‘American Bon Odori’ Events Scheduled in SF

Cultural Series Includes Exhibit, Workshops, Dancing

FYI

For “American Bon Odori: Dancing in Joy and Remembrance” exhibit and workshop details, go to: https://www.njahs.org/one-day-events/ or call 415-921-5007. For  American Bon Dancing, go to:  https://ybgfestival.org/event/american-bon-dancing-2024/ or call 415-543-1718.

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Vibrant, colorful, and joyous — Obon dancing (Bon Odori) — is a kaleidoscope of movement and rhythm, deeply rooted in Japanese Buddhist traditions. 

In the 1930s, Rev. Yoshio Iwanaga introduced Bon Odori to Buddhist communities throughout the West Coast. Since that time, Bon Odori has remained an important Japanese American tradition, through the devastation of World War II concentration camps, the difficult postwar years, and into the 21st century. 

As the Buddhist Churches of America (BCA) marks its 125th anniversary, “American Bon Odori: Dancing in Joy and Remembrance,” celebrates the legacy of Rev. Yoshio Iwanaga, Obon dance teachers past and present, and all who have entered the dance circle. 

A multimedia exhibit curated by Dr. Wynn Kiyama and Jane Suiei Naito, opened at the NJAHS Japantown Peace Gallery, 1684 Post St., San Francisco, and runs from July 1 through Sept. 30, with in-person workshops taking place on July 6, Aug. 3, and Sept. 7, presented by the American Bon Consortium in partnership with the National Japanese American Historical Society (NJAHS ). 

The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival offers an encore presentation of  “American Bon Dancing: Dancing in Joy and Remembrance” from 1 to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 8 at Yerba Buena Gardens, Mission Street between 3rd and 4th streets in San Francisco. 

All events are free and open to the public. The events were coordinated by the American Bon Consortium. Funding for the events was made possible by The Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Charitable Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, and San Francisco Japantown Foundation. 

July 1 — Sept. 30:

Multimedia Exhibit: “American Bon Odori: Dancing in Joy and Remembrance”

Curated by Dr. Wynn Kiyama and Jane Suiei Naito

Drawing upon archival photos, rare films and artifacts, "American Bon Odori" chronicles the history and significance of Obon dancing (Bon Odori) in the continental United States from the 1930s, the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II, through the postwar era and into the 21st century. 

The exhibit coincides with the 125th anniversary of the founding of the Buddhist Churches of America. Principal curator Dr. Wynn Kiyama has written extensively on Bon Odori for Discover Nikkei, the BCA’s Wheel of Dharma, and Portland State University’s Digital Archive. Assistant curator Jane Suiei Naito is a member of the BCA Archive Committee and a Sogetsu Ikebana instructor. 

Presented by American Bon Consortium in partnership with the National Japanese American Historical Society.

Gallery hours: Monday to Friday, and first Saturdays of the month: 12 noon to 5 pm. Additional gallery days: Sunday, Sept. 1, and Monday, Sept. 2 (Labor Day), from 12 noon to 5 pm. Call 415-921-5007 to arrange a group tour for all ages. Visit https://www.njahs.org/events/  for details and registration for workshops.

Saturdays: July 6, Aug. 3 and Sept. 7 

Workshops: Bon Dance Stories and Activities 

1 to 2 p.m. at NJAHS Japantown Peace Gallery

Bon dance stories and memories are shared through hands-on Bon dance activities. All ages are welcome.  On July 6, Jane Suiei Naito will lead an uchiwa (round Japanese fan) making workshop; on Aug. 3,  Reiko Iwanaga (Hanayagi Reimichi) will present a tenugui (Japanese cloth towel) designing session; and on Sept. 7, “The Magic of Dancing Obon: Dance and Talk with Nobuko Miyamoto” will be moderated by Dr. Wynn Kiyama. 

Register for workshops at: https://forms.gle/9FZnWeMqxF4nicwB7

Sunday, Sept. 8, 1 to 3 p.m.

“American Bon Dancing — in Joy and Remembrance” 

The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival will offer an encore presentation of “American Bon Dancing: Dancing in Joy and Remembrance,” from 1 to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 8, at Yerba Buena Gardens on Mission Street between 3rd and 4th streets in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood. 

Presented by the American Bon Consortium in partnership with Yerba Buena Gardens Festival with support from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). 

“American Bon Dancing: Dancing in Joy and Remembrance” invites individuals of all backgrounds to dance. No experience is necessary as participants join the dance circle, honor the memories of those who have passed, and dance in gratitude for the present moment.

Reiko Iwanaga (Hanayagi Reimichi), Bon dance master and daughter-in-law of Rev. Yoshio Iwanaga, will collaborate with an array of Bon dance artists for an afternoon of Bon dancing and music. 

Two new Bon dances commissioned by the BCA Music Committee will be presented. Nobuko Miyamoto, Bon dance maker, arts icon, activist, and subject of a new documentary, “A Song in Movement,” will teach her BCA-commissioned work, “Kangie” (Gathering of Joy). 

Bonbu Stories, a new Asian American arts collaborative group whose members include Emily (Yoshihara) Imazumi, Miharu Okamura, Sydney Shiroyama, Miko Shudo, Kendall Tani, and Vicky Zhang, will share “Lantern Song,” also commissioned by the BCA Music Committee. 

PJ Hirabayashi of TaikoPeace will lead the Bon dance circle in “Ei Ja Nai Ka,” a contemporary favorite performed with San Jose Taiko. Ensohza Japanese Folk Ensemble will perform traditional Bon dance music.