January 20, 2025
BuddhismQ&A
What’s the Difference between Obon and Osegaki?
It is easy to confuse Obon and Osegaki as people sometimes use them interchangeably. Obon itself is a time for welcoming ancestors back to the family altar with all the various regional cultural practices of mukaebi, okuribi, spirit boat offerings, Bon Odori and so on; some of them influenced by Shinto, not all of them necessarily Buddhist though the origins are generally said to be so.
The actual temple ceremony commonly held during Obon is Osegaki, and it is specifically Buddhist. Suffice it to say that in this day and age of Buddhism in Japan, Osegaki is a ceremony for temple members to offer prayers and offerings to their departed loved ones out of respect and gratitude with the hope that their souls, and the souls of all beings, living and departed, can be freed from suffering.
