1.
death register; family memorial record
A register kept at a Buddhist temple or by a family, recording the names, death dates, and posthumous Buddhist names of deceased family members.
お寺で過去帳を調べた。
I checked the death register at the temple.
先祖の命日を知るために過去帳を開いた。
I opened the family memorial record to find out the anniversary of my ancestor's death.
この過去帳には江戸時代から続く一族の記録が残されている。
This death register preserves records of the clan dating back to the Edo period.
2.
thing of the past; forgotten record
Figuratively, something that has been relegated to the past and is no longer relevant.
あの会社はもう過去帳に入れてもいい。
That company can be written off as a thing of the past.
かつての人気歌手も、今ではすっかり過去帳に載った存在だ。
The once-popular singer has now become a completely forgotten figure.
あの技術は時代の流れとともに過去帳入りしてしまった。
That technology has been consigned to history along with the passage of time.
A compound of 過去 (past, the dead) and 帳 (notebook, register). Originally a Buddhist term for the register of the dead kept at temples, recording 戒名 (posthumous Buddhist names), dates of death, and secular names.
These records are important historical documents for tracing family lineage and are consulted during Buddhist memorial services (法事). In its figurative sense, 過去帳に入る means to become obsolete or forgotten.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 過去帳を調べる: to check the death register
- 過去帳に記す: to record in the death register
- 過去帳に入る: to become a thing of the past
- 過去帳入り: being relegated to the past
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 位牌: memorial tablet — a physical tablet placed on the Buddhist altar for the deceased
- 家系図: family tree — a chart showing family lineage, not specifically for the deceased
- 戒名: posthumous Buddhist name — the name given to the deceased, recorded in the 過去帳