KIPUKA

Every summer at different times from June to August, some ninety Buddhist temples throughout Hawaii host the bon dance, a festival for honoring one?s ancestors that was begun by Japanese settlers carrying on the customs of their homeland. From the red glowing 'chochin' lanterns to the exuberant array of 'yukata' kimono and 'happi' jackets worn by festivalgoers thronging a central bandstand tower, the spirit of Japan comes alive on Hawaiian soil on these nights. Moving in pure, reverent homage toward their forebears who persevered through backbreaking plantation labor and the hardships of World War II, the dancers pour out their souls in steps that have been lovingly passed down through the generations.0For some dozen years photographer Ai Iwane has been fascinated by Hawaiian bon dance, and especially by the song in it called ?Fukushima Ondo,? which is based on the ?Soma Bon Uta? from the area of Fukushima that was ravaged by the 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster.