Honpa Hongwanji Hilo Betsuin Bon Dance 2026

Honpa Hongwanji Hilo Betsuin holds the distinction of being the first Japanese Buddhist temple established in Hawaiʻi — Rev. Soryu Kagahi founded it in April 1889 to serve Japanese plantation workers then settling in Hilo. A Jōdo Shinshū (Pure Land) sect temple, the congregation moved to its present home in 1926, a building designed by architect Charles Kohara with an eclectic blend of Spanish Baroque, Indian, and Japanese architectural elements.

Its summer bon dance brings taiko drummers and food booths to the temple grounds, with dancers circling the central yagura as part of the annual obon tradition of honoring ancestors.