The Story Of "Hanamatsuri"

The Japanese American National Museum has added a special program of Hanamatsuri, or Flower Festival, to celebrate of the birth of the Buddha. To learn about this important part of history in a fun way, join Chima, storyteller, actress, and comedienne extraordinaire, as she entertains us with the life story of Buddha through bilingual (English and Japanese) kami shibai, or paper theatre, for free! The festivity is on Saturday, March 28, 1998 from 1 p.m.–2 p.m. at the Japanese American National Museum, located at 369 East First Street in the Little Tokyo Historic District of Los Angeles. For reservations or more information, please call 213.625.0414.

Chima, who you may have seen as a guest artist on Roseanne and Married With Children, or doing stand-up comedy at the Comedy Store or Laugh Factory, is excited about relating Buddha’s story through paper theatre. A storytelling veteran with more than 10 years of experience, Chima feels that in celebration of Buddha’s birthday, people should also know the kind of person Buddha was.

“Through kami shibai, I will tell the entire history of Buddha,” said the petite 4'9", 90 lbs. performer. “How he was born, how he taught people, how he got enlightened, and how he died are just some of the things I will illustrate with paper theatre.”

The Buddhist observance of Hanamatsuri has been taking place in the Japanese American community since Issei (first generation Japanese Americans) immigrated to the United States. This special program is presented by the Los Angeles Buddhist Church Federation which is made up of seven Buddhist Temples in the Los Angeles area, and is a part of their annual Hanamatsuri Celebration.