Turtleback tomb

They are commonly found in some coastal provinces of southern China (Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong), the Ryukyu Islands of Japan, and in Vietnam.

[1] It is commonly said that the tomb imitates the shape of a tortoise due to those animals' longevity, thus promising long life to the descendants of the deceased.

de Groot) that the custom of building turtle-shaped tombs may also have to do with the desire to place the grave under the influence of the heavenly warrior Xuanwu, whose symbol is the Black Tortoise.

When discussing the connection between the turtle/tortoise symbolism and burial practices, some authors even mention the custom of eating a variety of the traditional sweets, red tortoise cakes, at funeral feasts.

After the body would have decomposed, the bones would be washed by young female relatives of the deceased, placed into a large earthenware jar, and stored elsewhere in the tomb.

[12] Inside the tomb, urns with the bones of deceased ancestors stand on multiple rows of stone shelves, in the order of seniority.

[12] In the spring of 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa, many Okinawan civilians sought refuge from the naval bombardment of the island inside their ancestors' turtleback tombs,[13][14] just like the characters of Ōshiro's short novel.