Large bells in temple grounds are a far from uncommon sight, and yet at the same time, not such a common sound. So why the priest was ringing this one then I don’t know, but whatever the reason, it was well worth stopping. Staring. And soaking up the sound.
tamh says
He looks kind of surprised that you were taking a pic. Like startled.
Anyway, I’m amused at the deep sound of that bell. Nice recording!
Lee says
Cheers! Yeah, maybe. There were a few people watching, but I was the only one taking a photograph.
TigrouMeow says
For sure now, I’ll have Metallica in my head the whole day.
JustAnObserver says
“aaaah crap, they caught me!”
NihonBurp says
Nice pic, the sound clip makes me want to be in a park and just close my eyes and relax. Have you ever been to Hiroshima? there is a “peace bell” there where anyone can ring it, it sounds over the whole park, really poignant.
Lee says
Thanks. Yeah, I went a good few years ago. Sadly don’t remember the peace bell, but I do remember my visit to the museum, and, slightly differently, how much I liked the city.
NihonBurp says
Yea I really really loved Hiroshima, the atmosphere was so different compared with Tokyo. The people were so friendly, always willing to have a chat, coming up to me and my family asking what we thought of the city etc.
Mike says
Funny, the Peace Bell in Hiroshima was the first thing to pop into my memory as well. It holds a special place for me as I had brought my (late) father over for a visit and he gave that bell a sounding for all he was worth!
film says
Miracle bell? Nice sound.
AdelaideBen says
I think most temples will ring the bells each day towards the end of the day, though I’ve not been to many temples early enough to know if they ring them in the morning. They’re a special sound – especially in the dusk when the world around is slowing down, and the shadows lengthening. Not sure why the monk had that expression, perhaps just wondering if you had his good side or not…
AdelaideBen says
By the way – there’s also a nice bell in Hoko-ji (just near Sanjusangendo, in Kyoto) that you can ring yourself… and this also has a lot of history surrounding it, as this bell that was made for Toyotomi Hideyori in 1614 had the infamous inscription which could be read as a distortion on Tokugawa Ieyasu’s own name… and was used as one of the pretexts for the war between Tokugawa and Toyotomi forces that then lead to the 250 years of Tokugawa rule. Just a little history to show how something as simple as a temple bell can sound the end of ages.
Lee says
Cheers for the info Ben. Didn’t know about that.
This particular bell was being rung around lunch time. There are weddings there sometimes, so I hoped it had something to do with that, but sadly it didn’t.