October 14, 2021
On Wednesday, September 29, 2021, a graveside ceremony and a memorial service for the souls of body donors, hosted by the School of Medicine, were held at Tama Cemetery and Zojoji Temple.
Every year during the autumn equinox, the School of Medicine invites the bereaved families and holds a memorial service for the souls of body donors, attended by faculty, staff, and medical students. The purpose of this service is to pray for the souls of those who have donated their precious bodies for the advancement of medical education and academic research. This service has been held at Zojoji Temple in Shiba Park, Minato Ward, since 1928 and is positioned as one of the most important events for the School of Medicine. This year, due to the spread of COVID-19, the service was held with only representatives of Keio University officials and medical students, while taking precautions to prevent infection.
This year again, prior to the memorial service, a graveside ceremony was held in front of the School of Medicine's charnel house at Tama Cemetery. Along with the chanting of sutras by monks from Zojoji Temple, Dean Takanori Kanai and other School of Medicine officials offered incense.
Following this, the memorial service for the souls of body donors was held in the main hall of Zojoji Temple. At the service, the Dean of the School of Medicine read a memorial address, and prayers were offered for the repose of the souls through the chanting of sutras by many monks, led by the 88th Head Priest, Archbishop Kisei Yagi. Finally, on behalf of the faculty and staff, Professor Yasue Kanai of the School of Medicine's Department of Pathology expressed sincere gratitude and respect for the souls and their bereaved families, acknowledging the profound contribution of body donation to the advancement of the medical sciences. She also told the medical students that they can only begin their path as medical professionals by sincerely confronting the deep aspirations of the souls who donated their bodies, and urged them to never forget the tension and awe they felt on the day they first encountered a human body. The ceremony concluded with a closing address, pledging to continue efforts for the advancement of medicine in the next era, ensuring that the wishes of the souls who donated their bodies and their families are not in vain.