Gathering of Joy: Japanese American Obon Festivals

Obon is an annual Japanese Buddhist festival that commemorates those who have passed away. It is based on a Buddhist tale which describes how a devout monk dances with joy upon successfully releasing his deceased mother’s spirit from the Realm of Hungry Ghosts. Today, participants dance to express their joy to be living happily, and to honor loved ones who died.

The Spokane Buddhist Temple’s 2018 Obon Festival is Saturday and Sunday, July 21^st & 22nd at their Temple at 927 S. Perry Street, Spokane, WA on Saturday (11 am to 7 pm) and Sunday (3 pm – 7 pm). Bon Odori dances are performed and taught each night at 6 pm, with Taiko drums at 11 am and 5 pm on Saturday. Saturday is also the neighborhood fair, called the South Perry Street Fair, with booths in the street.

Obon is held outdoors during the summer months—in the street or in temple parking lots and courtyards. Central to its celebration, among Japanese Americans, are the folk dances (Bon Odori) performed to music that includes the steady beat of a taiko drum. The guiding purpose of Bon Odori is to set aside the ego through unselfconscious dancing. Participation is customarily diverse—with young and old, formally trained and informally trained dancers, Japanese Americans and non-Japanese Americans.

While associated with Buddhism, Obon is celebrated and embraced by all, regardless of one’s religious background. Buddhist temples schedule their Obon events over the weekends from late June through August. These festivals are well attended, drawing large multi-generational and multi-racial crowds. Each temple’s festival is unique, but most generally feature carnival games and food booths serving traditional Japanese and Japanese-American fare such as sushi or teriyaki.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, some Japanese Americans were incarcerated in camps. During this period, many people emphasized their “American-ness,” but there was also a resurgence and maintenance of Japanese customs, and Buddhist communities, in most camps, organized Obon and Bon Odori. Following World War II, there was a surprisingly quick re-establishment of temple life, with Bon Odori resuming at Temples. During the 1950s through the 1970s, Bon Odori became a traditional feature of Jodo Shinshu (Shin) temple Obon events. Dances were simplified, with a returned emphasis to Bon Odori as folk dances, with temple members now responsible for choosing and teaching the Bon Odori dances to their congregation. Bon Odori in the United States has a far stronger spiritual connection than it does today in Japan.

The combination of folk melodies and dances form different types of Bon Odori (dance), usually accompanied by instruments such as hand clapping, taiko (drums), atarigane, flute, binsawa (wood rattle), and shamisen. Most dancers can be seen wearing a yukata, a lightweight, summer kimono, or a happi coat, a short kimono-like jacket.

Reverend Mark Unno, from the University of Oregon, will give a lecture on “Buddhism and Psychotherapy: East Meets West” at 3 pm. Suggested donation $30-$50. 

He is also giving the Dharma Talk on Sunday 5/20 at 10:30 am on "Life and Death: Beyond Life and Death".

See this video about his workshop: https://thvid.net/video/buddhism-and-psychotherapy-pt-1-BEicllMPrY4.html

See the full schedule of activities here: