Taiso-ji, a small Buddhist temple in the neighborhood of Shinjuku in Tokyo, hosts an obon matsuri every mid-July. The temple, formally known as Kasumizekiyama-Honakuin-Taisoji is a Jōdo-shu temple, a branch of the Pure Land form of Buddhism. Obon is a time when the departed are believed to return to earth. Preparations for obon celebrations consist of cleaning the family gravesite and replacing the long wooden tablets on which the posthumous names of ancestors are written. On the evening of festival we saw, the temple grounds were filled with food vendors and game stalls. An area in the center was left open for the traditional obon odori - a dance performed by men and women alike, welcoming the returned souls.
Serendipity led us to the Taisoji Obon Matsuri. It was our first morning in Japan and we were hurrying to a bank in order to exchange money when I noticed a temple out of the corner of my eye. It was at the end of a short road, set back from the main fairway. The temple had red lanterns hanging around the gate, a good indication of an approaching festival. We spent some time exploring the temple - taking pictures of the Buddha statue near the gate, peering into the dark temple and getting an up close look at a small Shinto shrine on the temple grounds. We wandered behind one of the temples and walked among the rows of stupas, family graves, many with fresh flowers and recently burnt incense on them. Long wooden tablets had recently been placed at each stupa, bearing intricate Chinese characters--posthumous names of recently deceased family members. As we prepared to leave the temple we noticed people setting up stalls in what appeared to be preparation for a festival, Dr. Roemer asked one of the men and learned that same evening there would be an obon matsuri. |
View our video of part of this intimate Obon festival at Taiso-ji, a small temple in Tokyo. For full-screen click here.
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