KAPA‘IA — Rev. Midori Kondo, resident minister for the Lihu‘e Hongwanji Mission, said they are ready for this weekend’s bon dance. “We had the chouchin (paper lanterns) up before Sunday for the Hatsubon service,” Kondo said. “And they will remain
KAPA‘IA — Rev. Midori Kondo, resident minister for the Lihu‘e Hongwanji Mission, said they are ready for this weekend’s bon dance.
“We had the chouchin (paper lanterns) up before Sunday for the Hatsubon service,” Kondo said. “And they will remain up until after the bon dance this weekend.”
The Hatsubon service, part of the o-bon observance, is held in memory of people who passed away following the o-bon observance last year. In the Buddhist religion, it is believed that during the o-bon season, spirits of deceased ancestors return to the physical world for a reunion with their kin, offering families a chance to unite with past and current generations. In Japan, it’s a time when relatives return to their hometowns.
In Hawai‘i, obon is celebrated with the bon dances, which have become centers of community gatherings.
Kondo said for the o-bon celebration, the women’s association created a special alter cloth which has already been placed on display at the church and will remain through the weekend.
Additionally, around the grounds, bustling activity took place amidst the aroma of fresh coffee as men and women made final preparations. A tent was erected to stave off any rain, and even the children were sent on an excursion to ensure peak efficiency.
“The preschool children went away so they wouldn’t get in the way,” Kondo said. “In the kitchen, the ladies are making manju.”
All of the preparation is a culmination of months of planning by church members and the resulting bon dance offers something for everyone.
“We will start serving food from about 6 p.m.,” Kondo said. “The country store will also open at 6 p.m. At 7 p.m. on both nights, we will have a collumbarium service and dancing starts at 7:45 p.m.”
Traditionally, the crowds arrive well before the 6 p.m. opening.
“When we open the doors, the line is all the way up the parking lot,” said Marian Ogata, one of the women working on the manju. “People come for the baked goods and sushi. You gotta come early. Just don’t go home after work.”
In addition to the food items in the country store, the highly coveted flying saucers will also be available, along with the traditional bon dance offerings like saimin, shave ice, pronto pups and yakitori.
Children can indulge in a wide variety of keiki games led off by the fish pond, ball throw and dime toss.
“We have six people, three for each night, who were born in the Year of the Dog who will be tossing plastic eggs to the crowd during the intermission,” Kondo said.
This popular tradition draws the crowd to the yagura — a wooden structure that anchors the dance ring — for a chance to get the special egg containing a prize. Other eggs contain treats and other prizes for recipients to enjoy. Originally, churches would present mochi, or rice cakes, to people who attended the bon dance. The tossing of plastic eggs is an adaptation of this tradition.
The Lihu‘e Hongwanji Mission’s bon dance is the last one of the summer. The Kaua‘i Buddhist Council’s rotating schedule dictates, then, that in the summer of 2007, the Lihu‘e mission will kick off the bon dance season.
For now, Kondo is focusing on Friday, and, as always — and especially during the summer on Kaua‘i — everything depends on the weather.
“I just hope the rain gods cooperate,” Kondo said. “We don’t want rain.”
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com.
