A Woman and the Bell of Miidera

In the ancient monastery of Miidera there was a great bronze bell. It rang out every morning and evening, a clear, rich note, and its surface shone like sparkling dew. The priests would not allow any woman to strike it, because they thought that such an action would pollute and dull the metal, as well as bring calamity upon them.

When a certain pretty woman who lived in Kyoto heard this, she grew extremely inquisitive, and at last, unable to restrain her curiosity, she said: "I will go and see this wonderful bell of Miidera. I will make it send forth a soft note, and in its shining surface, bigger and brighter than a thousand mirrors, I will paint and powder my face and dress my hair."

At length this vain and irreverent woman reached the belfry in which the great bell was suspended, at a time when all were absorbed in their sacred duties. She looked into the gleaming bell and saw her pretty eyes, flushed cheeks, and laughing dimples. Presently she stretched forth her little fingers, lightly touched the shining metal, and prayed that she might have as great and splendid a mirror as her own. When the bell felt this woman's fingers, the bronze that she touched shrank, leaving a little hollow, and losing at the same time all its exquisite polish.

This little story is a tale warning against greed and vanity. The temple of Miidera had a bell polished like a mirror that was used for religious purposes in the area. The greedy and vain woman wanted to see how it would look in this legendarily polished bell. The Miidera Temple is about three hours walk from Kyoto, according to Google Maps. It is a little over 8 miles away. In any case, her greed and vanity is what profanes the bell. She prays for a mirror as splendid as the bell (which served everyone in the area) for her own. This greed literally causes the bell to rot at her touch.

We have to remember that mirrors were expensive. A large bronze bell would be even more expensive and time consuming to make. this woman was already familiar with mirrors, and she lived in Kyoto. Kyoto was the Imperial City – the seat of the Emperor. It was also the centre of culture for most of Japanese history. Miidera was a temple that was said to have bathed three newborn emperors in its well. The woman shows disregard for the sacred in an effort to sate her vanity. She also was greedy; she wanted a mirror above all other mirrors.

The Miidera Temple also appears in The Tale of the Heike, a collection of oral stories that focus on the Genpei War. According to the epic, Miidera Temple was burned down after its monks and the armies of Minamoto no Yorimasa were defeated. This folktale might be linked to the burning of the Miidera temple.

Other

Kanesama

One relates how women were forbidden to touch the bell as it was feared that it would cause the bell to go dull. A woman from Kyoto learns of these tales and so wishes to go and touch the bell. Journeying to the temple she looks at the gleaming bell and tentatively touches it. Upon touching the bell, the part where her fingers touched shrank leaving an indentation. The rest of the bell is said to have then lost its shine.

Benkei And The Bell

Another tale relates to Benkei, who was the retainer of Miyamoto no Yoshitsune. The tale relates that when he was still a monk he sorely wanted to steal the bell to install it into his own monastery. He thought to roll the heavy bell down the hill, but fearing the monks would hear him and discover his theft he used his great strength to place the bell on one end of the cross-beam and his paper lantern on the other and proceeded the carry the heavy burden for seven miles. Eating a meal after arriving back at his temple, he then allows the monks to strike the bell.

However, instead the bell made a cry of 'I want to go back to Miidera!' They hoped that sprinkling the bell with holy water would appease it, but still the bell longed for Miidera. Benkei grew angry and so he struck the bell as hard as he could hoping it would break, but it did not. All it did was cry again, 'I want to go back to Miidera!' He took the bell to the top of a mountain, kicking it down the slope. Benkei no longer wanted the bell. Eventually the priests of Miidera found their bell once more and hung it back in its rightful place. It is said though the bell never spoke again, and merely rang like other temple bells.

Song

Today's song is called Furusato, and is a traditional children's song written by Teiichi Okano and Tatsuyuki Takano. Now that winter is drawing closer in Japan, you can hear this song playing at around 4.30 to tell the children it is time to go home before it gets dark.

One of the verses goes as follows:

兎追いし　彼の山

小鮒釣りし　彼の川

夢は今も　巡りて

忘れ難き　故郷

usagi oishi ka no yama

ko-buna tsurishi ka no kawa

yume wa ima mo megurite

wasure-gataki furusato

I chased after rabbits on that mountain.

I fished for minnow in that river.

I still dream of those days even now

Oh, how I miss my old country home.

Listen to the song HERE

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