Held; Tombstones and Individual Graves During the. Higan Period, or September 21, the Dog and Cat Cemetery in Oizumi, on the outskirts of "Tokyo, was the scene ai religious devotion just as any cemetery for human beings. As it is the season of kindness and regard for human beings as well as all lower creatures, dead or living, the Saishinji Temple Otsuka, Koshikawa-ku, which maintains the Dog and Cat Cemetery, held a special ceremony at the cemetery on the Equinoctial Day, September 24, for the wellbeing of the spirits of dogs and cats and other creatures buried there.
Many former owners of pet dog: and cats visited the cemetery to clean the burial spots and offer flowers and prayers and burn incense before the tombstones for the well "being of the spirits of the dogs and čats, which were once comfort to "them.
Mass Service On September 29 a special Bud-diiist mass service was held at the "cemetery, with the Rev. Shundo Kurimoto, chief priest of the Saishinji Temple, officiating, assisted by several priests. The service was picturesque with the priests dressed in beautiful silk robes marching around {he large stone monument on the charnel store, chanting Buddhist sutra, The Dog and Cat Cemetery was established by the Saishinji Temple at first in Higashi-Nagasaki in 1908 /and was removed to the present site a few years ago. It is now the most modern establishment of its kind in Japan, being equipped with a regular chapel, a crematory, resting quarters, charnel store and it is properly cared for by a sexton, The cemetery Covers about two acres of land near "Tokyo.
When the dead dog is brought to ihe cemetery, the coffin is unloaded in front of the small chapel just inside the gate. If the regular Bud-diiist burial service is wanted for the spirit of the pet, special arrangements may be made with the management of the temple. In that event the coffin will be placed before the sanctuary, and one of the priests of {he temple will offer prayer for the creature before the coffin is taken to the crematory, Dogs and cats and other creatures are given just as respectable a Bud-diiist burial as human beings. There are several hundred individual graveyards, which are maintained by owners of pet ds. These graveyards are always well cared for and are so arranged that families maintaining them may bury any pets in the same spot by removing the tombstones.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.