Vashon Cemetery’s rolling and dappled grounds — a place of grief but also rest, renewal and remembrance — will soon be the site of a special community celebration.
The cemetery’s board of directors has partnered with islander Leah Okamoto Mann’s organization, Kintsugi Somatic Art, to present a Kizoku Ishiki Obon celebration from 12-5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 9.
Kizoku Ishiki, in Japanese, means “a deep sense of belonging,” said cemetery board member Catherine Sullivan, explaining that the event is a chance to honor and learn about Vashon’s Asian immigrant ancestors along with recognizing Black, Indigenous, and other immigrant ancestors buried at the cemetery.
The family-friendly day will include fresh food, community dance, art displays, walking tours, performances and more — including Japanese music by the NW Minyo and Koto no WA harp ensemble, poetry by author, lawyer and activist Troy Osaki and classical harp by Vanessa Stovall.
Staff and volunteers of The Vashon Heritage Museum and Mukai Farm and Garden will be stationed throughout the grounds to share information about families buried at the cemetery.
There will also be quiet “friendship benches” — a community-based mental health practice pioneered in Zimbabwe — staffed by Sineade Younge, Anita Bondi and Betty Pererta, who will offer wise words to islanders who seek out comfort through conversation during the event.
Speakers throughout the afternoon will include Okamoto Mann, Sullivan, Jade Aqua, Joe Okimoto, Stacy Carkonen and Sinead Younge. Dances will be led by Wendy Hami, Okamoto Mann and Amelia Bolyard. A craft-making station will also be part of the festivities.
There will be guided walking tours highlighting the cemetery’s magnificent trees, which include a recently planted cherry tree from the Vashon Island Fruit Club’s “100 Cherry Trees” project — a horticultural program intended to replace 100 cherry trees gifted to Vashon High School by Vashon Island’s Japanese Society in 1932, when the island had a thriving population of Japanese-American residents.
The timing of Vashon Cemetery’s Obon festival at the cemetery is appropriate in contrasting ways.
Obon is a joyful Asian festival of remembrance traditionally celebrated in July and August, with a Bon Odori Buddhist folk dance often performed during these festivals — as will also occur at the cemetery celebration.
But August 9 also marks a terrible date — the 80th anniversary of United States’ atomic bombing of Nagasaki. To mark and mourn this anniversary, the Vashon Obon will include a special peace procession of dancers costumed as a siege of herons. Local artist Chantal Uto designed the costumes to be worn by the dancers including Okamoto Mann.
Vashon Cemetery is a rare place — the only publicly owned cemetery district in King County. As such, Sullivan explained, the cemetery’s mission statement includes an assurance that the grounds will “reflect the character and traditions of Vashon-Maury Island, both historic and present” — and the celebration on Aug. 9 is a reflection of that mission.
Kintsugi Somatic Art is currently in the midst of a month-long presentation of cultural events in both Seattle and Vashon titled “Santuary: At Home in the Body.” The Kizoku Ishiki Obon celebration at Vashon Cemetery is a component of that series.
For a full calendar of everything happening on Aug. 9 at the cemetery, visit vashoncemetery.org/special-events. Find out more about the series at kintsugisomaticart.com.
A community Bon Odori folk dance, like the one seen here at Mukai Farm & Garden’s 2024 Japan Festival, will take place at the Kizoku Ishiki Obon celebration at Vashon Cemetery. (Alex Bruell photo)
The Usui/Tanaka family plot at Vashon Cemetery. (Courtesy photo)
A Heron Siege Peace Procession, inspired by a 1,000 year-old Japanese White Heron dance, will take place at the Aug. 9 Kizoku Ishiki Obon celebration on Aug. 9 at Vashon Cemetery. (Courtesy photo)
A Heron Siege Peace Procession, inspired by a 1,000 year-old Japanese White Heron dance, will take place at the Aug. 9 Kizoku Ishiki Obon celebration on Aug. 9 at Vashon Cemetery. (Courtesy photo)
Leah Okamoto Mann, seen here performing at Kubota Gardens in May, is the organizer of the Kizoku Ishiki Obon celebration at Vashon Cemetery on Aug. 9. (Courtesy photo)
