by Chikako Yamazaki
[ed note: Obon is the Buddhist all-souls festival, when the spirits of ancestors are welcomed home to spend a brief time with their families.]
When I was little, my grandma used to carry me in her arms or on her back all the time. When I look at photographs from that time, I see we have lots of pictures with me on her back. But my grandma died from heart disease when I was still small, so I don't remember her very well.
Obon came around again this year. In the evening, we all went to the family grave to welcome back my grandma. At the grave we made offerings of flowers and cookies. And we hung a lantern with a picture drawn on it. After we had all prayed and were getting ready to go home, my grandpa said, "Chikako, Grandma was always carrying you on her back, so how would you like to carry her on your back now?" I asked, "What do you mean, carry her on my back?" Grandpa took Grandma's memorial tablet from the grave and handed it to me. "Oh, okay," I said The tablet had mold and dirt on it. It had gotten that way from being out in the rain and wind for all these years. You could hardly read the writing on it. "All right, Grandma," I said. "This time it's my turn to carry you." I put Grandma on my back. She was very light.
On the way home in the van, I sat in the seat way at the back. I figured if I sat up front and leaned on the seat, Grandma would get squashed, and I felt sorry for her. So I carried her all the way home on my back like that. "We're home, Grandma," I said, and set her down on a sitting-cushion. Grandpa said, "Chikako carried you home on her back, Grandma," and he put the tablet in front of Grandma's picture on the family altar. We made offerings of flowers and fruit, and we rang the bell and lighted incense and prayed all together. Grandma must really be happy, I thought.
Dinner time came. My mother hadn't gone with us to the grave, so I told her, "I carried Grandma home on my back," My mother said, "That's really nice. Especially since she was always carrying you on her back. I'll bet she's really happy." Grandpa looked up at Grandma's picture and told her with a big smile, "Tomorrow, the kids from Ibaragi and Haramachi will be here, too." Grandpa's so kind and thoughtful, I thought.
The next day was Sunday. My aunts and uncles from Ibaragi and Haramachi came, bringing my cousins. They all came to light incense for Grandma. And they brought lots of presents for us, too. When my aunt from Ibaragi was lighting incense, she saw the tablet and said in surprise, "What in the world is this dirty tablet doing here?" I explained: "I brought Grandma home on my back when we all visited her grave." "I see. That was a nice thing to do, Chikako," she said. For lunch we had a feast of sushi. There were lots of people and it was like a big happy party. I felt like Grandma had really come home this Obon.
When Obon was over, I walked back to the grave with Grandpa to return Grandma's memorial tablet to its place. This time I carried her in my arms. As we walked, Grandpa said, "It sure was a nice Obon. The kids and everyone from Ibaragi and Haramachi all came, and we had a really nice Obon. And Chikako got to carry Grandma on her back, too." On the way, we found a pretty bellflower. We picked it and took it to Grandma's grave.
Chikako Yamazaki, third-grade girl, Kanebusa Elementary School, Odaka, Fukushima Prefecture. Kunio Sato, teacher.
Source: Treasures 3: Stories & Art from Students in Japan & Oregon [Orders]
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