Saturday, February 11, 2012

The Carnel House of Bansho Ji in Japan

Bansho-ji Temple in Nagoya has constructed a mortuary made of glass, a “Crystal Palace” charnel house on the third floor of their traditional temple building. Like many Buddhist temples in Japan, Bansho-ji has its own charnel house, which contains “drawers” for families to store ashes of dead relatives. Yet this sixteenth-century temple has broken new ground in funeral services by commissioning Tokyo contemporary architect Masuo Fujimura. Using the latest technology, crystal glass, stainless steel and LEDs, Fujimura conceived a futuristic mortuary that swirls with luminescent lights. Using the latest technology, crystal glass, stainless steel and LEDs, 

Fujimura conceived a futuristic mortuary that swirls with luminescent lights. 
An identification system using cutting-edge technology ensures that only persons with identity cards can access the chamber containing the remains of the deceased family member. After swiping the cards on sensor readers to enter the charnel house, the designated drawer begins to glow a soft gold and is surrounded by a halo of white light that expands in and out in concentric circles. The name of the deceased will appear on the display for two minutes.

To bury their dead, families pay exorbitant prices for a funeral, making Japan one of the most expensive places to die. Space, or the lack of it, has a lot to do with the price tag. To offset skyrocketing costs, families are opting for charnel houses. These miniature graves are more affordable and efficient, especially since 99% of Japanese families now cremate their dead.

Stainless-steel rods on glass walls flanking this entrance are illuminated by uplights, which produce a veritable waterfall of light. Photo credit: Nacása & Partners - LINK
LINK(listed at bottom)
LINK(listed at bottom)


Info from here

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