The members of Bonbu Stories – from left, Sydney Shiroyama, Vicky Zhang, Miharu Okamura, Miko Shudo and Kendall Tani – performed their hit “Lantern Song” during the Senshin Obon Festival last Saturday.
By GWEN MURANAKA
RAFU SENIOR EDITOR
So we dance, we sing
We’ll enjoy tonight and cherish the memories
Let’s dance, Let’s dance,
Come take my hand
A song to remember and celebrate loved ones, “Lantern” was performed at Senshin Buddhist Temple last weekend and will be highlighted throughout the summer Obon season.
The song was written by Bonbu Stories, an Asian American arts collaborative, to mark the 125th anniversary of Buddhist Churches of America (BCA).
What is now BCA was founded in 1899 when two ministers journeyed from Japan to San Francisco to share the Dharma with the Issei immigrants.
Obon has evolved over the years but the spirit remains as it was in its beginnings. As part of its commemoration, BCA is honoring the legacy of Rev. Yoshio Iwanaga, who first introduced Obon dancing to the mainland U.S. in the 1930s.
“Lantern” honors that history and reflects on a reverence for the past and loved ones who are gone.
Bonbu Stories consist of five members, Sydney Shiroyama, Miharu Okamura, Miko Shudo, Kendall Tani, and Vicky Zhang.
Drawing from their individual identities and shared Asian American culture, they strive to share the beautifully honest, emotional, broken and whole experiences and stories of humans as “bonbus.” Bonbu is a Buddhist term meaning “imperfect, unenlightened or ordinary being.”
The creative process started with Bonbu Stories meeting with Rev. Mas Kodani, Nobuko Miyamoto, and PJ and Roy Hirabayashi to learn about their experience creating new Obon pieces. Rev. Kodani talked about hanging Obon lanterns a few years ago at his temple. Although he had been attending Obons for decades, it wasn’t until that year when he realized he knew every single name on all of the lanterns. This was a reminder to him that Obon is about impermanence, and this is a sacred time to honor those who have passed on.
To write the song, the members shared what Obon and Buddhist Churches of America meant to them. “It was important to us to reflect upon how BCA pioneers worked tirelessly and bravely to create a space where to can embrace our culture and religion,” said
The lyrics were written by Shudo and Okamura. At a retreat, the group gathered to finish the song and also reflect on some of their favorite Obon choreographies.
“Because this was a commission specifically for BCA’s 125th anniversary, we wanted to express our gratitude for the community our ancestors built for us,” Shudo explained. “A few of us grew up attending Obon, dancing in memory of our lost loved ones. A few of us have also experienced significant losses in our families, and it felt very healing to write about our grief as well as in celebration of their memories and the love they’ve left us with.”
Luke Uyeda filmed a music video of “Lantern,” and the group also produced a tutorial video with a koto performance by Emily Imazumi. In the spring, Bonbu Stories traveled to different temples to teach the dance and share how they created the song.
“Many of our favorite dances were simple, and easy to join in on even without practice! So we chose some movements that reflected our lyrics, yet were simple and following a short sequence,” Shudo said.
Bonbu Stories will perform “Lantern” at Orange County Buddhist Church on July 20, Venice Hongwanji Buddhist Temple on July 21 and Makawao Hongwanji Buddhist Temple on Maui on July 27.
The song will also be performed on Sept. 8 at “American Bon Dancing — In Joy and Remembrance” at the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival in San Francisco.
“Throughout the spring, we hosted workshops at different temples to share about the process of creating ‘Lantern Song,’ to create a group lantern art piece, and to teach the dance in person,” Shudo said. “It’s been so nice to meet BCA members from So Cal, Nor Cal and even Phoenix, and to hear their response. We’ve had several people come up to us in tears, saying how emotional they got while watching the music video. One member told us, ‘I was crying the entire time, and I didn’t even know why.’”
More information at https://bonbustories.art/