All for One at Obon

Alice Hirata came for the dancing. Art Endo was drawn by the drums. And for Fred Carrizosa, it was an opportunity to have a good meal and see old friends.

The three were among hundreds who gathered Sunday under a scorching sun to partake in the annual Obon festival, a Buddhist gathering considered one of the most important observances of the year.

“All Buddhists celebrate this festival,” said Paul Jonokuchi, president of the San Fernando Valley Hongwanji Buddhist Temple, which hosted the two-day Obon festival at the Japanese American Community Center in Pacoima.

The festival has its roots in a centuries-old memorial service paying homage to ancestors. A solemn service is still part of the event, serving to remind participants that those who came before them gave them life.

“We are all dependent on one another,” Jonokuchi said, summing up the message of Obon. “We exist as one.”

Although the festival is a remembrance of the dead, it is also a time to rejoice. Festival-goers enjoyed food, games, dancing and traditional Japanese drumming known as taiko.

Erin Sato, the only female member of the San Fernando Valley Mugen, the taiko drum group that performed at the festival, said the methodical music played an important role among the people of Japan.

“Back in the old days, it was used for a lot of celebrations and harvests and during times of war.”

A chance to hear the powerful beat of the taiko drums is one reason Art Endo and his wife, Mary, have attended the Obon festival annually for the past 30 years.

“Even though we’re not Buddhists, there’s a lot of Japanese things that go on out here,” Mary Endo said. “We’re here to celebrate our community.”

Representatives of the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles were at the festival to provide an opportunity for people to get information about family members who were relocated to internment camps during World War II.

“The Japanese didn’t talk about it a lot,” said Robert Masuda, a museum volunteer.

“They’re starting to open up now, more than before,” added Ginny Yamamoto, another volunteer. “The ones who went to camp . . . they want to forget.”

Alice Hirata came from Monterey Park with a few friends to partake in the traditional Japanese dancing.

“It’s like street dancing,” she said, holding a kimono in her arms that she would wear once the dancing began.

Hirata said she travels from one Obon festival to another throughout July so she can dance.

Asked why the circle dancing was such an important part of a festival that honors family members who have died, Hirata said: “I guess it’s better than being sad.”