The Temple Bells of Kyoto
Once you experience the ringing of a monumental Buddhist temple bell, you are unlikely to forget it. Eight to ten feet tall and hung just off the ground, these bells are rung by swinging a large, suspended beam against the outside of the bell. When the beam hits the bell, there is a deep BOOM, a heavy strike tone, low in pitch. The boom then becomes a rumble as the sound reverberates out into the air. Finally, the rumble fades away as the vibrations vanish, which can take up to a full minute. For very large bells, it takes many people to swing the beam into the bell.
Kiyoji Tsuji under the bell at Manpuku-ji Temple
One of the best places to see these massive bells is in the Japanese city of Kyoto, a city rich with Buddhist temples. Found there are some of the finest bells in the world: the massive bell at Chion-in Temple, one of the largest in the world; the sweet-sounding bell at Mii-dera Temple; the extraordinarily beautiful bell at Byodo-in Temple, and the 1,400-year-old bell at Myoshin-ji Temple. Discovering each of these bells within the spacious grounds of its own temple is the beginning of a gentle, spiritual journey into the heart of Buddhism.