Japanese Buddhist Memorial Year Chart: Which Memorial Falls in 2026 and 2027, How to Calculate It, and Combining Services
"Which memorial is it for Grandpa this year?" It's easy to panic when it's time to send out invitations. In Japanese Buddhism, only the first-year memorial (isshūki) falls a full year after death; from the 3rd memorial (sankaiki) on, the counting changes, so simple subtraction often gives the wrong answer. This article gives memorial charts for 2026 (Reiwa 8) and 2027 (Reiwa 9), the formula for working out which memorial it is, the list of memorials that are held and the final memorial (tomuraiage), and how to combine services when family members' memorials fall in the same year (heishū).
The 1st-year memorial is a full year later; from the 3rd on, it's "memorial number − 1" years later
Annual memorial services (nenki hōyō) are held on the same month and day as the death (the shōtsuki meinichi). The first, the 1st-year memorial (isshūki), is held on the anniversary exactly one full year after death. So far, it's intuitive.
The 3rd memorial (sankaiki), however, is held in the year two full years after death. That's because the day of death itself is counted as the first memorial day. The day of death is the 1st, the 1st-year memorial is the 2nd, and the year after that is the 3rd: the sankaiki. The 7th memorial is 6 full years later and the 13th is 12 years later; from the 3rd on, every memorial falls "the memorial number minus 1" years after death.
This "add 1" idea is the same as traditional age counting (kazoedoshi) (Calculating age at death (kazoedoshi)). As with that, you can calculate with years alone, without worrying about the exact date.
Memorial chart for 2026 (Reiwa 8)
| Memorial | Year of death | Years since death |
|---|---|---|
| 1st-year (isshūki) | 2025 (Reiwa 7) | 1 full year |
| 3rd | 2024 (Reiwa 6) | 2 full years |
| 7th | 2020 (Reiwa 2) | 6 full years |
| 13th | 2014 (Heisei 26) | 12 full years |
| 17th | 2010 (Heisei 22) | 16 full years |
| 23rd | 2004 (Heisei 16) | 22 full years |
| 25th | 2002 (Heisei 14) | 24 full years |
| 27th | 2000 (Heisei 12) | 26 full years |
| 33rd | 1994 (Heisei 6) | 32 full years |
| 37th | 1990 (Heisei 2) | 36 full years |
| 50th | 1977 (Shōwa 52) | 49 full years |
People who died in years not in the table have no memorial service in 2026. For example, 2026 would be the "4th memorial" for someone who died in 2023, but a 4th memorial isn't normally held. Visiting the grave or praying at the household altar on the anniversary is enough.
Memorial chart for 2027 (Reiwa 9)
| Memorial | Year of death | Years since death |
|---|---|---|
| 1st-year (isshūki) | 2026 (Reiwa 8) | 1 full year |
| 3rd | 2025 (Reiwa 7) | 2 full years |
| 7th | 2021 (Reiwa 3) | 6 full years |
| 13th | 2015 (Heisei 27) | 12 full years |
| 17th | 2011 (Heisei 23) | 16 full years |
| 23rd | 2005 (Heisei 17) | 22 full years |
| 25th | 2003 (Heisei 15) | 24 full years |
| 27th | 2001 (Heisei 13) | 26 full years |
| 33rd | 1995 (Heisei 7) | 32 full years |
| 37th | 1991 (Heisei 3) | 36 full years |
| 50th | 1978 (Shōwa 53) | 49 full years |
To make charts for later years, just move every "year of death" in the table forward by one. You'll want to send invitations 2–3 months ahead, so it's reassuring to check this year's memorials once the new year begins.
Which memorials are held, and the final memorial
Memorial services are generally held for the 1st-year, 3rd, 7th, 13th, 17th, 23rd, 27th and 33rd memorials, centring on years with a 3 or a 7. The 25th and 37th are held in some sects and regions and not in others.
- 1st-year and 3rd: often held with relatives and people close to the deceased invited
- 7th: held with relatives invited, or mainly with the immediate family
- 13th onwards: often scaled down, for example to the family and close relatives only
- 33rd: often made the final memorial (tomuraiage)
- 50th: often the final memorial if the 33rd wasn't
After the final memorial, the deceased's memorial tablet (ihai) is given to the temple or merged into the ancestral tablet. Each family can decide when to hold the final memorial; some draw the line at the 17th or 23rd because the chief mourner is getting older or lives far away.
When family memorials coincide, consider combining them (heishū)
With several deceased family members, such as grandparents and parents, memorial services sometimes fall in the same year. Holding two or more services together in one is called heishū or gassai. It reduces the burden and cost of relatives gathering several times.
| Year | Coinciding memorials (grandfather died 20 March 2014, grandmother 2 November 2020, father 15 July 2024) |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Grandfather's 13th (20 March), father's 3rd (15 July), grandmother's 7th (2 November) |
| 2030 | Grandfather's 17th (20 March), father's 7th (15 July) |
| 2036 | Grandfather's 23rd (20 March), father's 13th (15 July), grandmother's 17th (2 November) |
| 2040 | Grandfather's 27th (20 March), father's 17th (15 July) |
- When combining, the service is usually held to match the earliest anniversary
- A common view is that the 1st-year and 3rd memorials should be held on their own where possible, with the 7th onwards eligible for combining
- It assumes the same chief mourner (the person hosting the service)
- State which services are being combined in the invitation and on the envelope for the offering to the priest
In the 2026 example above, the father's 3rd memorial is included, so one option is to hold the 3rd on its own and combine the grandfather's 13th and grandmother's 7th. Besides yearly charts, the Memorial Service Dates tool lets you enter several family members' dates of death and shows the next 15 years of memorials grouped by year, so coinciding years are clear at a glance.
FAQ
- Is the 3rd memorial (sankaiki) 3 years after death?
- No, it's 2 full years after. Because the day of death counts as the first, the year after the 1st-year memorial (1 full year) is the 3rd memorial. For someone who died in 2024, the 3rd memorial is in 2026.
- How many years after death is the 7th memorial?
- 6 full years. From the 3rd on, memorials fall "memorial number − 1" years after death, so the 7th is 6 years later, the 13th 12 years later and the 33rd 32 years later.
- Who has their 13th memorial in 2026?
- People who died in 2014 (Heisei 26). 2026 − 2014 + 1 = 13, the 13th memorial.
- Until when are memorial services held?
- The 33rd is often the final memorial (tomuraiage), and some families continue to the 50th. Some stop at the 17th or 23rd because of family circumstances; decide in consultation with your family temple.
- Can my grandfather's and grandmother's memorials be held together?
- If their memorials fall in the same year, you can combine them (heishū). It's usually held to match the earlier anniversary. Some hold that the 1st-year and 3rd memorials should be held on their own, so consult your family temple.
Tools in this article
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