NARRATOR: Today on Spectrum, we will acquaint  ourselves with plants, dance, and pottery.

When the Japanese immigrated to Hawaiʻi, they  brought with them their art, culture, custom, and tradition.

The bon dance is a joyous reunion  taking place annually at neighborhood Buddhist temples.

With custom to guide them, ritual  chants are performed.

A religious service offers the dedication and members of the  congregation join together in costume to honor the memory of their ancestors with song  and dance.

The Japanese art of Raku pottery making is of an old and venerated tradition.

In  pottery, the Japanese especially admire accidental effects that render the bowl or potsimilar  to natural objects, such as a stone.

In Raku, this element of chance is introduced with striking  effects, but first Spectrum visits at tea house, where Ellen Sayagusa, a Teaching master,  demonstrates the formal Japanese art of ikebana.

(Instrumental music) NARRATOR: Flower arrangement is one of the great arts of  Japan.

One of its goals is to emulate nature in all its aspects.

(Instrumental music) NARRATOR: The Japanese name for this  art is Ikebana.

Ikebana means putting plant life in water.

(Instrumental music) NARRATOR: The art was invented by  a 13th century Buddhist monk who believed that the practice and the display  of Ikebana offers cultivation for the soul.

(Instrumental music) NARRATOR: It teaches sensitivity.

ELLEN SAYAGUSA: Please help me  to have a beautiful arrangement.

(Instrumental music) NARRATOR: It teaches humility.

ELLEN SAYAGUSA: I've been teaching Ikebana for the last  47 years, and I'm still learning.

(Instrumental music) ELLEN SAYAGUSA: These are my three main points, the father,  mother and child, or you may call it heaven, man, and earth.

We try to put our flowers facing toward  father.

Everything will be facing toward father, so that we have respect in the family for  our father.

The child, we face toward the father and the mother.

And after this is  done, we put the rest of the helpers in.

(Instrumental music) NARRATOR: Japan has a long cultural history that has  demonstrated an abiding respect for plant habit and its beauty of line.

(Instrumental music) NARRATOR: The stems are bunched close together  because close union denotes strength and vitality.

(Instrumental music) NARRATOR: The composition should promote this theme.

(Instrumental music) NARRATOR: An important technique of  Ikebana is to arrange the flowers so artfully that they portray arrested  plant growth; a quiet moment of nature.

(Instrumental music) NARRATOR: Three points to remember when practicing  Ikebana are good form, strong, easy line, and correct detail.

(Instrumental music) NARRATOR: Ikebana allows one to impose a  style upon any floral material.

(Instrumental music) ELLEN SAYAGUSA: I chose this bird of paradise because this is  such a beautiful tropical flower and but yet it is such a strong texture material.

So I use its  spectophilium, which is the family of Anthurium, together with it, to soften this arrangement.

(Instrumental music) NARRATOR: Ikebana teaches gratitude.

ELLEN SAYAGUSA: Thank you for giving me this beautiful arrangement.

(Instrumental music) NARRATOR: The Buddhist monk who created  the art of Ikebana in a 13th century Kyoto temple explained his invention this way, "one  does not offer flowers to Buddha carelessly."

(Instrumental music) NARRATOR: Coming up on Spectrum is an example of  Raku pottery, among the most famous of all Japanese wares.

The Bon Dance is a  tribute to departed spirits.

Its long historical tradition originated with an old  Buddhist tale celebrated at Buddhist temples throughout Hawaiʻi, the annual Bon Dance  fosters unity in the Japanese community, as families gather to honor  and revere their ancestors.

(Singing in Japanese) NORITA NAGAO: The significance of the memorial service, which is part of our  Bon festivities, or celebration that we have.

A special service is held here at the temple.

The  memorial, the Obon memorial service, actually is to honor the persons who have passed away,  the deceased persons.

And special services are naturally held to honor such deceased persons.

And  so the family members are invited to participate in such special service that we do conduct here at  the temple.

All the full ornaments, as well as the different items that are normally used for such  special service is not being placed here.

But at the special service, the full ornaments, as  well as the items, are placed before the altar, and a designated Minister actually conducts  the special ceremony in front of the altar.

(Praying in Japanese) NORITA NAGAO: This is the most important part of our Obon  activities that we have.

Other than that, naturally, we have the Bon Dance, as you,  I'm sure that you're familiar.

The Bon Dance, following the memorial service, the Bon memorial  service, the Bon Dance is held out in open grounds in front of the temple, normally, where hundreds  of people, old as well as young gather together.

The women or the girls wear kimono, or the yukata  type of kimono.

And the men folks are required to wear the hapi type coats.

The Bon Dance originated  with a legend that started there in India, more than 2500 years ago, especially based on  the sutra called the Rambana Sutra.

According to that legend, a disciple of Shakyamuni  Buddha found his mother who had passed away in the hell of hungry demons.

And so he wanted to  save the mother somehow, but he did not have the power to do so.

So he approached his master.

He was given specific instructions to do so, to make offerings, a selfless, pure Dana  offerings.

And this was to be done to all the monks who was gathered for retreat, and  by following the instructions specifically, he was able to save the mother from the hell  of hungry demons.

And so it is that he became overjoyed with happiness realizing that he was  able to save the mother.

He danced with joy, and this evidently is the origin of the Bon Dance  that we have today.

It is a dance of joy, actually realizing that during the Obon festivities, that  the diceased from the other world comes back to this world, joining us in this world.

And so  you see, there is the feeling of joy here, being able to be in togetherness with these  people who have gone ahead.

The Bon Dance, actually, what was in Japan was brought over  by the first generation immigrants from Japan, from the different prefectures they came from.

Naturally, I'm sure there were many different types of Bon Dance which was here, which was  brought over from Japan.

However, at the present time, the Bon Dance that we are familiar, the  people are familiar are the Fukushima Bon Dance, which is from the northern part of Japan, the  Iwakuni Bon Dance from the Yamaguchi Prefecture, and the Okinawa dances that we do have.

However,  along with that, recently, we have much more of the Japanese folk dances taken into, being part  of our Bon Dances.

Here at this Honolulu District, we have about 15, close to 20 different folk  dances that we do, combined with the Fukushima, the Iwakuni, as well as the Okinawa dances.

(Singing in Japanese) NORITA NAGAO: As far as the music for the Bon Dance is concerned, for  the original Bon Dance, brought over from Japan, like the Fukushima Bon Dance, the Iwakuni  Bon Dance, as well as the Okinawa dances; musicians, actually, using different types of  musical instruments, produces the music required for the Bon Dances.

However, for the folk dances  that we have, tape music are used.

Bon dances, which were brought over by the people from Japan,  especially the Iwakuni Bon Dance, the Fukushima Bon Dance, and the dances from Okinawa we  do have musicians furnishing live music.

However, because of the age of these  people, the first generation people.

There seems to be less and less such performers,  such musicians.

However, there's also a trend right at this present time where the younger  generation are taking over, learning the different use of the different musical  instruments.

So I'm sure that such musicians will continue with the younger generation  furnishing the necessary music for the Bon Dances.

(Singing in Japanese) NARRATOR: In 16th century Japan, a new type of ware was  discovered.

It was covered with a lead glaze and fired at a comparatively low temperature.

This  technique was extended to the tea ceremony bowl and the art of Raku pottery was born.

The Japanese  potter liked his work to carry the impression of the hand and the tools that made it.

Streaked  color and cracked glazes were deliberately induced to achieve a natural-like simplicity.

Master Raku potter, David Kuraoka leads two young friends into the world of Raku during the outdoor  festivities of Raku Hoʻolauleʻa ’83.

Hoʻolauleʻa is a Hawaiian word meaning a gathering, a  celebration.

One summer day, two young friends, Ward and Brandon, traveled to a place below the  Ko’olaus to join in a celebration of Raku pottery.

(Instrumental music) WARD: There’s the beach.

We’re gonna go ahead.

MOTHER: Be careful.

WARD: Okay.

BRANDON: Oh, wow!

Look at all these people!

NARRATOR: Once a year, ssland potters come together  for a weekend to fire their Raku Pottery on the beach in a vast variety of  kilns fed by either gas or wood.

WARD: Wow!

BRANDON: Look at all this equipment.

WARD: Look at all that, look at that  brown smoke, or that white smoke.

BRANDON: Look at all their equipment.

WARD: Ooh, yeah.

BRANDON: Ooh, nice pots.

WARD: Let’s go.

BRANDON: Wow, look at all this… NARRATOR: Like Ward and Brandon the public was invited to participate in the Raku process  of first coating a tea bowl in glaze and then watching it fired by experts like David Kuraoka.

DAVID KURAOKA: Hey!

Hi, kids.

WARD AND BRANDON: Hi, David.

NARRATOR: Ward and Brandon dip their clay bowls into large pails of  colored glaze for protection and decoration.

DAVID KURAOKA: K, this one’s the white.

And it  looks like this, huh.

Hold it.

Hold the foot, okay.

You wanna try, you wanna try the white?

Now  dip it in to here.

Like, just like this.

Shake it out, real quick.

Just the white, then we’ll  try yours in another one, okay.

Okay, out, out, that’s good.

Don’t get the bottom.

Leave it upside  down.

Great.

You want the white too?

Okay.

Okay, shake it off.

That’s very good.

Okay, you  wanna dip that in?

Maybe not all the way.

Part of the, part of the way.

Okay, okay good.

Fine, leave it upside down.

Just let it drip out.

Oops, alright.

Turn that over, shake it, so that  it drips over.

Then show the drip.

Oh, you got a nice drip there.

Come, let’s go to the kilns.

WARD: What color’s this gonna be?

BRANDON: Does is get shiny?

DAVID KURAOKA: When we fire these, it’ll be shiny like glass.

And there’s copper and iron to  get it red and green.

Let’s go fire these.

C’mon.

WOMAN: Here’s some thicker kind,  right here.

You gotta use the… (Instrumental music) NARRATOR: The community kiln is made of bricks and is fired by wood to a temperature  of 1600 degrees Fahrenheit.

Because the bowls are wet from the fresh glaze, they are placed near  the kiln to dry out before they enter the fire.

Raku technique may vary.

One may choose to place  his freshly fired piece into a reduction barrel, adding flammable materials such  as sawdust, leaves, or newspapers.

BRANDON: Wow, neat!

DAVID KURAOKA: Shiny, yeah?

BRANDON: Yeah.

DAVID KURAOKA: See, see the way he’s, he’s adding it in one by one, right?

You  think you can operate those tongs, huh?

WARD: No.

DAVID KURAOKA: Yeah, and give it a lift good.

WARD: How does he know when to take it out?

DAVID KURAOKA: Well, when it’s shiny.

It’s exactly, that’s a good question because  when it’s shiny and glassy then it's ready to be pulled out.

Okay, kids, let's  go look at the other kilns.

C’mon.

(Indiscernible voices) MAN: You gotta shut it down there.

MAN: Here we go.

MAN: What are we doing?

MAN: Go ahead.

MAN: Where’s it going?

MAN; Put the cover here.

Right down,  right down in front of the pit.

(Indiscernible voices) MAN: Get in here and grab it.

MAN: Which one’s which, now?

This three yours?

MAN: Watch out, yeah this things gonna… (Indiscernible voices) NARRATOR: In the reduction barrel, the unglazed portions  of the pot absorb carbon black while the glazed portions assume their final shades of color.

Another potter may choose to swing his fired pot in the open air—a technique that causes  extensive cracking of the glaze—giving the pot a highly desirable appearance.

(Indiscernible voices) BRANDON: Ooh!

Cool.

NARRATOR: Many of these Raku potters set  up their own gas-fired kilns.

MAN: Everybody jumped to put the  top on.

Man everybody jumped.

WOMAN: Watch that thing, now.

MAN: They didn’t want to do it before.

WOMAN: Straight!

No, you’re  going to the left, to the right.

MAN: Is it in the way?

Pull it out.

WOMAN: Okay, got it.

Wait, wait, I’ll take it out.

MAN: Pull it out.

WOMAN: Well, there’s one over here too.

Okay.

NARRATOR: Students from the University of  Hawaiʻi demonstrated another type of kiln.

This one for glass making.

NARRATOR: Potters with a with a festive sense fly  large Japanese banners to announce the location of their kiln.

(Indiscernible chatter) (Flute music) BRANDON: What kind of flute is that?

FLUTE PLAYER: This is a shakuraku.

This is just a clay and blown flute that we fired up here, today.

WARD: How come this thing isn’t shiny?

FLUTE PLAYER: Because we didn’t apply  any glaze there.

This is the glaze there, and it’s shiny.

And this is just clay  and it turned black in the firing.

BRANDON: How come there’s holes underneath it?

FLUTE PLAYER: That’s so we can change the pitch.

Watch.

(Plays flute) WARD: How did the keep the holes from coming in.

BRANDON: How did you keep the hole thing coming in?

FLUTE PLAYER: How did I keep the hole from falling in?

WARD: Did you put something inside?

FLUTE PLAYER: That’s right.

I made this… BRANDON: Did you put a stick inside?

FLUTE PLAYER: I put a stick inside.

And I cut  little holes in it.

And cut off the end.

And we fired it up.

And it came out as a tube.

BRANDON: Bye, bye.

FLUTE PLAYER: Bye, bye.

WARD: Bye, bye.

(Playing flute) WARD: Why are they putting everything into the pit?

DAVID KURAOKA: They’re trying a different kind of firing, called  primitive firing.

They’re using the pit or the hole in the ground as  a kiln.

Instead of bricks, they’re, they’re using a hole in the ground.

MAN: She doesn’t need that much.

NARRATOR: Ward and Brandon return to  their tea bowl for an exciting discovery.

David Kuraoka swings a tea bowl through  the ocean air to crack its glaze.

DAVID KURAOKA: Oh, it’s hot.

See all the shine in the glass?

NARRATOR: He then places them inside the  reduction barrel for further treatment.

While waiting for the bowls, David removes  one of his own pieces from a gas kiln.

(Woah) NARRATOR: Places it on a sandy beach.

DAVID KURAOKA: Wait a minute,  I’m gonna flip ‘em over.

Okay.

NARRATOR: Throws in leaves to ignite a flame.

Then covers it with a barrel; a variant of the reduction process.

WARD: Wow!

NARRATOR: The final result  of Raku is always a surprise.

WARD: That’s mine.

Wowee.

BRANDON: Look at all that dirt.

WARD: Wow!

DAVID KURAOKA: Let’s go get this washed, c’mon.

WARD: I’m going to give this bowl to my mother.

NARRATOR: Hawaiʻi is enriched by the transplanted arts and culture of Japan.

Our world seems to  expand as we explore the broad distance between Ikebana’s formal discipline and Raku’s abandonment  to chance.

Join us again on our next Spectrum.