noun
cemetery guard; graveyard caretaker
Historical term for a person who guarded or maintained a cemetery, often associated with the burakumin class in the Edo period. Now largely obsolete; modern terms like 墓地管理人 are used instead.
江戸時代、隠亡は墓地の管理や埋葬を担当した。
In the Edo period, the onbō were responsible for managing cemeteries and burials.
noun
crematorium worker
Historical term for a person who worked at a crematorium, often overlapping with the cemetery guard role. Also obsolete; modern equivalents are 火葬場職員 or similar.
隠亡は火葬場で遺体を荼毘に付す仕事をしていた。
The onbō performed the work of cremating bodies at the crematorium.
The origin is uncertain. The kanji 隠亡 literally suggest 'hidden' and 'deceased', possibly referring to the secluded nature of the work. The reading おんぼう may derive from 御坊 (おんぼう), an honorific term for a monk, as such tasks were sometimes performed by low-ranking temple servants.