A charnel house in Higashi Ward, Sapporo City, has been auctioned after it was seized due to lack of funds by a religious corporation that operates it, and the court has requested that the building be surrendered.
Religious corporations are calling on contractors to take back the remains, saying that the ossuary will be closed, and contractors have voiced confusion and anger and demanded a partial refund of the cost.
It is the indoor ossuary "Goryodou Motomachi" in Higashi Ward, Sapporo City that is being asked to surrender the building.
According to the religious corporation "Hakuho-ji" and others, the ossuary opened 10 years ago in 2012, and has been installed and operated by borrowing more than 200 million yen from funeral companies in the city.
However, due to a lack of funds, the repayment of the loan was delayed, so the building and land were seized and auctioned.
Religious corporations have called on contractors for more than 770 charnel beds to take back the remains, saying that the ossuary will be closed. It means that it is delivered.
The religious corporation is currently continuing discussions with the real estate company that won the bid for the building and land with the aim of succeeding the business, but there is no prospect for the future.
Tsukasa Ota, the representative of the religious corporation Hakuho-ji Temple, told NHK, "I would like to apologize for this situation. I think it would be easier to use a charnel house where people can pray all year round while sheltering from rain, wind and snow. However, we were not able to recruit enough contractors and could not earn enough to repay the loan."
In addition, the person in charge of the real estate company that won the bid for the building and land said that they will take measures so that the contractor can take over the remains in the building in the future. It is difficult to inherit the business."
In response to a complaint from a real estate company, the compulsory execution by the court for the surrender of the building was originally scheduled to be held on the 24th, but it was postponed to the 21st of next month in response to requests from religious corporations.
The contractor of the ossuary
A 61-year-old woman in Sapporo laid the remains of her deceased husband in this charnel house last May.
It was because her husband liked the bright atmosphere when she was alive.
However, she was suddenly told at a briefing session for contractors held by a religious corporation that she runs earlier this month, saying, "The ossuary will be closed, so please take over the remains."
The woman visited the ossuary with her son on the 20th of this month to collect her remains.
The woman took out her husband's ashes, saying, "Let's go home together," and took her remains to her home.
"She never thought this would happen when she was buried," she said. was talking
In addition, the woman's son said, ``I feel like my heart has become empty when I see the empty charnel altar. I am full of anger," he said.
When the woman returned to her home, she placed her remains on a shelf with a picture of her husband and her son and the two of them holding hands.
When she signed her contract, she paid 700,000 yen for the use of the charnel, 800,000 yen for the permanent memorial service, and 118,500 yen for the annual management fee for 20 years in advance. I paid over 1.6 million yen.
However, at her briefing, she was told by the religious organization that she could not return the money because she had no financial resources.
Going forward, she has not decided what to do with the remains, and hopes that she will be able to continue using the ossuary, or that she will be refunded the perpetual memorial fee and the management fee that she paid in advance.
The woman said, "I was told that I could only return bones, so everyone was dumbfounded. I'm very sad now."
In addition, the woman's son said, ``I regret that if I had properly investigated and told my parents, it wouldn't have happened like this. was oozing out.
One after another consult with a lawyer
Since the beginning of this month, the lawyers of the Sapporo Bar Association have received multiple inquiries from contractors of this charnel house, such as "What will happen to the permanent memorial service fee paid?"
Attorney Toru Ino of the Sapporo Bar Association, who is familiar with consumer issues, said, "Since we are collecting a permanent memorial service fee under the contract called Eternal Memorial Service, if we cannot fulfill our responsibility, we will be in default and must return it. ”.
In addition, it is reported that there was a case where a religious corporation had a contract even after a real estate company in the city won a bid for a building or land at auction, saying, ``The management went bankrupt, and the ossuary was owned by a third party. Concluding a contract while hiding the fact that it is in your hands is deceiving the other party."
Regarding this, the representative of the religious corporation said, "We continued to recruit as it was on the premise that the real estate company that won the auction would continue the business."
Points to note when choosing an ossuary
According to Yoshihiko Takeuchi, director of the general incorporated association Shoukatsu Kyogikai, who is familiar with the so-called "shukatsu" circumstances, such as preparing funerals and graves, there are not many cases where charnels are closed due to poor management, but in many places. It is confirmed by , and it is necessary to be careful when choosing.
Mr. Takeuchi said, ``It is necessary to request materials from multiple charnels to confirm the number of years they have been in operation, whether the number of contracts is steadily increasing according to the business plan, and whether there is excessive advertising. Also, if you think it's a little strange, such as being asked to pay the management fee in one lump sum instead of in installments, I'd like you to check with an organization or local government that specializes in end-of-life care."