Okinawan ancestors rejoin families during Obon

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Tara A. Williamson
  • 18th Wing Public Affairs
KADENA AIR BASE, Japan --  Obon, a Buddhist holiday tradition over 500 years old, will be celebrated all over Okinawa Aug. 12-14.

This ancient annual holiday reunites family members with the spirits of their families' ancestors.

Days before Obon begins, families gather to clean their ancestors' graves to show them they will soon be able to share time in the land of the living.

"I had a dream about cleaning the grave [recently]," said Junko Kinjo, 18th Wing Public Affairs photographer. "This is how I know I am excited about Obon."

The first day is known as "unkeh," when family members welcome their ancestors' spirits into the house where a "butsudan," or altar, has been prepared with incense and adorned with the "ihai," or spirit tablet.

Offerings such as sake, fruit, tea, water and flowers are placed on the butsudan to welcome the ancestors. A bundle of 13 short pieces of sugar cane and a long, uncut cane are also placed on the side of the altar. The long piece is said to be used as a walking stick by the spirits as they leave the house and return to their tombs.

Okinawans will usually light candles or lanterns to lead the spirits home, brightening up doorways across the island as they stand in front of their homes to greet the spirits as darkness falls over the island.

Then, families dine on a porridge-like meal known as "jushi," and offer the jushi to the spirits of their deceased relatives.

"Obon is something to look forward to," Kinjo said. "The spending time with family and with people who passed away, but also being together and we eat many good foods."

During the second night, "nakabi," ancestors are offered three meals. The day is dedicated to family members visiting with relatives and apologizing to their ancestors for not communicating for so long. They pray for forgiveness and offer gifts to the spirits.

The third and final day of Obon is "ukui," where the highlight of the holiday, the farewell dinner, is carefully prepared and placed before the butsudan into a special box called the "jyubako" as a final offering for the spirits along with sake, tea and other special foods. While preparing the many delicacies of the meal, the family also prepares the "minnuku," a special meal made of grass or scraps of food that's given to any bad spirits or homeless, wandering spirits who the ancestors might meet on the way back to the tomb.

To ensure that the spirits will have no needs as they cross back over into their world, "uchikabi," money made of paper and stamped with the shape of a coin by a hammer and iron mold, is placed on the jyubako. While most offerings are made in pairs or in a package, the countable foods like the sugar cane are always given in odd-number increments.

Everyone comes together in front of the butsudan as the meal is prepared, and the incense is burned while the family gives thanks for their good health and prays for the safety, happiness, and prosperity of the family in the year to come.

"It's fun because you think about the people who have passed away; spiritually you feel like they are here visiting," Kinjo said. "I always look forward to Obon."

After the meal, men sing and play a banjo-like instrument made of snakeskin, called the "samisen." Just before midnight the ancestral spirits are bid a fond "farewell," and the paper money is burned by the head of the family and his sons. They douse the ashes with tea and sake, and place the souvenir foods and the minnuku on the ground at the gate. They pray so the spirits can return to the tomb safely and come back again the next year. The prayer marks the end of Obon and the beginning of more Eisa dancing.

As a sign of respect to the Okinawans during Obon, the 18th Wing will reduce flight operations during this major Okinawan holiday.

"We appreciate the significance of the observance of Obon to our Okinawan neighbors," said Col. David Nahom, 18th Wing Operations Group commander. "The 18th Wing has scheduled no flight training for this period and only mission-critical flights will be permitted. We do whatever we can within mission constraints to minimize the impact of our operations on the local community."

Traffic just before, during and after Obon in major areas will be highly constricted due to families visiting one another for the holidays. Airmen are advised to plan accordingly as travel times may take longer than usual.