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Mound tombs remained quite common in Okinawa into the early modern period, and today it is quite standard among Okinawan people to have the whole family buried in a common family tomb. While Japanese families may also share a family tomb, with the cremated remains of family members being interred under a common tombstone, Okinawan tombs are small stone structures unto themselves, with several chambers under a single roof. Though Okinawan tombs can take a variety of forms, all share the same basic structure, insofar as they feature a space for burials, a space for the washing of bones (''senkotsu''), a space for gatherings and ceremonies, and a roof. The chief difference is only in the shape or style of the tomb.<ref>Gallery labels, Okinawa Prefectural Museum.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/9514315406/sizes/l]</ref> When a family member passes away, their body is placed within the central chamber to be simply "exposed" (''fuso'')<ref>Gallery labels, Okinawa Prefectural Museum.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/9514312676/in/dateposted-public/]</ref>, and some time later the bones are washed in a ritual known as ''senkotsu'' (lit. "washing bones"), and placed in a ceramic or stone urn, which is then interred alongside the urns of other family members in one of the tomb's side chambers. Living family members gather and picnic in a small stone-paved area immediately in front of the tomb on ''[[shiimiisai]]'', a grave-cleaning festival related to the [[Qingming Festival]] observed in China. This small paved area may have been conceived of as a space for collecting and storing ''[[qi]]'', in accordance with ''feng shui'' philosophies.<ref name=akamine90/>
Mound tombs remained quite common in Okinawa into the early modern period, and today it is quite standard among Okinawan people to have the whole family buried in a common family tomb. While Japanese families may also share a family tomb, with the cremated remains of family members being interred under a common tombstone, Okinawan tombs are small stone structures unto themselves, with several chambers under a single roof. Though Okinawan tombs can take a variety of forms, all share the same basic structure, insofar as they feature a space for burials, a space for the washing of bones (''senkotsu''), a space for gatherings and ceremonies, and a roof. The chief difference is only in the shape or style of the tomb.<ref>Gallery labels, Okinawa Prefectural Museum.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/9514315406/sizes/l]</ref> When a family member passes away, their body is placed within the central chamber to be simply "exposed" (''fuso'')<ref>Gallery labels, Okinawa Prefectural Museum.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/9514312676/in/dateposted-public/]</ref>, and some time later the bones are washed in a ritual known as ''senkotsu'' (lit. "washing bones"), and placed in a ceramic or stone urn, which is then interred alongside the urns of other family members in one of the tomb's side chambers. Living family members gather and picnic in a small stone-paved area immediately in front of the tomb on ''[[shiimiisai]]'', a grave-cleaning festival related to the [[Qingming Festival]] observed in China. This small paved area may have been conceived of as a space for collecting and storing ''[[qi]]'', in accordance with ''feng shui'' philosophies.<ref name=akamine90/>
==Funerary Rituals==
Though Okinawans traditionally do not bury their dead in coffins, coffins were used in traditional funerary processions. In many communities, the coffin was placed in a special palanquin or carrying box known as a ''gan'' (龕), which was typically kept in its own dedicated shed on the outskirts of the town. The procession also included silk parasols called ''tingee'', and several types of banners.<ref>Gallery labels, Okinawa Prefectural Museum.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/9514313022/in/dateposted-public/]</ref>
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