The Rev. Matt Hamasaki defines Obon as “a time when we honor those who have gone before us.†In sharing the history of Obon, the Buddhist Church of Sacramento Betsuin reverend told a story Buddhists learn about the Urabon sutra, where Buddha disciple Mokuren develops supernatural powers and sees his deceased mother suffering in the […]
Summer is fun time for Southern California Bon Odori junkies
June 20, 2019 by Leave a Comment
LOS ANGELES — Summer is a joyful season for many thousands of Southern California Nikkei as they participate in numerous traditional Buddhist Obon observances — as well as non-Buddhist summer festivities — and most include some Japanese dancing. Obon is a traditional event to honor and thank one’s ancestors for the gift of life. Most […]
Bon Odori is a tradition even far from the West Coast
June 20, 2019 by Leave a Comment
Japanese Americans who don’t live on the West Coast joke that you can go to a different Bon Odori every weekend in California, and dance away your summer. Not so in the geographically isolated Rocky Mountain region, where a few cities such as Denver, Salt Lake City and some other smaller towns host Obon festivals […]
Several ministerial changes in Northern Calif. Buddhist Churches
June 21, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Along with the start of the new year, several Buddhist temples in Northern California welcomed new ministers to lead their congregations. The ministers’ main goal is to maintain the welcoming atmosphere the temple members have showed them in return. Second Home for a Big Family For 29-year-old Rev. Matthew Hamasaki, growing up at the Berkeley […]
FANTASTIC VOYAGE: What is Obon for a Buddhist reverend in Japan?
June 21, 2018 by Leave a Comment
The word Obon in America, and the word in Japan, are two very different things. Many people in America link Obon to the street festivals and dancing that takes place in Japantowns and Buddhist temples. However, Obon in Japan is a big cultural holiday, much like Christmas without the commercialization. Many people take the day […]
Let’s Talk … About remembering and speaking out
June 21, 2018 by Leave a Comment
Obon time is a time to remember loved ones who have passed away. We honor the dead with tradition and ceremony. By coming together as family and community, we have the opportunity to reflect on the lessons learned from those who are no longer with us, and we remember something about the lives they lived. […]
Mountain View Buddhist Temple impermanence
June 21, 2018 by Leave a Comment
“How, are we going to do Obon … without rice?†Randy Sato, co-chair of this year’s Obon Festival and Bazaar at the Mountain View Buddhist Temple, pushed his tensed fingers thru his hair. The members of the Mountain View Buddhist Temple are facing a powerful lesson in the Buddhist concept of impermanence this year. Over […]
Obon dancing in America: Reverend Yoshio Iwanaga photo album
June 22, 2017 by Leave a Comment
(Editor’s Note: The following was excerpted from an online exhibit curated by Wynn Kiyama, executive director of Portland Taiko and director of the Portland State University Taiko Ensemble. Photos courtesy of Portland State University Library). Yoshio Iwanaga (1900-1950) was a Japanese Buddhist minister who moved to California in 1930 and introduced doyo buyo (children’s dance) and Bon Odori (Obon […]
San Jose Obon delivers comforting familiarity to community
July 21, 2016 by 1 Comment
This year’s Obon festival in San Jose’s Japantown, which took place July 9 and July 10, was the same as it is every year: parking was nearly impossible to find, a line extended all the way from Jackson Street around the corner to North Fifth Street for the shave ice sold at Shuei-do Manju Shop, […]
Season of Obon
In the summer heat, Japanese love a good ghost story that’ll send chills up their spine. In some ways, the Obon tradition reflects that feeling with crowds of people dancing joyfully in memory of the dearly departed. Throughout California and in various parts of the country this summer, Japanese Americans and others gather for Obon […]