446 ART INDUSTRY AND RELATED OCCUPATIONS. 



from ear to ear 5*4 meters. It is said that the eyes are of pure 

 gold, and that the knob on the forehead contains thirty pounds of 

 silver. 



The statue which is found in the temple Yaku-shi-ji at Nara is 

 much smaller than the preceding, but is nevertheless one of the 

 finest and most interesting bronze statues of Japan. It represents 

 Yaku-shi (Bhaishagyaguru) and originated at the close of the 

 7th century. In design and execution it belongs to the most 

 notable productions of bronze casting in Japan. To these also 

 belong the great Tsuri-gane or hanging temple bells, of which 

 several of the finest (as for example, that of the Zozo-ji at Shiva 

 in Tokio), have perished in the flames within the last twenty years 

 with the temples and many other art treasures. 



The largest of the still existing bells (Kane) is to be found in 

 the temple San-jiu-san-gen-do in Kioto. This is 4"27 meters high, 

 and 274 meters wide, with walls 27-4 centimeters thick. Its weight 

 is estimated at 63 tons.^ Several other old bells are about 3 meters 

 high and correspondingly wide. The most beautiful and interesting 

 of these belongs to the finely situated old monastery of the Tendai 

 sect, in the wood not far from Mii-dera at Otsu on Lake Biwa. 

 This great bell is said to have been made by Hidesato, a celebrated 

 hero of the loth century, and is the subject of many stories and 

 legends of the vicinity. Its beautiful tones belong to the eight 

 wonders (attractions) of the Biwa Lake. When heard on a summer 

 evening, sounding far over the lake through the peaceful country, 

 they make a never-to-be-forgotten impression upon the mind of a 

 stranger. 



These colossal temple bells, and a number of smaller ones, are 

 usually decorated on the outside with Chinese proverbs, and with 

 Ten-nin (angels in Nirvana), in rows of regular knobs, and in 

 many other ways. Usually several dragon heads form the ears on 

 which they are hung very low, under a scaflbld and roof in the 

 temple court. They have no clappers but are struck from the out- 

 side by a beam hanging and swinging from two ropes, in a place 

 which was raised up in the casting for this purpose. 



While some of these very old Tsuri-gane astonish the beholder 

 by their remarkable casting and size, there are 16 smaller bells 

 (Kane) in a neighbouring building of the temple at Nikko which 

 no less awaken our surprise. These are just alike externally in 

 form and size, but when rung yield distinctly and with finest effect 

 all the tones of two octaves. 



Mirrors, Japanese Kagami, have been from olden times cast from 

 bronze in the countries of Chinese civilization, owing to the lack 

 of proper glass. On the back they are decorated with reliefs 



^ This bell has almost the same dimensions as the big one in Peking, which 

 the emperor Yungloh ordered to be cast in 1406. This is said to weigh 60 tons, 

 to be 4*27 meters high and 10-30 meters in circumference at the rim. Its sur- 

 face is covered with Chinese characters. 



