Guzeiji Soto Mission of Molokaʻi Bon Dance 2026

Founded in 1927 to serve Molokaʻi's Japanese plantation community, Guzeiji is one of only nine Soto Zen missions in Hawaiʻi. The annual obon is the temple's sole fundraiser — community turnout and visitor participation help sustain a congregation that has shrunk from over 100 members in the 1960s to fewer than 20 today.

The observance begins with a cemetery service where temple members write the names of deceased loved ones on ofuda papers that are later burned to send off spirits. The bon dance takes place in the mission courtyard around a central yagura, accompanied by taiko drums; in recent years, the Waipahu Taiyoji Soto Mission Bon Dance Class has traveled from Oahu to perform. Paper lanterns decorate the grounds, and "Fukushima Ondo" is the most-requested song of the evening. Attendance has reached a couple hundred people, with 30–40 dancers circling the yagura at a time. A raffle with prizes — including gift certificates, two-night condo stays, and a $1,000 cash drawing — rounds out the night.