送行者：禮儀師的樂章

by Shinobu Momose, 百瀨 偲, 鍾嘉惠 (Translator)

原本在東京交響樂團擔任大提琴手的大悟，因為樂團突然解散而不得不放棄演奏家之路，和妻子美香回到故鄉山形縣。

就在他苦無工作機會之時，報紙一角的「旅途協助」徵人廣告吸引了他的目光，並因此前往應徵。沒想到在短短的交談之後，社長竟當場錄用他並立即給了當天的薪水。但就在詳問之後，大悟才知對方徵的竟是納棺師！

「納棺」，顧名思義就是將遺體放入棺木中的工作。當下打算回絕的大悟在社長的說服下，不情願地開始了這份工作。

剛開始十分恐懼排斥的他，在經歷過一場場的送行儀式之後，逐漸瞭解到納棺師所扮演的的重要角色，並開始學會接受、尊重這份工作。也因為看盡了死別的不捨與悲傷，大悟下定決心面對失落已久的親情……。

160 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2008

About the author

百瀬しのぶ

Reviews

[Drew Tschirki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okuribito is a book about the beauty and sanctity of both life and death and how all life, be it plants, animals and humans, is connected in some way. Daigo finds himself in a quagmire and ends up working for a funeral company that prepares, washes, dresses and puts makeup on the body in front of the family before the final “departure” for the next world. Some find this job grotesque and unbecoming, but they find the reality is that the job is beautiful and helps the bereaved cope with life, death, guilt and trauma and see their dead in their pure, natural state.

I loved the movie so when I saw the book I of course got it but I should have done my research and realized the book was based on the movie and not vice versa. All in all, still a fantastically touching story, but sometimes felt the book was kind of cheesy, hence the minus stars.

[Danny Tsai · Rating 5 out of 5]

向前看、回頭看，時而覺得人生就是這個樣，時間捲動，略略起伏，泡著規律平順的浪潮漂啊漂；也像柯老師說過的冷靜的微病感，不管是心裡擰了疙瘩不舒坦還是大吐怨氣後的爽感、四體微恙乏力還是一頭熱無處宣洩，再也許是某種處在邊上的境況，將倒未倒之際小劇場上演掙扎還是默默開闔爆發，內傷或者然後碰巧傷了誰。

然後孩子默默長大、父母日益老邁，不知不覺又是幾個年頭。

專注在生活然後無視歲月之功，於是木然撇過頭去，無論逢迎和詆毀，習慣漸漸自己如同他人趨利避凶之外再別無原則，好像毫不在意地活著、毫不在意地死去。碰壁就轉彎、起風再旋轉，當然是毫不在意地轉彎、毫不在意地旋轉（spin鳳梨的whirlppol），毫不在意，毫不在意地活下去。

書裡說從死能悟出生，暗裡仍會有光，某刻我想到多年前夜裡關於信息場的介紹，課堂上李嗣涔說著說著，本來無所謂在意不在意，卻反而生出各式辯證信或不信，一片蕪雜。人生就是這個樣。

--
【摘錄】
原本我始終認為，所謂的領悟，是指不論身處在什麼樣的場合裡，都能毫不在意地死去，但我錯了，因為真正的領悟，其實是指不論身處在什麼樣的場合裡，都能毫不在意地活下去。 -- 正岡子規《病床六尺》

[Fatma · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a novel written from a movie, this small novel does not justify the beauty of the movie. The joy of my reading is more or less caused by the discovery of Japanese language as a learner, rather than the literature point of the book.

When my Japanese gets better, I will move to read 納棺夫日記, the novel from which the movie Okuribito is said to be based on.