Obon is a time for remembrance, celebration, and community. Since 1945, the Seabrook Buddhist Temple, in Bridgeton, NJ, has been hosting Obon, and this year marks a historic, 80th celebration. For over 40 years, Soh Daiko has had the privilege of participating in Seabrook Obon, and we were honored to be a part of the festivities once again for this momentous celebration. We traveled to NJ in conjunction with the New York Buddhist Church (NYBC), which is sister temple, and with Reverend Kurt Rye, who minsters to the NYBC, Ekoji Buddhist temple, and Seabrook Temple. At Obon, we also reconnected with our sister groups, Hoh Daiko, based out of Seabrook Temple, and Nen Daiko, based in Fairfax Station, VA.

In commemoration of Seabrook’s 80th Obon, Soh Daiko proudly presented a commemorative stone for Seabrook’s meditation garden, in honor of the long history that we share. And, it was a perfect day for Obon; the weather was summery, and attendees and performers alike were able to enjoy an evening full of taiko, bon dancing, delicious food, and happy memories.

Soh Daiko departed NY at noon, together with a contingent of the NYBC, and began the 3 hour journey to Seabrook Temple. Along the way, we visited Sorbellos Girls Farm Market, as is tradition. In fact, it’s become so much a tradition that Sorbellos even remembers our visits from decades ago; just another way that history is shared. Once at Seabrook Temple, we stepped off the bus onto the familiar temple grounds and caught up with our sister groups, Hoh Daiko and Nen Daiko. We also thank Hoh Daiko for graciously lending us their drums for our performance, and saving us the difficulty of transporting equipment all the way from NY. At Obon, we performed Tsunagu, written by Kodō, and Matsuri, arranged by Soh Daiko. As the sun went down and bon dancing continued, we soon boarded the bus at 8:30 PM and returned to NY.

Reflecting on the history of Obon at Seabrook, we are honored to be a part of the family that makes Obon possible, and we treasure the connections that have been sustained throughout the years. Finally, we would like to thank Seabrook Temple and all the volunteers for hosting a wonderful 80th Obon, and we hope for many fruitful years to come.

On Sunday, July 13th, Soh Daiko had the pleasure of performing in the New York Obon, hosted by the New York Buddhist Church!

Obon is an annual Japanese Buddhist festival that honors the spirits of ancestors who are believed to return to visit their loved ones. On this day, we played in remembrance of our beloved former Soh Daiko members—Aichi Kochiyama, Maria Olivas, James Moran, and Choony Lee—whose legacy continues to shape our group today. We are forever grateful.

This year’s Obon was especially meaningful. It marked the first festival since the pandemic, and thanks to the hard work of the Obon committee, it was held for the first time right in our own backyard on 106th Street—hopefully the first of many!

We were also thrilled to be joined by many former Soh Daiko members who helped keep the beat for the Obon odori dancers. A special shoutout to former member Akira Baruah, who jumped in and amazed us with his energetic Matsuri solo!

Thank you to the New York Buddhist Church for hosting this beautiful event, the Obon dancers for teaching us, our friends at Hoh Daiko who traveled all the way from Seabrook, NJ, and to all our friends, family, and supporters who made the day so special. It was truly an unforgettable experience!

Soh Daiko performances are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.