Dancing the Body Politic: Obon and Bon-odori

This chapter addresses the history and practice of Southern California Japanese American bon-odori, or participatory Buddhist circle dances performed as part of the summer Obon festival. The author argues that it is a key means through which Japanese American community is continuously reconstituted in explicitly Buddhist terms. Rev. Mas Kodani’s theorization of bon-odori as a loss of ego is addressed in detail. Rev. Yoshio Iwanaga’s choreographic work in the 1930s-40s and the organizational roles of the Buddhist Church of America and the Southern District Dharma School Teachers’ League in coordinating the annual bon-odori dance set are described. The relationship between kumi-daiko and bon drumming (bon daiko) is explored, with attention to the relatively small number of bon drummers and recent efforts to train younger musicians. Two dances, “Bon-odori Uta” and “Tanko Bushi,” are described in detail. The importance of bon-odori in the Manzanar Pilgrimage is discussed. Attention is paid to the creation of contemporary bon-odori by three Japanese American artists (Nobuko Miyamoto, PJ Hirabayashi, and Michelle Fujii).