Obon: Japan's Festival of the Dead

Obon is a summer festival in Japan when families remember their dead. It is a time for visiting graves, welcoming ancestors home, and dancing. This article explains where it comes from and what people do. Practices vary by region, temple, and family. This article gives general guidance. Families should ask their own temple or community how they observe it.

What is Obon?

Obon is a Buddhist memorial ceremony for ancestors, according to Japan’s National Diet Library. It is held on the 13th to the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, or on August 13 to 15 by the modern calendar. During these days people visit their ancestors’ graves and make offerings. World Book describes it as the spiritual return of dead ancestors to the living world. The word “obon” is short for “urabon.” Its origin is debated, but one theory traces it to the Sanskrit word “ullambana.”

When is Obon held?

It depends on the region. Wikipedia lists three timings. “Shichigatsu Bon” falls around July 15, in Tokyo and other parts of eastern Japan. “Hachigatsu Bon,” around August 15, is the most common across the country. “Kyu Bon” follows the old lunar calendar, so its date changes each year. New World Encyclopedia says Okinawa observes the lunar date, as China does for its Ghost Festival.

What is the story behind it?

It is a Buddhist tale about Mokuren, called Maudgalyayana in Sanskrit, a disciple of the Buddha. In the Ullambana Sutra, he searches for his dead mother with his spiritual powers. He finds that she has been reborn among the hungry ghosts. When he offers her rice, it turns into burning coal. The Buddha tells him to make offerings to the community of monks at the end of their summer retreat, on the 15th day of the seventh month. Mokuren does, and his mother is freed from her suffering. Popular accounts add that he danced with joy, and that this is the origin of the Bon dance.

Where did the festival come from?

Scholars trace it through China. Wikipedia says the Japanese festival was shaped by the Buddhist Ghost Festival and by the Chinese Taoist Zhongyuan festival. Japan’s National Diet Library adds that an older ancestor festival held in July, the Tama Matsuri, blended with ullambana after Buddhism arrived. For the Chinese side, see The Hungry Ghost Festival.

The sutra’s own origin is debated. The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, quoted by the Encyclopedia of Buddhism, says the text is generally presumed to be a Chinese work from the fourth or fifth century. A 2023 book from Anthem Press argues instead that it is a creative Chinese translation of material with Indian roots.

How old is Obon in Japan?

Sources disagree. Wikipedia says Obon was practiced under Empress Suiko, who reigned from 592 to 628, and was a customary court holiday by 733. World Book dates the celebration in Japan to the 1100s. Travel writers often say more than 500 years. We could not tell whether these sources are describing the same thing.

What happens during Obon?

Customs vary, but several are common. Many families light a fire called mukaebi at the start to welcome the spirits. Sumifuku says offerings are set out at the household Buddhist altar and at graves. See The Japanese Buddhist Home Altar. Lanterns are hung to guide the souls, according to World Book.

The community Bon dance, Bon Odori, is held in the evening. World Book says dancers form a circle around musicians and taiko drummers. In Okinawa, an archived Wikipedia copy says the eisa drum dance is performed instead. On the last evening, some places float paper lanterns on water, called toro nagashi, and families light a send-off fire called okuribi. Kyoto’s Gozan no Okuribi bonfires are a well-known example. Wanderlust magazine notes that, despite its focus on the dead, the festival is far from gloomy.

Is Obon observed outside Japan?

Yes. Wikipedia reports that Buddhist Churches of America temples in the United States hold both religious Obon services and Bon Odori dancing. An archived copy of Wikipedia also notes Bon Odori festivals in Japanese communities across Brazil. World Book says similar Buddhist festivals are held in China, India, Malaysia, and Vietnam.

What do we still not know?

Quite a bit. The age of the festival is unsettled, and the sutra’s origin is debated. Customs differ between regions and temples, and the general sources we used cannot describe each local practice. A priest or a local temple is the best guide for a particular family.

Where can I learn more?

See Japanese Funeral and Memorial Customs, Qingming: Tomb-Sweeping in Chinese Tradition, Ancestor Veneration Around the World, and Día de los Muertos.