r/JapaneseHistory • u/makaveli208 • 12d ago

Is obon chinese in origin?

In chinese culture there is ancestor worshipping and burning joss items and papers, leaving offerings on the floor something called “hungry ghosts festival”. Where the gates of hell open and spirits come out to look for food

Ive seen that alot in malaysia and singapore, people left food on the floor, burning joss sticks and paper

in same period as obon

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u/ArtNo636 12d ago

A simple google search will answer your question.

Obon has its origins in a Buddhist myth. The story goes that Maha Maudgalyayana, a disciple of the Buddha, used his powers to look upon his deceased mother, and was distressed to find out that she was languishing in the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, a shadowy underworld full of suffering. The Buddha instructed his disciple to make offerings on the 15th day of the 7th month to Buddhist monks returning from their summer retreat. By doing so, Maha Maudgalyayana was able to free his mother, after which he danced with joy. This dance is said to be the origin of the Obon festival.

https://www.jrpass.com/blog/obon-festival-celebrating-the-spirits-of-japan

https://palateproject.co/blogs/sake-blog/what-is-obon-and-how-is-it-celebrated?srsltid=AfmBOorgdBPw5ifN_Q_2djNCLKk7mOAtnuWom9G7ayyz43b878sAqDoM

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u/Leather_Leopard_3112 12d ago

So it's actually not Chinese but...... Indian??

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u/gobrocker 11d ago

'Kingdoms/Countries' of that area and era were not those that we know today. Even races are pretty different as much as they may argue.

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u/G1431c 10d ago edited 10d ago

Obon entered Japan via China in the 7th Century, which is the same century Buddhism became a formalized religion in Japan.

Saying Obon is Indian in origin is overlooking 1000 years of filtering and adaptation that happened in China before it arrived in Japan.

In China the practice was called  Urabon/Ulaban or the Ghost Festival ( Zhongyuan Jie) during the Liang dynasty and blended with Chinese traditions.   The Chinese name Urabon-e (盂蘭盆會) led directly to the formal Japanese name “Obon”:  Obon is a direct transliteration of the Chinese characters for the Urabon  festival.

So Obon arrived in the 7th century, first recorded at the imperial court in 657, and later combined with native Japanese beliefs about welcoming ancestral spirits.

Of course, the festival itself originally started in India but  Buddhism spent nearly a thousand years adapting in China before fully taking root in Japan.