VOX POPULI: Nature's embrace of a life cut short too early

Flowering dogwoods that line the streets in my neighborhood reached full bloom this week. The blossoms were mostly white, but some were pale pink. According to the traditional calendar, Wednesday was rikka, the start of summer.

Life bursts forth in this season. But there are also lives that return to Mother Nature and the realm of cherished memories.

Back in February, I wrote in this column about a 34-year-old woman who succumbed to breast cancer. Her parents wrote recently to inform me that they had finally found the right place in their neighborhood for the "tree burial" their daughter had asked for in her living will. I attended the ceremony in Ibaraki Prefecture.

The deceased woman's full name was written in four kanji characters. By an amazing coincidence, all four characters had something to do with trees and plants. About 50 people gathered for the ceremony. The season of new green leaves was perfect for the occasion.

Her ashes were painfully white against the rich dark soil of the freshly dug grave/tree planting site. Starting with her husband, everyone tossed a shovelful of dirt into it, including the couple's nearly 2-year-old son. But the little boy soon became engrossed in playing with dirt.

In keeping with her will, rosemary was planted around the tree marking her resting place. The herb is indigenous to southern Europe. Its Latin botanical name rosmarinus is said to mean "dews of the sea," perhaps because it grows on hills overlooking the Mediterranean. The leaves are used for essence and the flowers, which bloom almost year-round, are pale blue. I understand that rosemary stands for "remembrance" in the language of flowers.

The Japanese word shinobu, which means to recall someone with nostalgia, is written in a kanji that is made up of two components--one for "person" and another for "to think." I am sure the herb's little flowers and refreshing fragrance will always bring back fond memories of this woman as a daughter, wife, mother and jewelry designer who came up with a Pink Ribbon pin in support of fellow breast cancer patients.

People who die young remain forever young in the minds of the living. It is said that real death occurs when the deceased is no longer remembered by anyone. Photographs remind us of the life our beloved deceased has led, while a tree marking a person's grave inherits the life left unlived. Both enable us to remain close to our beloved.

The kanji for en (a bond) and midori (green) look quite similar, like twins. Until this tree burial ceremony, I had never felt such a close bond with a total stranger.

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 7

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.