The Obon Festival was celebrated at Lahaina Jodo Mission on the Hawai‘ian island of Maui on 9 August, marking the end of a two-year hiatus during which the festival was held at the nearby Lahaina Cannery Mall due to wildfires destroying several temple buildings in 2023.
The festival included events and activities such as food booths, Bon dancing, cultural displays, and games for children. Prayers and Buddhist ceremonies were led by religious leaders from Jodo Mission, Lahainia Hongwanji, and Lahaina Shingon Mission.
The festivities were marked by the presence of a 3.7-meter Buddha statue, which survived the wildfires of 2023 and remained onsite during the rebuilding process. The statue was originally built to honor Japanese laborers who came to Hawai‘i in 1868.
The temple grounds were cleaned and prepared for the celebration by volunteers, who worked for months on the preparations. The director of Lahaina Jodo Mission, Maya Hara, said of the event: “This is more than a festival—it’s a homecoming. We’re not just rebuilding structures; we’re rebuilding our sense of place, our spiritual connection, and our community.” (Hawai‘i Public Radio).
The daughter of Reverend Gensho Hara, Yayoi Hara, stated: “The event was made possible by the support of the community, who came together to prepare the site. Many, many hands came together to make this possible.” (Maui News)
One example given by Yayoi Hara was Van Fisher, a Maui resident, who worked alongside his sons during the site cleanup. Yayoi Hara recalled: “He said, ‘Hey, you want to get rid of this pile of asphalt?’ He said he felt this connection to this place and wanted to see the festival return.” (Maui News)
Several artifacts that had survived previous fires at Lahaina Jodo Mission were displayed during the festival. One of them was a wooden Buddha statue that survived a fire in the 1960s as well as the 2023 fire. Maya Hara described the statue:
Actually, what’s really amazing is that the Buddha was saved from a temple fire in 1968 by my mother when I was a baby, so she ran into the temple to save the Buddha. So it’s been saved from two fires, and we were able to have them restored this year by the Japanese conservation team. (Hawai‘i Public Radio)
The Japanese Cultural Center of Hawai‘i participated in the event, offering several activities with the goal of teaching younger people about their culture and tradition.
There were also events to honor people who were hurt or killed during the wildfires. Several community members did paddle-outs to commemorate the tragedy.
Community members were also looking to the future and the eventual rebuilding of the temple. Japanese architect Shigeru Ban proposed using waterproof and fireproof materials in the form of specially treated cardboard tubes as part of the eventual reconstruction. However, various concerns, such as debris removal and site proximity to the shoreline, have caused rebuilding plans to be placed on hold.
Maya Hara explained: “Right now, we’re trying to secure a master plan architecture firm to help us come up with different ideas and do a feasibility study so that we can figure out what the sort of shoreline setback, flood zone setback, and understand the different environmental issues and all the sort of technical issues that go into rebuilding our temple grounds.” She went on to state: “We want the new temple to reflect both our history and our hopes for the future.” (Hawaii Public Radio)
See More
O’bon festival returns to Lahaina Jodo Mission (Maui News)
Lahaina Jodo Mission honors the past and plans for the future (Hawaii Public Radio)
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Buddhist Communities Across Hawaiʻi Gather for Obon Celebrations
Buddhist Temples and Japanese Americans across the US Celebrate Obon Festival
Update: Planned Buddhist Temple in San Jose, California, Wins Approval
Buddhist Temple in Hawai‘i Celebrates 125 Years of Service
Historic Buddhist Temples Lost in Devastating Maui Wildfire
