Bonshō
Bonshō error: {{nihongo}}: Japanese or romaji text required (help), also known as tsurigane error: {{nihongo}}: Japanese or romaji text required (help) are large, clapperless bells found in Buddhist temples in Japan.
Rather than containing a clapper, bonshō are struck from the outside, using either a hand-held mallet or a beam suspended on ropes (called a shu-moku).[1]
Parts of the bell
- Ryūza, the handle at the top of the bell, by which it is carried or hung.
- Kasagata, the domed crown of the bell.
- Chi, ornamental bosses.
- Koma no tsune, lower rim.
- Tsuki-za, striking panel, a reinforced spot where the bell is struck.
- Tatsuki, decorative horizontal bands.[1]
Notable examples
The oldest known bonshō (indeed, the oldest bell in the world that is still in use) is the Okikicho bell at Myōshin-ji, which was cast in 698 C.E. The largest example is the bell at Tōdai-ji, which was commissioned in 732 and weighs more than 26 tons.[2]
Use
The bonshō is used in temples to mark the passage of time, as well as during Japanese New Year celebrations.[3] On the eve of the New Year, people queue to ring the bells 108 times in a ceremony known as Joya No Kane. The 108 peals of the bell are intended to purge humanity of the 108 desires.[4] In the past, it was also used as an alarm, and to warn of impending typhoons.[5] In Buddhism, the bell's sound is considered to be calming and to induce a suitable atmosphere for meditation.[6] During the seventeenth century, the bell was also a symbol of the temple's leadership; possession of the bonshō indicated ownership of the associated temple. As a result, bells were often stolen; the folk hero Benkei is said to have dragged a bell weighing three tons up Mount Hiei during such a theft.[7]
References
- ^ a b Louis Frederic (2002). Japan enciklopedia. Harvard University Press. p. 81. ISBN 978-0-674-01753-5. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- ^ Thomas Rossing (2000). Science of percussion instruments. World Scientific. p. 179. ISBN 978-981-02-4158-2. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- ^ William P. Malm (2000). Traditional Japanese music and musical instruments: the new edition. Kodansha International. p. 74. ISBN 978-4-7700-2395-7. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- ^ "In with the New around the World". The Scotsman. Highbeam Research (subscription required). Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- ^ Percival Price (1983). Bells and man. Oxford University Press. p. 48. ISBN 978-0-19-318103-8. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- ^ "Bon-sho (Sacred Bell)". Byodo-in Temple. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- ^ Richard King Beardsley (1969). Studies in Japanese Culture. University of Michigan Press. pp. 54–55. Retrieved 15 May 2013.