Temple bell (bonshō)

Temple bell (bonshō)​

Prefecturally Designated Important Cultural Property (designated 1959)
Made: Muromachi period (16th century)
Location: Yokeiji Temple, Kitashima, Oku
Dimensions: Height: 94.8 cm. 

The temple bell of ancient Yokeiji Temple, which sits atop Mt. Uetera and which is itself known locally as Uetera, is known as the "Uetera no Banshō”, ‘the evening bell of Uetera’. Temple legend recounts that an expeditionary army led by Ukita Hideie, the famous Sengoku period (late 15th c.-16th c.) warlord, advanced to Kyūshū, where it took this bell as part of its spoils of war. Ukita later donated it to Yokeiji Temple.
Based on typology, it is thought that this bell was made by a foundry in Takada, Bungo province (modern Ōita prefecture). From inscriptions on the bell, it appears that in 1571 two individuals from Ming China brought it to be donated to a Buddhist gathering place in Kokufu, Bungo province (modern Ōita city).

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Cultural properties in Setouchi city​