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On Faith

Jay Sakashita

Saturday, July 7, 2001



Obon lights the
way for ancestors

The obon festival is celebrated at Japanese Buddhist temples and marks the occasion for families to gather together to honor their ancestors.

Though derived from the Sanskrit term "Ullambana," which refers to a memorial ceremony held during the summer to bring souls out from the other world, the Japanese word "bon" also means a tray or platter for food. Obon season is therefore a time for communities to welcome ancestral spirits back to this world with gifts of food and other offerings.

There are a number of themes that characterize obon. Obon is at once solemn and playful, blending notions of prayer, worship and respect for the ancestors in a festive social atmosphere. This is especially evident at the bon dances, where the music, eating and socializing commence with prayers offered to the ancestors at special temple services.

While the music, colorful lanterns and dancing may be the most prominent aspects of the season, there are other, equally important activities of the obon tradition. Visiting ancestral graves and offering incense, flowers and food reaffirm family ties. These ties are further strengthened by the offering of otoba, large wooden planks erected on temple grounds inscribed with the names of ancestors. At Jodo Mission there are more than 500 otoba standing in the front courtyard. According to Bishop Yubun Narashiba of Jodo Mission, the otoba express our appreciation to the ancestors for all that they have done for us.

Obon is also colored by beliefs and practices found in Japanese folk religion. According to Violet Machida, wife of Soto Mission Bishop Jiho Machida, some Japanese families would place images of horses carved from eggplant, cucumber and other summer vegetables at grave sites in the belief that the ancestral spirits traveled on horses between this world and the spiritual realm. Other families avoided swimming at the beach on particular days during obon due to fears that lonely spirits might pull them under the water.

The obon festival concludes on a solemn and poignant note when the ancestral spirits are led back to the other world. Small boats or rafts are constructed in which the souls of the dead symbolically ride and are floated out to sea. The way is lit by lanterns inscribed with the names of ancestors placed on the rafts to safely guide the spirits in their return journey. At Jodo Mission a white cord is tied from the hand of Amida Buddha, who stands in the center of the temple's altar, to the otoba erected in the courtyard, symbolically uniting the ancestors and leading them to Amida's Pure Land.

Though the festival has its origins in Buddhism, it is clear obon is as much a cultural and social activity as it is a religious observance. However, the layers of meaning that inform obon transcend specific religious and cultural parameters. In short, obon is a time to reflect, recognize and express gratitude to those who came before us. Viewed in this manner, the themes that characterize obon are neither uniquely Buddhist nor particularly Japanese, but express sentiments that resonate in all traditions.


Jay Sakashita teaches religion at the
University of Hawaii at Manoa, Leeward Community College
and Chaminade University.



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