[Traditional religion and terminal care in the Ryukyus, southern Japan]

The public health significance of traditional religions in terminal care was studied in the Ryukyu Archipelago. The traditional religious view of life, in which death at home is ideal, is still maintained: while inhabitants seek modern medical care in facilities outside of the island, they are transported back to die in their homes when their condition becomes critical. Most of the general hospitals, special nursing homes for the aged, and psychiatric hospitals of Okinawa allow bereaved families to perform "Nujifa", a traditional religious ritual for transferring soul of the dead from the death to their own home, that functions as a significant factor in relieving grief. In many of the special nursing homes for aged, not a few aged women practiced activities uniquely associated with traditional religion on strongly reflecting the fact that endemic religion is deeply embedded in their thinking. Although acculturation is in rapid progress in the Ryukyu Archipelago, such endemic religion still has a significant effect on the people. Therefore these religious factors should be considered in the terminal medical care of these people.