Obon is the summer period when the spirits of ancestors are believed to return to their family homes. Across Japan it is marked by visiting family graves, preparing an altar to receive the returning spirits, celebrating their arrival with Bon odori (Bon dancing) in parks and squares and lighting fires to guide them home and send them off.
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Obon is also observed in the UK by members of the Japanese community, with a special part of it taking place in north London. Each August, volunteers gather at the Japanese Cemetery within Hendon Cemetery and Crematorium to tend to the graves of Japanese residents interred in Britain, many of whom were unable to return to Japan in their lifetimes. A Buddhist memorial service follows. The plot has been cared for this way for over a century.
The origins and customs of Obon
The word comes from Urabon-e, the Buddhist observance known in Sanskrit as Ullambana, in which the living honour their ancestors and make offerings on behalf of the dead.
Its origins are tied to the story of Mokuren (Maudgalyāyana), one of the Buddha’s disciples, who sought to release his mother from suffering among the dead with offerings. The observance took shape in China, where it developed alongside ideas of filial piety, and reached Japan from there. However, long before Buddhism arrived, communities in Japan are believed to have already honoured ancestral spirits, and over time the two grew together into the observance kept today.
Before Obon, households prepare the family altar (butsudan) and set up an additional shelf, the shōryōdana, with offerings to welcome the spirits of their ancestors. On the shelf sit two small figures made from vegetables: shōryō-uma, a horse fashioned from a cucumber, and shōryō-ushi, a cow from an aubergine. The horse carries the wish that ancestors arrive quickly; the cow, that they return slowly.
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Fires are lit to guide the spirits. A welcoming fire, mukae-bi, burns on the first evening, and a farewell fire, okuri-bi, on the last. These fires are traced to Shintō rather than Buddhist practice, and have become one of the most cherished parts of Obon.
Bon odori, the dance performed by community groups during Obon, can be seen across Japan in temple grounds, parks and public squares, and is one way of honouring ancestral spirits. Dance steps and music differ from place to place; Awa odori in Tokushima and Tankō-bushi in Tagawa are among the best known.
How the Japanese cemetery in London came to be
In the 1910s, some 300 Japanese residents lived in London. Cremation was uncommon in Britain then, and finding a place for the burial of ashes was difficult.
Around 1919, through the efforts of Consul General Matsuyama Shintarō and Koizumi Gunji (a judo master who introduced this martial art to the UK), a plot of 66 square metres was leased within Hendon Cemetery as a communal burial ground for Japanese residents. The eight graves before the memorial stone are believed to hold the remains of 39 people. A name board beside it records 150 Japanese nationals who died between 1921 and 1984.
In 1935 the Dōhōkai, a Japanese residents association, began improving the site, and with donations from individuals and companies the work was completed in 1936. In October of the same year, a dedication ceremony was held, attended by Yoshida Shigeru, then Ambassador to the United Kingdom and later Prime Minister of Japan.
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After the Second World War the Dōhōkai’s membership declined, and the association was dissolved in 1963. The cemetery fell into disrepair. Its upkeep continued thanks to the efforts of the Embassy of Japan and through local British women who tended the site voluntarily.
The new chapter began when the forerunner of today’s Japan Association in the UK, The Japanese Residents Association, was formed in 1996 and took responsibility for the cemetery two years later. In October 2003 a memorial service was held with Ambassador Orita Masaki, with Buddhist prayers offered by Reverend Professor Satō Taira Kenmyō of Three Wheels Temple – the first such ceremony since the dedication before the war. A new memorial monument was completed in 2007. Cut into it are the words of Ishiguro Shizuko (also buried at Hendon Cemetery), mother of the Japanese-British novelist and 2017 Nobel Laureate in Literature Kazuo Ishiguro:
We lived in this land, we rest in this land.
On 30 July 2016, around 140 people gathered for the cemetery’s 80th anniversary, among them Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Asō Tarō, members of the Japan Association and representatives of Japanese companies in Britain. After chanting prayers and offering flower, two cherry trees were planted, and Ambassador Tsuruoka Kōji presented the association with a letter of appreciation.
Obon at Hendon today
The cemetery is cared for three times a year – in spring, autumn and at Obon in August – by volunteers from the Japan Association in the UK, together with the Embassy of Japan. On each occasion the priests of Three Wheels Temple conduct a memorial service.
For many Japanese people living in the UK, returning to Japan for Obon is not always possible. Yet the wish to pay respect to those who came before, and to express gratitude for their lives, remains as strong as it is in Japan. The way Obon is observed in Britain differs from how it is kept in Japan, but such adaptations reflect an enduring quality of Japanese cultures – its ability to take in local circumstances while holding to its essential spirit.
Following each cleaning, the quiet chanting of Buddhist sutras accompanies the memorial service, and flowers donated by supporters are placed before the graves, bringing colour and dignity to this place of remembrance.
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Although times have changed, the words spoken by Yoshida Shigeru at the unveiling of the cemetery memorial in 1936 continue to resonate today:
I sincerely hope that all those concerned will work together to ensure that this fine cemetery never falls into neglect in the years to come.
Nearly ninety years later, his wish continues to be fulfilled through the dedication and cooperation of all those who care for and preserve the cemetery.
2026 marks the 90th anniversary of the Japanese Cemetery, bringing together the Japanese community in the UK, the Embassy of Japan, Japanese companies and colleagues from Barnet and Hendon Cemeteries.
We hope this account, part of the Japan House London series of events organized in collaboration with the Japan Association in the UK, encourages visitors to learn more about Obon and to visit the cemetery themselves.
Whether paying one’s respects, learning about the history of the Japanese community in Britain, or simply enjoying this peaceful place of reflection, all are welcome at Hendon Japanese Cemetery.
About the Japan Association in the UK
The Japan Association in the UK (JA) was established in November 1996 with the aim of fostering a sense of community and providing mutual support for the growing number of Japanese residents in the UK. Initially named the Japanese Residents Association, it was renamed the Japan Association in the UK in 2011 and officially registered as a charity in January 2012. Since 2015, the Honorary President of the association has been the Consul General of Japan in the UK. Currently, Consul General Kajita Takuma holds this position.