Daitō no Kane 大塔の鐘だいとうのかね

Bell of the Great Pagoda

Included on Kūkai’s wish list for his monastery and finally completed during the tenure of his successor, Shinzen (d. 891), is the Bell of the Great Pagoda. Descendant of previous structures that were destroyed by fire, the current bell tower is made of reinforced concrete. The bronze bell itself was cast in the year 1547. At 2.21 meters in diameter, it is the fourth largest temple bell in Japan earning it the nickname "Kōya Shirō"–a name traditionally given to a family’s fourth son. Five times a day, a priest mounts the platform to swing the heavy suspended beam that serves as the bell’s clapper. The momentum required to strike the bell to produce the desired sound can lift the priest off his feet. The movements provide a graceful visual accompaniment to the low, loud tolling of the bell.

Visitors who happen to be at the Danjō-garan at 4 am, 1 pm, 6 pm (5 pm during fall and winter), 9 pm or 11 pm can listen for the three different parts that make up the sound of a bell: the initial impact (or atari), the reverberation (oshi) and the prolonged dissipation (okuri). The combined effect is meant to remind us of the impermanence of existence, which, like the sound of the bell, can overwhelm us with a sense of its presence only to vanish into silence.

KoyaQuest

KoyaQuest

KoyaQuest

Daitō no Kane

KoyaQuest

Daitō no Kane

Daitō no Kane 大塔の鐘だいとうのかね

Bell of the Great Pagoda