Abuse claim: Wayfinder claims gravestones is a stone monument.

@NianticGiffard

It is unfortunate that in Japan

We have seen many Wayfinders in rural and residential areas falsely claiming that "this is a stone monument" or "safely accessible" when it is actually a recognisable "private gravestone with a commandment engraved on it".

The case I encountered this time was the same kind of "false application".


I will give you more details.

Firstly, please read the following information


Title of the Wayspot:美里町青生志賀堂 石碑群

Location:https://www.google.com/maps/@38.5297767,141.0643729,3a,75y,6.94h,88.79t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sR58-40D5YfjtNF30ZIZFGQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

City:1-chōme-7-2 Shigachō, Misato, Toda District, Miyagi Pref.

Country:Japan

Wayfarer! Screen capture:


I translate titles, descriptions and supplementary information written in Japanese into English.


タイトル:

美里町青生志賀堂 石碑群

Title:

group of stone monuments in Aoushigadou,Misato Town


説明文:

美里町青生志賀堂の石碑群です。

文字はだいぶ読みにくい状態ですが、寛政、享保と刻まれていることから、江戸時代よりこの地にある貴重な石碑群と思われます。


Description:

This is a group of stone monuments in Aoushigadou, Misato-cho.

The text is rather illegible, but the inscriptions "Kansei" and "Kyoho" suggest that the monuments have been here since the Edo period.


補足情報:

周りは畑などですが、石碑群までのアクセス面は、道がちゃんとあり問題ありません。歴史的価値のある物の為、申請いたします。石碑群は航空写真、ストリートビューにて確認出来ると思います。審査よろしくお願いいたします。


Additional information:

The site is surrounded by fields, but access to the monuments is not a problem as there are good roads. The monuments are of historical value. The monuments can be seen on aerial photos and street view. Thank you for your interest.



On first reading, you might think it's a very plausible statement, a description that makes you give it a 'Good'.

But the facts are different.

I'm going to prove it to you.



Original application photo URL:

In Japan, epitaphs are inscribed on gravestones and include the name of the deceased(Dharma name) and the year of ****.

Now let's zoom in on some of the original photos.


A)

An explanation has been added to the enlargement.

The title of "権大僧都"(Gon Dai Sozu) is one of the ranks of Priest in Buddhism.

For the Dharma name, see Wikipedia's

Dharma name -Japan is a good reference.


Dharma name


And as for the "権大僧都"(Gon Dai Sozu) " in Epitaph

Wikipedia (Japan)'s description of the monastic rank is useful.

The title of "権大僧都"(Gon Dai Sozu) is one of the ranks of Priest in Buddhism.


Wikipedia "僧位"(Japanese Only)


There are many examples of tombstones with the rank of "権大僧都(Gon Dai Sozu)" and Dharma name into the Gravestone.

I found the record on a blog written in Japanese, so I will introduce some of them.


ex.(1)


ex.(2)



ex.(3)






And take a look at this Street View image.



On the left side, there is a stone that can be seen.

This is also a tomb.

This is a PDF file of one of the results of a survey carried out by the Rissho University Museum, an affiliated institution of Rissho University, a Buddhist university in Japan.


On page 11 of this book, "尖頂舟形墓標の変遷(Changes in apex boat-shaped grave markers)".

The shape of this stone is very similar to that figure, which shows that this stone is not just a monument, but a tomb.

Next, I have compared the Street View images with the PDF images, so you can see for yourself.


This is a pinnacle boat-shaped Gravestone.


You can see in the original photo some of the stones clustered together in the background.

Please, take a closer look at the shape of these stones.

You will see that they are a type of pinnacle boat-shaped Gravestones(尖頂舟形墓標), as shown in the PDF.


Gravestones of those who already have no blood relatives.

Tombstones of Priest in Buddhism.


You can see that they have been collected and placed between the fields.


The applicant states in the description that it is inscribed "Kansei, Kyoho".

I find it hard to believe that the applicant could not read the epitaphs such as "権大僧都(Gon Dai Sozu)" and "戒名(Budda name)" which are inscribed in larger letters.


Tombstones of individuals with no blood relatives are left piled up diagonally.


The practice of applying to Wayfarer! as a 'monument' to the gravestones of non-famous individuals or monks is not recommended. The act of applying to the Weifang is not a good idea.

I can only assume that the Wayfinder is making a false application or feigning ignorance.



Probably there are no coffins for those who died under this ground.

There are only gravestones from the Edo period piled up diagonally or standing on the ground.


However, it would be bad practice to apply for these Gravestones under the false pretence that they are ”These are stone monuments!”.


I do not think that these headstones should be "Wayfarer! applied".

In my opinion, this is a desecration of the deceased which should never be done.

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