Reel by Stephanie Lum
Stephanie Lum@stephanielumhnn Have you seen the new generation of Bon dance? Members of Oahu’s oldest bon dance group are wearing wigs, dressing up in costumes and dancing to music like “Soda Pop” and “APT”. They’re breaking the mold of traditional bon dancing to preserve the cultural foundation of Obon. “I just wanted to attract the young kids because without the young kids, the bon dance is going to die,” said Robin Hirata of Ewa Fukushima Bon Dance Group. “We had three churches close down. Kahuku was the first, Waialua Hongwanji and Waianae was just this past year.” There were 200 Japanese Buddhist temples in the plantation days. Honpa Hongwanji says there are 31 today due to shrinking and aging congregations. While some prefer the traditional ways, Hirata says the new dances are drawing in younger members. #HawaiiNewsNow #EwaFukushimaBonDanceGroup #BonDance #Obon
People in this post
Co-authors and accounts tagged in the frame.
Comments
A preview Instagram ships with the post — 15 of 73 public comments.
@zebra.4190887 I love you guys ❤️😍
@t_illyb They do this is Japan 🇯🇵 already
@manoa1 Using contemporary songs is common and part of the tradition. For instance, the Betsuin bon dance always opens with Shinran Ondo. That song was written when the Hongwanji in Japan commissioned a bunch of then-popular artists to make a compilation album in the 1970s. Mililani Hongwanji loves "Beautiful Sunday," which was a 1976 remake of a 1972 American song. Now it feels "traditional," but that didn't come here with the Issei. Also, by the way, you don't pronounce the W in Hongwanji. It's not a Korean or Chinese name. It's Hon-Gan-Ji. ほんがんじ.
@babylee_manonui At least use japanese music its not korean tradition 🤣
@shinjijkl Maybe play some japanese modern songs/ anime music? Yes the younger generation is important and pulling in visitors/tourists is good too. So definitely on the right track to keeping the culture alive🙌!🔥
· 1 likes
@markfromhawaii Christians in Hawaii enjoy the bon dance too. Maybe we don’t offer senko in the temple but we enjoy the dance and music tradition as well as the food. Palisades Baptist Church lets bon dance participants for Rissho Kosei Kai park in its lot.
· 2 likes
@johngilvary Wonder what ancestors think of this.
@gleestormont They make it fun, always. Way to connect the generations. Let's gooooo!
· 1 likes
@mauna_k I Miss Our Waianae Church😍 We would go bon dance every July
· 1 likes
@rambozmom ❤️
· 1 likes
@marikojuliafukao 👏👏👏👏👏
@rosalinapiw_ 😍
· 1 likes
@apexrcproshop Is NOTHING sacred.. shame
@ldsmmber In Japan, we danced to Frozen “Let It Go 😊
· 3 likes
Topics in this caption
All popular topicsEach tag opens the popular posts Instagram returns for it.
@hisako.luv I have done bon dance since i was little, the new songs are weird and even changed becho, still good