Bon Odori

   The festival that is probably one of the most celebrated in Hawaii by all generations is known by several names: "The Festival of Lanterns," "The Festival of Souls," "Obon,"and "Bon Odori." But most of the locals just know it as "Bon Dance." Bon dance is a Japanese festival where participants dance around a yagura (a red elevated platform) to pay respects to the spirits of the deceased, who come back to Earth during the Bon Dance season. Like many of the other Japanese traditions brought to Hawaii, Bon Dance was transferred during the plantation age and has been practiced since, with some minor changes to its original practice.
   Although we have a full Bon Dance "season" during the summer, Bon Dance originally took place on one day, but due to the working hours of the plantation workers the festival days were extended and changed to the weekend to accommodate everyone. Likewise, the festival has transformed in such a way that it is not so much of a religious event, but more of a secular event that allows people of different ethnicities and faiths to participate without temple affiliation. However, they still perform a sermon before every Bon Dance in accordance to tradition and to honor recently passed church members of the past year. Many families who belong to a Buddhist temple still practice the religious traditions tied with Bon Dance, such as my own. Every Bon Dance season we'd visit the graves of my great grandparents, pay our respects, light some incense, and clean the gravestone. It is also customary to leave food for the deceased, such as a bowl of rice.
   This practice of leaving food behind on the gravestone originates from an old Buddhist text that states that Mokuren, a monk who could see the souls of the deceased, saw his mother's spirit suffering and starving in the afterlife due to the bad deeds she committed when she was alive. After many failed attempts to try to feed his mother (whose food kept bursting into flame whenever he tried to feed her), he sought the advice of his teacher, who then told him to feed the "priestly spirits" on the fifteenth day of the seventh month in order to free his mother from her suffering. Once he did this, Mokuren saw his mother healthy and well, and dancing with a tray of rice in her hands. It is said that after seeing his mother's happiness, Mokuren and other people joined her in dance, and is said to be the origin story of how Bon Dance came to be.
  Although many of the practices still live on today, many new additions have been made to the Bon Dance tradition. In addition to becoming more secular, many more contemporary songs are being added to the songs used for Bon Dance. Some of these include opening songs to anime, such as Bleach's "Houki Boushi," and Vocaloid songs like "Love & Joy." Likewise, Japanese versions of kpop songs have also been added, most notably Big Bang's "Fantastic Baby." Although Hawaii has done a good job of preserving the religious traditions of the festival, the tradition still continues to grow and take shape to fit into the contemporary age.

Ikebana

  After doing some searching for new topics and at a loss of what to write about, I decided ask my mom about some of the activities my great grandparents did that she remembered in particular. In one of our conversations, my mom mentioned that my great grandmother, who was also a seamstress and used to perform traditional Japanese dance for many years, also did ikebana (flower arranging) as a past time. Although the idea of flower arranging may seem like a simple task, it's an art form that requires a lot of aesthetic attentiveness and discipline to execute. It also corresponds to the Eastern philosophy of the bond/closeness between mankind and nature. The process itself is also quiet therapeutic and spiritual, like that of bamboo painting or calligraphy. However, the process of creating a floral arrangement comes with many considerations: color combinations, contour and line, choice of material (flowers, leaves, grasses, etc.), and the overall meaning behind the arrangement itself. The choice of container also is another factor to consider when arranging a piece as well. In general though, the shape of a floral arrangement is akin to that of a triangle-type of structure, with each point representing heaven, earth, and mankind. However, there are several types of styles and patterns that one can create, and are even still evolving well into modern times.

While talking to my mom, she mentioned that she remembered dropping off my great grandmother every Saturday to attend ikebana lessons from a woman who was originally from Japan. She also recalled several times where she saw my great grandmother sketching in a book of what she wanted the flower arrangement to look like, taking note of details like color and flowers that she would use. One of the flowers that my mom recalled her using often were small anthuriums and orchids. At first I thought that the ikebana in Hawaii was pretty nonexistent, especially places that teach it, but after doing some research I found that a lot of people still practice it in Hawaii today, both men and women alike. A local organization I found was the Ikebana International, Honolulu Chapter 56, who often host workshops, demonstrations, community service projects, and exhibitions related to ikebana for the public. In some of their most recent pictures (which can be found here), it shows that ikebana has indeed evolved to more extravagant and beautiful forms over the years. Unfortunately, I've never seen any of my great grandmother's flower arrangements, but I hope that one day I can find pictures of them (or better yet, her sketchbook!). For now though, I'm glad that the tradition of ikebana is still thriving; I wouldn't mind trying to learn how to do floral arrangements one day too.

Wakamiya Inari Shrine

Although Buddhism has a popular presence within Hawaii, another religion native to Japan is Shinto, which focuses around the idea that spirits/gods (kami) exist within everything: the trees, rivers, mountains, and nature itself. There are several Shinto temples today in Hawaii, albeit with a more modern appearance, that still perform services and do not require an exclusive membership in order to participate in it. While searching around though, I found that Hawaii has an example of the iconic Shinto shrine style of architecture known to Japan: the Wakamiya Inari Shrine. It is currently the last surviving example of Shinto shrines in Hawaii that are devoted to the Shinto kami, Inari. Inari is one of the chief kami of the Shinto religion and is commonly represented by kitsune (foxes; hence the iconic fox statues that can be seen in front of the shrine). She is also the patron goddess of many things, such as rice, agriculture, fertility, and prosperity. Many of her shrines can be seen around Japan, so her importance to the Japanese, as well as her presence in Hawaii, is of no surprise. Religion was one of the things the immigrants could turn to during the plantation days, which was around the time that the shrine was built (1914) at Kakaako by Reverend Yoshio Akizaki.

Like most Shinto shrines, the Wakamiya Inari Shrine includes wooden structures, verandas, and is immersed in nature, symbolizing the Eastern belief of nature being one with mankind rather than man being dominate over nature. But unlike most shrines, it is red instead of being unpainted, and sports a red torii gate. However, it was only until recently that the shrine was refurbished; in fact, it was also relocated two times from Kakaako to Moolii, then from Moolii to Waipahu, where it currently resides. The reason is unknown for the move to Moolii from Kakaako, but the shrine resided there for 70 years until the land got bought out by a sporting goods store in 1979. However, a professor from Kapiolani Community College initiated a group to save the shrine, thus canceling the demolition plans and moving it to the Waipahu Garden Park. It also just recently received a makeover once again in 2013, and now sports a newly tiled roof thanks to several generous donations (the torii was also replaced, but at an earlier time). Despite the passage of time, the shrine still seems to be in operation where it continues to hold a permanent home! It would definitely be an interesting place to see if anyone ever gets a chance to visit Oahu :)

Happy Girl's Day!

In Hawaii, everyone knows Hinamatsuri (or Doll's Day), as Girl's Day. Seeing as today is March 3rd, it seemed appropriate to discuss this Japanese holiday that still persists in Hawaii today. According to some sources, the origin of Girl's Day began during the Heian period, as was commonly celebrated to ensure good luck for the daughters of the family. Although the holiday is not as prominent as it was before, several places, such as Two Ladies Kitchen and KTA, still sell mochi for  Girl's Day. A good example of this is the pink, green, and white layered rectangular mochi that we commonly call "chi chi mochi" ("chi chi" being slang for milk in Japanese). In Japan though, this iconic mochi is called "hishimochi" and is a type of confectionary made special for Girl's Day. Aside from just indulging in the mochi though, it is also customary to put them on display with the Girl's Day ornamental dolls (at least, that's what my family does). The dolls range from many different styles and mediums, from porcelain to wood, but the most iconic dolls are those of the traditional Heian court doll set. The special Heian court doll sets are set up into several tiers and placed onto a red carpet, divided according to class: the emperor and empress, handmaidens, warriors, and musicians. However, many of these collections vary and may include extra items such as tangerine trees, sakura trees, furniture, folding screens, and lanterns.
   In regards to my family's own traditions, my mom has her own set of Heian court dolls, complete with an entire palace set for the emperor and empress to be placed in (**I will edit in pictures later of this).  According to my mother, she had gotten the set from her own grandmother when she was born, and was the only daughter to receive a Heian court set out of her sisters (she was the eldest). It just made a little over fifty years old recently and is in still very good condition, despite Hawaii's humidity and time. My mom told me from when I was younger that it would be passed down to me, the eldest daughter of our own family. We're a little busier now days so we don't put them up every year like we used to, but when we do we try to leave it out past Girl's Day, even though there is a superstition tied to it. Many of these Heian court dolls can be seen on display at the Japanese Cultural Center too during their own Girl's Day celebration (this past year's one was on March 1st; all sets were donated). Many other Girl's Day dolls, such as kokeshi, are still available for purchase annually just for Girl's Day as well, as it is also part of tradition to buy dolls for every Girl's Day. There are even more detailed and ornamental dolls, dressed in kimono and contained in glass cases, too. It is also interesting to note that there are Boy's Day doll equivalents as well (so don't feel left out, boys).
  Although this Girl's Day is already coming to close, I hope everyone had a nice day, and that this put some insight into the holiday!

Things Japanese in Hawaii

"Things Japanese in Hawaii."

   On the first day that we had class time to explore the Hawaiian Collection at the library, that was one of the first titles that immediately jumped out to me. Although I was initially looking for something related to Japanese culture, the book stood out to me mostly through the fact of how straight forward and bland the title name was. Given that the title did give me an idea of all the information I would get out of the book, I couldn't help but think why they chose the title the way they did; it could have been so much better. But it also piqued my curiosity, mostly because I opened the book thinking I knew everything that was known about Japanese culture in Hawaii-- but I was proven wrong. The book was several decades old and while flipping through the book, there were several social events and activities that I've never come across or have seen happen in recent times, such as the Cherry Blossom Princess pageant. There were even some indigenous Japanese cultural activities (ex. traditional Japanese theater) that were once practiced frequently, but had soon fallen out over the passage of time.
   Having lived in Hawaii for all of my life, as well as being a fifth generation Japanese person, I've never really got the chance to learn a lot about the indigenous Japanese customs that used to have a large presence in Hawaii. Growing up, I never did ask about the origins of these customs, what they meant, or why my family practiced it. But now I find myself asking and wondering. In a way, I also feel like I'm not a "true" Japanese because I don't understand or know of the importance of these traditions. So, for the purpose of this blog, I intend to do research and share stories about my own personal knowledge of Japanese customs that I grew up with, as well as share new information about the old Hawaii-Japanese cultural traditions that have been lost to time, as well as those that still remain prevalent today.