rites". In the second half of the 17th century, various schools of Confucian scholars developed a strong interest in the "Family Rites" and produced multiple related works. Mito Domain, Bizen Okayama Domain and other vassal states actively implemented the "Family Rites" style funeral ceremony. Tokugawa Mitsunari attached great importance to etiquette and hired Zhu Shunshui as a guest teacher to learn practical methods of etiquette. He used the "Family Rites" as a model to practice funeral rituals and formed the book "Brief History of Funeral Rites", which was widely circulated among feudal lords. Tokugawa Nariaki inherited the tradition of valuing Confucian style funeral rites from the Mitsukoshi period and revised the funeral texts during the Tenpo era, forming the "Funeral Rites". The funeral ceremony is closely related to Qi Zhao's religious reform, but its nature is controversial. This article analyzes the establishment background, inheritance of early mourning ceremonies, and specific content of "Funeral Rites", and examines its inherent connection with the feudal reform and political pursuit during the Qi Zhao Tenpo period. It provides a case study for the practice of "Family Rites" in the dissemination process of Edo Japan, demonstrating the social and political value of Confucian ritual practice.

2、 The Great Famine of Tianbao and the Funeral Ceremony

During the Tenpo period, Japan suffered from severe natural disasters, leading to poor agricultural harvests and widespread famine. The rural commodity economy deepened, and the small-scale farming economy was damaged, resulting in difficult living conditions for farmers. The shogunate prioritized ensuring the supply of rice in Edo, exacerbating conflicts with local authorities and triggering rural riots. Mito Domain is facing rural abandonment and population decline, and the reform of domain governance is urgently needed. Tokugawa Nariaki succeeded as the lord of the domain and, in the face of social crisis, employed figures such as Fujita Yugu to carry out domain governance reforms. The "Funeral Ceremony" was written in this context with the aim of educating the people and preventing the influence of Buddhist style funeral ceremonies on the public. Qi Zhao hoped that the practice of "Funeral Ceremony" could prevent the people of the feudal lords from being influenced by Buddhist teachings. However, due to the political events of 1844, Qi Zhao was unable to publish and widely promote the "Funeral Ceremony" during his tenure.

3、 Funeral Ceremony: A Manual for Confucian style Funeral Ceremony

There is controversy over the nature of the book 'Funeral Rites'. Some argue that it belongs to the category of divine burial rituals, while others believe that its roots lie in Confucian style funeral rituals. Qi Zhao revered Shintoism, the Hongdao Hall was based on shrines, and the Confucius Temple was in a subordinate position. However, the content of the "Funeral Ceremony" was mostly based on the "Family Rites", demonstrating the Confucian ritual style. The "Funeral Ceremony" is divided into six parts, including funeral, sacrificial, and funeral rituals, among which both funeral and sacrificial are modeled after the "Family Rites". The book 'Funeral Rites' has an inheritance relationship with the early funeral ritual text' Funeral Rites Brief 'of Mito Domain, inheriting the early funeral research and Confucian ritual nature of Mito Domain. The "General Principles of Funeral Sacrifice" theoretically expounds the necessity of funeral sacrifice, based on the understanding of ghosts and gods through qi, emphasizing that ancestors and descendants share the same qi, and their bodies are transformed into descendants and retained in the world, while their soul qi does not leave their descendants. The main difference between the "Funeral Ceremony" and Zhu Xi's theory of ghosts and gods lies in the emphasis on the eternal existence of the soul, which is different from the Shinto doctrine and closer to Confucian rituals, showing a different fate from the Shidian ritual in the Mito domain.

4、 During the Tenpo period, Tokugawa Nariaki's feudal reform and his "Funeral Ceremony"

At the beginning of the 19th century, Mito Domain faced rural decline and social unrest. As the lord of the domain, Tokugawa Nariaki implemented a series of reform measures, including the "Mourning Ceremony". The "Funeral Ceremony" has the characteristics of anti Buddhist and popular education, which is closely related to Qi Zhao's religious reform and political beliefs. This text explicitly opposes the Buddhist concept of reincarnation, advocates the eternal existence of the body and soul, and excludes Buddhist elements in funeral ceremonies, such as prohibiting the use of specific flowers and salt sprinkling. Qi Zhao's reforms also included banning cremation, rewarding self burial rituals, and implementing the separation of gods and Buddhas, aiming to reduce the influence of Buddhism and revive Shintoism.

5、 Conclusion

During the Tenpo era, Japanese society faced a great famine, and the lord of the Mito domain, Tokugawa Nariaki, implemented reforms to the domain government and revised the "Mourning Ceremony" to rectify social norms. The book "Funeral Rites" inherits the research on funeral rituals in the Mito clan, rejects Buddhist funeral rituals, promotes Shintoism, and promotes the Confucian virtue of "filial piety". Qi Zhao combined education with rural governance, reflecting the political ambition of loyalty and filial piety. Funeral Rites "is an attempt to localize" Family Rites "in Japan and use it for social reform.