Body Preparation for a Shinto Funeral — Matsugo no Mizu to Encoffining

Matsugo no Mizu — The First Ritual Act

Within minutes of death, a close relative performs matsugo no mizu: moistening the lips of the deceased with fresh water using a small piece of cotton or gauze. This provides the departing soul with its final physical sustenance. It is not optional and it is not symbolic — it is the opening act of the entire shinsosai sequence.

A close relative performs it. In modern hospital settings, the timing may be compressed, so coordinate the ritual with hospital staff and the funeral director.

Yukan — Washing the Body

After the body is transported home or to the funeral facility, the yukan (ritual washing) takes place. A professional encoffiner (nokansha) typically conducts the washing in the presence of the immediate family. The washing serves both practical hygiene and ritual purification.

Formal embalming remains culturally rare in Japan. Instead, physical preservation relies on precisely placed blocks of dry ice inside the casket to slow decay. The body's orifices are plugged with cotton or gauze to prevent fluid loss. In major cities where crematorium waits can extend up to four days, daily dry-ice replenishment is essential.

Kitamakura — Positioning the Body North

After washing, the body is placed in the kitamakura position: head pointing strictly north. West is the secondary option if the room layout makes north impossible. A plain white folding screen (byobu) is set up behind the body, and a white cloth covers the face.

The Makura-Kazari (Bedside Altar)

The makura-kazari is a low, unvarnished wooden table set beside the body. Its arrangement is specifically Shinto — distinct from the Buddhist makura-kazari, which includes incense and a Buddhist rosary.

On the table:

• Washed, uncooked rice (senmai) — not eaten by the living, signaling the soul's transition to the divine
• Salt
• Pure water
• Sake (omiki)
• Fresh sakaki branches

Beside the body: A protective blade (mamorigatana) placed on the chest or on a separate table, with the tip pointing toward the deceased's feet and away from the face. The blade wards off malevolent spirits that might interfere with the soul during its vulnerable transition. Some families use a decorative knife; others use a ritual sword rented from the funeral director.

Dressing the Deceased — The Left-Front Rule

The deceased is dressed in a white burial kimono called a shiroshozoku. The critical rule: the kimono is folded hidarimae (left-front), meaning the left side wraps first with the right collar resting on top. This is the exact opposite of how living people wear a kimono (migimae, right-front).

Dressing a living person in hidarimae is an absolute cultural taboo — it is believed to invite death. For the deceased, the reversal follows sakasa-goto and establishes a firm boundary between the world of the living and the dead.

If the family chooses modern western clothing instead of the shiroshozoku, standard dressing rules apply, though some regional customs call for minor inversions like reversing buttons or pocket squares.

Encoffining (Nokan no Gi)

The nokan ceremony places the dressed body into the coffin. Items placed alongside the deceased — personal mementos, favorite objects — must be entirely burnable. No metal, glass, or non-degradable materials. The coffin is lined and the dry-ice blocks positioned for preservation.

The timing of the nokan typically falls in the middle of the first day, after the kitamakura positioning and before the evening tsuya-sai wake.

What Families Get Wrong

The most common error is treating body preparation as purely logistical. The funeral director handles the physical steps — transport, dry ice, washing — but the ritual elements belong to the family. Matsugo no mizu must happen before the funeral director arrives. The decision between shiroshozoku and modern clothing should be made before the nokansha starts dressing the body. The mamorigatana must be in place during the makura-kazari setup, not added as an afterthought.

The Shinto Funeral Guide includes a body-preparation checklist that sequences these ritual and logistical steps side by side, so nothing gets missed in the first overwhelmed hours after a death.