Obon

Ishigo, Estelle [ bio ]

Description

1 drawing on paper ; 6 x 9.5

Pencil drawing of the traditional Japanese Obon dance, a Buddhist summer event where the community dances to celebrate and honor newly departed souls on their first Bon day, in Heart Mountain concentration camp during World War II. A small circle of dancers in kimono dance counter clockwise around the yagura tower where musicians play live music ; a large circle of dancers moving in the same direction ring the innner group as crowd looks on. Lanterns hang from the axis points of the tower roof and a string of flags stretches out from the four corners. Barracks and Heart Mountain are visible in the background. Sketch of image extends beyond line border.

Inscription
Written in pencil, bottom left corner: OBon

All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from materials in this collection must be submitted to the Hirasaki National Resource Center at the Japanese American National Museum (hnrc@janm.org).