Obon...a time of joy and gratitude
Obon is a Buddhist custom that originated more than 500 years ago in Japan and came to Hawaii with the Japanese immigrant workers of the nineteenth century.
Obon is the traditional summer festival to invite spirits of dead ancestors back home, hold a memorial service and then send the spirits back to heaven. These festivals are very family-oriented activities; and they’re often attended by three or even four generations within each family!
Obon is the traditional summer festival to invite spirits of dead ancestors back home, hold a memorial service and then send the spirits back to heaven. These festivals are very family-oriented activities; and they’re often attended by three or even four generations within each family!
Hakalau Obon 2025
Our Obon service was attended by our members, neighbors, friends who grew up here and moved away when the sugar industry failed and friends from other temples, including Honohina-Papa`aloa Hongwanji and Kurtistown Jodo Mission. They are our sangha when combined with the more than 300 dancers, musicians, and volunteers who made Obon so special.
Our sangha is more than a gathering of individuals; it is a community shaped by many cultures, histories, and perspectives. Diversity is our strength—within our group you will find people from many walks of life, traditions, and backgrounds, all united by a shared commitment to showing respect for those who came before us, looking out for each other, and engaging in collective effort.
For some people, the evening began with the Obon service offered by Reverend Miyazaki. The temple was luminous with candles and paper lanterns and filled with flowers to welcome our visitors from the Pure Land. The o-toba, memorial tablets inscribed with the names of the deceased, were placed near the door to the temple. Alongside fruits and rice were the eggplant cow and cucumber horse that would return the spirits to the Pure Land, slowly by cow or quickly by horse, as they preferred.
Our sangha is more than a gathering of individuals; it is a community shaped by many cultures, histories, and perspectives. Diversity is our strength—within our group you will find people from many walks of life, traditions, and backgrounds, all united by a shared commitment to showing respect for those who came before us, looking out for each other, and engaging in collective effort.
For some people, the evening began with the Obon service offered by Reverend Miyazaki. The temple was luminous with candles and paper lanterns and filled with flowers to welcome our visitors from the Pure Land. The o-toba, memorial tablets inscribed with the names of the deceased, were placed near the door to the temple. Alongside fruits and rice were the eggplant cow and cucumber horse that would return the spirits to the Pure Land, slowly by cow or quickly by horse, as they preferred.
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In his sermon, Reverend Miyazaki traced Obon’s long roots in Confucianism, Taoism, and early Buddhism that anchored the day’s observances in reverence for the people who came before, and recognition of the many things they did to make life better for us. Families offered incense for their loved ones named on the o-toba, not in grief, but gratitude. Reverend Miyazaki emphasized this in leaving attendees with these words: “Gratitude is wonderful. Food tastes better when eaten with gratitude, and work is more enjoyable when done with gratitude.”
So too, is dancing.
Outside the temple the Sangha had gathered for the Bon Dance; taiko drums and musicians, members of the Tsukikage Odorikai who lead the dances, Thai Angels sending sizzling sounds and delightful aromas across the yard, and the beloved Poi Balls truck with a line forming well before the music began. Once it did, at least fifty people danced at any given time while about two hundred others visited, ate, and watched the sunny late afternoon turn to a brilliant night sky. This Obon no doubt looked different from Obons past—Hakalau Jodo Mission has changed a great deal over the decades—but the spirit of gratitude abounded. Because if nothing else, Obon is a celebration of our gratitude for the presence of others: friends, family, and strangers; keiki, kupuna, and Pure Land visitors; dancers, non-dancers, and everyone in between. We at Hakalau Jodo Mission are especially grateful for the presence of lifelong members Robert Yara who traveled from Oahu and Bobby Arakaki who tells wonderful stories of the plantation days in Hakalau.
So too, is dancing.
Outside the temple the Sangha had gathered for the Bon Dance; taiko drums and musicians, members of the Tsukikage Odorikai who lead the dances, Thai Angels sending sizzling sounds and delightful aromas across the yard, and the beloved Poi Balls truck with a line forming well before the music began. Once it did, at least fifty people danced at any given time while about two hundred others visited, ate, and watched the sunny late afternoon turn to a brilliant night sky. This Obon no doubt looked different from Obons past—Hakalau Jodo Mission has changed a great deal over the decades—but the spirit of gratitude abounded. Because if nothing else, Obon is a celebration of our gratitude for the presence of others: friends, family, and strangers; keiki, kupuna, and Pure Land visitors; dancers, non-dancers, and everyone in between. We at Hakalau Jodo Mission are especially grateful for the presence of lifelong members Robert Yara who traveled from Oahu and Bobby Arakaki who tells wonderful stories of the plantation days in Hakalau.
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Happy Dancers! |
The Tsukikage Odorikai & Hilo Bon Dance Club…
Guidance and Spirit!
Guidance and Spirit!
In Full Swing!
More Photos!
As the evening wound down and people were a little tired from dancing, drumming, eating, and socializing, you could already hear these words in the soundscape: “I can’t wait until next year!”
Nor can we, so please plan to join us next August.
Nor can we, so please plan to join us next August.
Thank You to Our Obon Volunteers
We extend our deepest gratitude to all the volunteers who generously gave their time and energy to help us prepare for, celebrate, and clean up after Obon. From setting up lanterns, tables and benches and ensuring everything ran smoothly and tidying up after the festivities, your commitment and cheerful spirit were invaluable. Thank you for being the heart of Obon and for making this tradition shine year after year. Our volunteers included: John Boyer, Rachel Condor, Ken and Susan Forbes, Heather Fryer, Ph.D., Fir Immanuel, Lucky Joseph, Bob and Virginia Juettner, Akiko Masuda, three of Akiko’s guests: Linda Qin and Kiki and Kona from Waikaloa, Rev. Miyazaki, Caleb Noordman, Jay Pennington, Andy Pulido, Slade Shim, Randy and Alison Simpson, Mike Stolp, and Robert Yara.
We extend our deepest gratitude to all the volunteers who generously gave their time and energy to help us prepare for, celebrate, and clean up after Obon. From setting up lanterns, tables and benches and ensuring everything ran smoothly and tidying up after the festivities, your commitment and cheerful spirit were invaluable. Thank you for being the heart of Obon and for making this tradition shine year after year. Our volunteers included: John Boyer, Rachel Condor, Ken and Susan Forbes, Heather Fryer, Ph.D., Fir Immanuel, Lucky Joseph, Bob and Virginia Juettner, Akiko Masuda, three of Akiko’s guests: Linda Qin and Kiki and Kona from Waikaloa, Rev. Miyazaki, Caleb Noordman, Jay Pennington, Andy Pulido, Slade Shim, Randy and Alison Simpson, Mike Stolp, and Robert Yara.
Arigato gozaimasu!