Bodaiji
General菩提寺 ・ Reading: bodaiji
Definition
The family temple where a household's ancestral graves stand and where its memorial services are held. Most Japanese families inherited theirs through the Edo-period danka system, and visits at Obon and death anniversaries keep the bond alive.
What a bodaiji is
A bodaiji is the temple that looks after a family across generations: it keeps the family grave in its cemetery, holds funerals and memorial services, and enshrines the family's ancestral memorial tablets. The word comes from bodai, the Buddhist term for enlightenment and, by extension, the repose of the dead. Most families acquired their bodaiji through the Edo-period danka system, when every household was required to register with a temple, and the relationship has been passed down ever since, even by families who have moved far from their ancestral town.
Visiting, and famous examples
Families return to their bodaiji for ohaka-mairi, grave visits, especially at Obon in summer and the spring and autumn equinoxes: graves are washed, flowers and incense offered, and a priest may read a sutra. Grand versions of the same bond exist at the top of society, and you can visit them: Zōjō-ji and Kan'ei-ji in Tokyo were the two bodaiji of the Tokugawa shoguns, and their mausoleums still stand beside the tourist paths.
Common questions
- What is the difference between a bodaiji and an ordinary temple?
A bodaiji is defined by its relationship to a family: it keeps the family grave and performs its memorial rites. The same temple can be a famous sightseeing spot for visitors and a bodaiji for its parishioner families.
- Does every Japanese family have a bodaiji?
Many do, inherited from the Edo-period danka system, but the tie is loosening as families move to cities. Some now choose new grave sites or non-temple cemeteries instead.
- Can tourists visit a famous bodaiji?
Yes. Temples such as Zōjō-ji and Kan'ei-ji, the bodaiji of the Tokugawa shoguns, welcome visitors. Be respectful around cemetery areas, which remain active family grave sites.