KYOTO
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A Kanbun-Era Bell on the Mountain Path Where Young Yoshitsune Once Walked
Take the Eizan Electric Railway north from central Kyoto, and the line ends at Kurama Station — at t…
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A Morning Bell Amid the Student Quarter
Just beside Kyoto University, at the heart of the lively student district known as Hyakumanben, stan…
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The Sacred Cord and the Bell That Tolls Only for the Dead (Important Cultural Property)
At Shōrin-in, Ōhara, a single bell toll guided by a sacred white cord has carried the dead to the Pu…
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The Bell Tower’s 2025 Renewal and the Phoenix-Adorned Bell It Replaced
Higashi Hongan-ji needs little introduction as one of Kyoto’s grandest temple complexes, standing ju…
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The Temple Held in Reserve for an Emperor’s Last Refuge
Twice in the nation’s gravest hours, this imperial monastery on the western edge of Kyoto was quietl…
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The 600-Year Journey of the Anchin–Kiyohime Bell
At Myōman-ji in Iwakura, Kyoto rests the legendary bell of the Anchin–Kiyohime tale — cursed at Dōjō…
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Chion-in’s Great Bell: New Year’s Eve Icon, Ancient Memorial Rite
Chion-in’s 70-ton great bell rings only a handful of times a year — at the Gyoki memorial in April a…
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Tofukuji’s Midnight Bell — An 800-Year Nightly Tradition in Kyoto
Tofukuji Temple in Kyoto rings its “farewell bell” every night at 11:45 PM — a tradition unbroken fo…
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The Bell That Outlasted an Empire
A bell cast in 1614 to consecrate the grandest Buddhist hall in Japan ended up triggering the destru…
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The Bell That Must Never Be Rung — A Curse from the Heian Era
A bell so cursed it has hung in silence for eight centuries. The haunted bronze bell of Hoon-ji Temp…
