You know how different places have different sounds associated with them? One sound you used to hear all around Japan was glass wind-chimes. They’re called furin 風鈴.
Here’s what wikipedia wrote about furin, "Japanese glass wind bells known as Fūrin (風鈴) have been produced since the Edo period… Wind chimes are thought to be good luck in parts of Asia and are used in Feng Shui."
Ayako shared the photo below with the following note:
"Fuurin 風鈴 are our traditional chimes. (鈴 alone means bell.) You can hear them ringing in the wind. It adds a cool feeling in the humid summer in Japan!
Nowadays, they’re not heard as much. Though everyone is familiar with them."
I found a couple of videos on YouTube so you can hear the sound of these chimes. What’s interesting is that they sound different in each video. Check them out below…
If you live in Japan, please let us know if you or your friends still hang these lovely bells.
Thanks for sharing Ayako!
-Mama Lisa
This article was posted on Monday, June 13th, 2011 at 8:55 pm and is filed under Countries & Cultures, Japan, Japanese, Languages, Music, Sounds of Places. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
8 Responses to “Furin and the Sounds of Old Japan”
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June 13th, 2011 at 9:01 pm
How lovely, and a nice variation of sound within one bell.
June 13th, 2011 at 9:11 pm
Hi, lisa.
thank you for posting. and it looks so good. though i cant see youtube yet.
and will u add that my pic is flower picks. just for fun. not real fuurin.
but looks like so pretty !!
and i have another types of pics to share you.
hopefully it will help u. ayako
June 14th, 2011 at 12:47 am
thank u lisa.
Recently most japanese don’t have ones at home. me , too.
but ringing by the wind is so attractive and nice tradition !!
I want to share how our bells are charming, too.
June 26th, 2011 at 6:46 pm
hi lisa.
i add new pics to ur e-mail.
thank u.
June 27th, 2011 at 9:49 am
great. Lisa.
thanx. and the letter 涼 means cool in japanese.
it is our traditional letters to bring cool summer tastes !!
June 27th, 2011 at 9:52 am
涼 Ayako!
June 27th, 2011 at 10:01 am
thanks. 涼 lisa, too !!
November 10th, 2011 at 2:47 am
thank you for posting. I loves reading Japanese comics and I have seen furin in those comics many times. But I still wonder about the material of furin. Is it always made from glass or just nowadays it is? Is tradditional furin a ceramic one?
and has it been sold these days in Japan?