Japanese funeral customs: two attendants wearing loin-cloths support the body of a dead man while a third shaves his head. Watercolour, ca. 1880 (?).

Left, a woman and a child are weeping. Right, some of the tatami (floor covering) mats have been removed and stacked against the wall, to protect them from being splashed during the washing of the body. The scene is illuminated by two ikarikei (flared Buddhist meditation candles), burning in tall candle-holders standing on the floor. Centre background, a second woman, also weeping, holds a smaller candle