2017年06月30日

The Bon Dance in the US

　　I have known that the Bon Dance (Bon Odori Taikai) by Japanese Americans will be done in 66 Buddhist Charchs at least in the US (except Hawaii) as a part of the summer festival every year. That's exactly the same as Japan.

Japanese Obon Festival & Bon Odori Schedule in the US.

Wherever there're the Buddhist Charchs,it seems to be done. The Bon Dance

Festival of San Francisco is scheduled to celebrate 86th anniversary this year. Taking these aspects into consideration, Japanese Americans must have regarded Bon Dance as a tradition to inherit in the Japanese culture.

Just picking up the event venues where I can go by car, the following list has been completed.

■2017 Bon Odori Dance Practice - Buddhist Church of Sacramento
■2017 Bon Odori Dance Practice - Monterey Peninsula Buddhist Temple

■2017 Obon Dance Practice - Marysville Buddhist Church (Tues/ Thu)

■

2017 Bon Odori Dance Practice - Buddhist Church of San Francisco

■2017 Annual Cortez Obon Summer Festival (Ballico Taiko, Stockton Bukkyo Taiko, Cortez Karaoke Singers & Dancing)

■2017 Reedley Buddhist Church Obon Festival

■2017 Bon Odori Practice - Mountain View Buddhist Temple

■2017 Bon Odori Dance Practice - Buddhist Church of Florin

■2017 Bon Odori Practice & Maui-Style Dance Practice - Mountain View Buddhist Temple

References

■A History of Japanese American Obon Festivals and Bon Odori

（Study on the Bon Dance in Hawaii）

■Cultural Continuity Seen in Hawaii's Traditional Bon Dance : The Case Study of Iwakuni Ondo by Noriko Shimada（Japan Women's University）

This paper traces the history of Hawaii’s Bon dances and investigates

■日系移民の盆踊り－ハワイ

2017年06月30日

Obon in Sacramento

　　I have found an event of Bon Practice (お盆) and Bon Dance (盆踊り) in California. It'll be held in the Sacramento Buddhist Church from this week to next week.

     In short, Bon is one of Buddhist Festival. Bon means the period during which the spirit of the ancestor returns to its descendants and families once a year. In China, the priod is called Guijie (鬼節), The Japanese call it Obon (お盆）

   In Japanese customs, at the beginning of the period, we make a bonfire (迎え火Mukaebi), greet the spirit of our ancestors, and hold the memorial service for it. At the end of the period, we make a bonfire (送り火Okulibi) and see them to heaven. Today, many Japanese go to the tombs of their ancestors, set candles, and put flowers and sweets in Obon.

     By the way, It is not far from here to the Sacramento Buddhist Church where the Japanese American will hold the Bon events.It takes about 1.5 hours to drive to there. I haven't been to Sacramento, so I wanna go to see an Japanese Americans' Bon Odori on this occasion.

Buddhist Church of Sacramento

Study on the Bon Dance in the United States
日系移民の盆踊り－ハワイ
 島田法子「ハワイ盆踊りにみられる伝統文化の継承」

19059946_1266826676785315_3302231229220159880_n

2017年06月29日

【World War Ⅱ and the Japanese in America】Series No.39

The propaganda of Federal government was widely used during Japanese evacuation.
The movies below was made by the War Relocation Authority with the cooperation of the Office of War Information and the Office of Strategic Services.

2017年06月28日

Un-American

In the National Archives and the Library of Congress, there are about 7,000 images of the concentration camps of the Japanese Americans that photographers hired by the federal government took during World War II. But most of them were seldom seen until recently

Now about 170 images －many never before published － appear in “Un-American: The Incarceration of Japanese Americans During World War II” (City Files Press) by Richard Cahan and Michael Williams.

Recently knowing it, I purchased this book.

Un-American: The Incarceration of Japanese Americans During World War II [ハードカバー]

Richard Cahan

Cityfiles Press

2016-11-15