Before New Year's Eve, the monks at Chion-in in Kyoto tried out the New Year's bells.
At Chion-in Temple in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto City, every year on New Year's Eve, a large hanging bell that is over 3 meters high and weighs about 70 tons, passed down since the Edo period, is hung to welcome the New Year.
On the 27th, about 30 monks who ring the bell on that day participated in a trial run.
Chion-in Temple's New Year's bell is known for its unique method of ringing 17 ropes attached to a 4-meter-long stick called shumoku. After pulling the bell, another person holding the parent rope threw his body and gained momentum, ringing the bell.
In order to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, the New Year's Eve visit is limited to those who have applied in advance, and this time it has already reached the capacity.
Junkei Osaki, a deacon at Chion-in Temple, said, "I hope that the corona will subside as soon as possible and that Ukraine will be at peace.
Chion-in Temple's New Year's Eve Bell is rung 108 times throughout the year, starting at 10:40 pm on New Year's Eve.