bonshō
Sign in to save, also known as or are large bells found in Buddhist temples throughout Japan, used to summon the monks to prayer and to demarcate periods of time. Rather than containing a clapper, are struck from the outside, using either a handheld mallet or a beam suspended on ropes.
Key facts
- Instrument.image
- File:RyoanJi-Kane.jpg
- Instrument.image_size
- 200
- Instrument.alt
- A large, greenish-grey bell hangs from a beamed wooden ceiling
- Instrument.caption
- at Ryōan-ji – the lotus-shaped (striking panel) is visible at the front, and the suspended beam known as a hangs in the background
- Instrument.background
- percussion
- Instrument.hornbostel_sachs
- 111.242.121
- Instrument.hornbostel_sachs_desc
- Hanging bells without internal strikers
- Instrument.developed
- Yamato period (based on earlier Chinese bells)
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
7 sectionsContents
- Origin
- Construction
- Sound
- Function and significance
- Notable examples
- See also
- References
, also known as or are large bells found in Buddhist temples throughout Japan, used to summon the monks to prayer and to demarcate periods of time. Rather than containing a clapper, are struck from the outside, using either a handheld mallet or a beam suspended on ropes.
The bells are usually made from bronze, using a form of expendable mould casting. They are typically augmented and ornamented with a variety of bosses, raised bands and inscriptions. The earliest of these bells in Japan date to around 600 CE, although the general design is of much earlier Chinese origin and shares some of the features seen in ancient Chinese bells. The bells' penetrating and pervasive tone carries over considerable distances, which led to their use as signals, timekeepers and alarms. In addition, the sound of the bell is thought to have supernatural properties; it is believed, for example, that it can be heard in the underworld.