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| Title | Dancers at Bon Odori festival, Seattle, August 1, 1959 |
| Photographer | Staff Photographer
Seattle Post-Intelligencer |
| Date | 1959 |
| Caption | During the summer of 1932, the Seattle Buddhist Church held the city's first Bon Odori festival. Bon Odori is a Japanese dance which is part of the observance of Obon, a Buddhist memorial service. The joyful dance, which celebrates the Buddhist tradition of selfless giving, expresses gratitude to departed family members. Over the years, the festival grew to include flower and craft exhibits, food booths and other activities.
In this 1959 photograph, 250 dancers, from tots to grandparents, dressed in traditional kimono, performed Japanese folk dances along lantern-lit Main St. at the Bon Odori festival. Rather than being strummed on a samisen, the traditional music came from phonograph records featuring such American instruments as the saxophone. The Seafair event included photographic and doll displays, and a flower exhibit. |
| Notes | Handwritten on sleeve: JAPANESE, Seattle, Bon Odori Festival.
Caption information source: P-I research files.
Date photograph was published in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: August 2, 1959. |
| Subjects | Japanese Americans--Washington (State)--Seattle; Festivals--Washington (State)--Seattle; Dance--Washington (State)--Seattle; Costumes--Japanese--Washington (State)--Seattle; Lanterns--Washington (State)--Seattle |
| Places | United States--Washington (State)--Seattle
Chinatown/International District (Seattle, Wash.) |
| Digital Collection | Museum of History & Industry Photograph Collection |
| Image Number | 1986.5.4575.1 |
| Ordering Information | To order a reproduction or to inquire about permissions contact photos@mohai.org or phone us at 206-324-1126. Please refer to the Image Number and provide a brief description of the photograph. |
| Credit Line | Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection, Museum of History & Industry, Seattle; All Rights Reserved |
| Repository | Museum of History & Industry, Seattle (MOHAI) |
| Repository Collection | Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection |
| Type | Image |
| Physical Description | 1 acetate negative: b&w; 4 x 5 in. |
| Digital Reproduction Information | Scanned from original negative as a 3000 pixel TIFF image in 8-bit grayscale, resized to 640 pixels in the longest dimension and compressed into JPEG format using Photoshop 6.0 and its JPEG quality measurement 3. |
