A is a small, bowl-shaped Japanese

wind chime Wind chimes are a type of percussion instrument constructed from suspended tubes, rods, bells, or other objects that are often made of metal or wood. The tubes or rods are suspended along with some type of weight or surface which the tubes or ro ...

typically hung during the summer. A piece of paper called ''tanzaku'' (短冊) is usually hung from each ''fūrin'' to cause it to ring even with just a slight breeze. The sound of the ''fūrin'' and the sight of the paper blowing in the wind are seen by many Japanese people as having a cooling effect during the hot Japanese summer.　

History

The origins of ''fūrin'' are believed to be from the Chinese

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

when metal wind chimes were hung in

bamboo Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial plant, perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily (biology), subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in th ...

forests and used to tell fortunes. The word ''fūrin'' was first used in Japan during the

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 Kammu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means in Japanese. It is a ...

when they were hung from

eaves The eaves are the edges of the roof which overhang the face of a wall and, normally, project beyond the side of a building. The eaves form an overhang to throw water clear of the walls and may be highly decorated as part of an architectural sty ...

, particularly at

Buddhist temples A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat, khurul and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in Buddhi ...

, as talismans to ward off evil spirits. They can still be found at many

shrines A shrine ( "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor worship, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, Daemon (mythology), daemon, or similar figure of respect, wh ...

and temples in Japan. Glass ''fūrin'' were first made during the late

Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...

. Glass is the most popular material used for ''fūrin'' in modern Japan and these glass ''fūrin'' are referred to as ''Edo Fūrin'' (江戸風鈴). It was also during the Edo period that ''fūrin'' were first seen to have cooling properties during the Japanese summer. It is this perceived effect that makes ''fūrin'' a summer ''fūbutsushi'' ( 風物詩), or an item characteristic of a certain Japanese season. During the Edo period, these ''fūrin,'' which were made by free

glassblowing Glassblowing is a glassforming technique that involves inflating molten glass into a bubble (or parison) with the aid of a blowpipe (or blow tube). A person who blows glass is called a ''glassblower'', ''glassmith'', or ''gaffer''. A '' lampworke ...

, were very expensive and primarily used by

feudal lords Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was a combination of legal, economic, military, cultural, and political customs that flourished in medieval Europe from the 9th to 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structuring societ ...

and wealthy merchants. Mass-produced glass ''fūrin'' in modern Japan have made them affordable and widespread at Japanese households, but the tradition of free-blowing glass to make ''fūrin'' is still practiced by some craftsmen in Japan. ''Fūrin'' made from metal and other materials can also still be found throughout Japan.

''Fūrin'' events

During summer in Japan, various events are held throughout the country in which many, sometimes thousands, of ''fūrin'' are hung. These ''fūrin'' displays, often at

temples A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

, are popular seasonal attractions. Notable events include: *

Mizusawa Station Wind chimes at the Mizusawa Station platform is a railway station in the city of Ōshū, Iwate Prefecture, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). Lines Mizusawa Station is served by the Tōhoku Main Line, and is located fr ...

, Ōshū,

Iwate Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. It is the second-largest Japanese prefecture (behind Hokkaido) at , with a population of 1,165,886 (as of July 1, 2023). Iwate Prefecture borders Aomori Pre ...

- During summer hundreds of ''fūrin'' are displayed at the platform of Mizusawa Station. The sound of these ''fūrin'' was chosen as one of the

100 Soundscapes of Japan The are a number of noises selected by the Ministry of the Environment (Japan), Ministry of the Environment as particularly representative of the country. They were chosen in 1996, as part of government efforts to combat noise pollution and to prot ...

. * Kawasaki Daishi Fūrin Market - A summer market at Kawasaki Daishi Temple in Kawasaki,

Kanagawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...

which sells thousands of ''fūrin'' from across Japan. * Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine - about 1,500 ''fūrin'' decorate Hikawa Shrine in Kawagoe,

Saitama Prefecture is a Landlocked country, landlocked Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (January 1, 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 Square kilometre, km2 ( ...

during summer.

Gallery

File:Kawasaki_Daishi1.jpg, link=ファイル:Kawasaki_Daishi1.jpg, Kawasaki Daishi Fūrin Market File:Furin-1.jpg, link=ファイル:Furin-1.jpg, ''Fūrin'' in the shape of a ''

maneki-neko The ''maneki-neko'' (招き猫, ) is a common Japanese figurine which is often believed to bring good luck to the owner. In modern times, they are usually made of ceramic or plastic. The figurine depicts a cat, traditionally a calico Japanese Bo ...

'' File:Fuurin.JPG, link=ファイル:Fuurin.JPG, The inside of a ''fūrin'' File:Wind-chime-M7547.jpg, Metal ''fūrin'' for sale File:Glass_windchime.JPG, link=ファイル:Glass_windchime.JPG, Glass ''fūrin''

References

{{Reflist Lucky symbols Wind-activated musical instruments Objects believed to protect from evil Amulets Talismans Religious objects Shinto religious objects Superstitions of Japan Culture of Japan