The two main types of bell tower in Japan

The or is the

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tow ...

of a Buddhist temple in Japan, housing the temple's . It can also be found at some

Shinto shrine A is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more ''kami'', the deities of the Shinto religion. Overview Structurally, a Shinto shrine typically comprises several buildings. The ''honden''Also called (本殿, meanin ...

s which used to function as temples (see article '' Shinbutsu shūgō''), as for example Nikkō Tōshō-gū. Two main types exist, the older , which has walls, and the more recent or , which does not.

History

During the

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the c ...

(710–794), immediately after the arrival of

Buddhism in Japan Buddhism has been practiced in Japan since about the 6th century CE. Japanese Buddhism () created many new Buddhist schools, and some schools are original to Japan and some are derived from Chinese Buddhist schools. Japanese Buddhism has had a ...

bell towers were 3 x 2

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a na ...

, 2 storied buildings. A typical temple '' garan'' had normally two, one to the left and one to the right of the '' kyōzō'' (or ''kyō-dō''), the

sūtra ''Sutra'' ( sa, सूत्र, translit=sūtra, translit-std=IAST, translation=string, thread)Monier Williams, ''Sanskrit English Dictionary'', Oxford University Press, Entry fo''sutra'' page 1241 in Indian literary traditions refers to an ap ...

repository. An extant example of this style is

Hōryū-ji is a Buddhist temple that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples, in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan. Its full name is , or Learning Temple of the Flourishing Law, the complex serving as both a seminary and monastery. The temple was ...

's Sai-in Shōrō in

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It ...

(see photo in the gallery). During the following

Heian period The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japan ...

(794–1185) was developed a new style called ''hakamagoshi'' which consisted of a two storied,

hourglass An hourglass (or sandglass, sand timer, sand clock or egg timer) is a device used to measure the passage of time. It comprises two glass bulbs connected vertically by a narrow neck that allows a regulated flow of a substance (historically sand) ...

-shaped building with the bell hanging from the second story. The earliest extant example is Hōryū-ji's Tō-in Shōrō (see photo in the gallery). Finally, during the 13th century the ''fukihanachi'' type was created at

Tōdai-ji is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Japan. Though it was originally founded in the year 738 CE, Tōdai-ji was not opened until the year 752 CE. The temple has undergo ...

by making all structural parts visible. The bell tower in this case usually consists of a 1-ken wide, 1-ken high structure with no walls and having the bell at its center (see photo above). Sometimes the four pillars have an inward inclination called . After the Nara period, in which temple layout was rigidly prescribed after the Chinese fashion, the position of the bell tower stopped being prescribed and began to change temple by temple. Roofs are either or .

Gallery

Chion-in bell 1 by MShades in Kyoto.jpg, Great Bell at Chion-in Gousyouzi 11.jpg, Goshoji-Temple Horyuji-L0337.jpg, Hōryū-ji's Sai-in Shōrō, an example of Nara period bell tower Horyu-ji37s3200.jpg, Hōryū-ji's Tō-in Shōrō, a typical ''hakamagoshi'' type Takidani-hudoumyououji-syourou.jpg, Takidani-hudōmyōō-ji Shōrō Todaiji shoro.jpg, Tōdai-ji's bell tower, an example of the ''fukihanachi'' type, although much larger than the average Komyoji01s3200.jpg, Sometimes the bell is installed in the ''

rōmon The is one of two types of two-storied gate used in Japan (the other one being the '' nijūmon'', see photo in the gallery below). Even though it was originally developed by Buddhist architecture, it is now used at both Buddhist temples and S ...

''. 崇福寺 (岐阜市)-鐘楼soufukuji007.jpg, Taipei City Tone-Wa Tample Bell tower.jpg, ''shōrō'' in Taipei, Taiwan. 臨濟護國禪寺舊鐘樓山門.jpg, ''shōrō'' in Taipei, Taiwan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shoro Japanese architectural features Japanese Buddhist architecture Bell towers Shinto architecture Traditional East Asian Architecture

History

Gallery

See also

References