Joya no Kane

[1][2][3] In Zen temples it is performed at midnight on New Year's Eve to ward off bad luck from the northeastern direction (see Devil's gate (superstition) [ja]).

The records of Chion-in, the head temple of the Jodo-shu sect (the predecessor of Jodo Shinshu), show that the earliest occurrence of Joya no Kane dates to 1928 or 1929, after the initial radio broadcast.

That year, instead of broadcasting Joya no Kane, NHK played a recording of a cannon fired during the attack.

Since the late 2010s, due to both trends of aging amongst the monks and neighbors complaining of noise pollution, some temples have chosen to stop ringing the bells on midnight of New Year's Eve.

Ryukoku-ji in Namerikawa decided to move Joya no Kane to 2 pm as of 2021, taking into consideration the decrease in pilgrims due to the aging population of Japan and the danger from snow and ice on the steps to reach the bell.

These 108 are derived from the six senses (Āyatana) of sight, hearing, smell, taste, body, and mind.

[8] One classification of dukkha identifies four kinds of suffering: birth, old age, disease, and death.

Then, another four kinds of suffering are added: separation from loved ones, meeting of unpleasant ones, not getting what one seeks, and the pain of the five skandhas.

Temples which only start ringing after midnight include Zojo-ji, Senso-ji, and Narita-san Shinsho-ji.

After Japan occupied Korea, a Japanese temple on Namsan introduced Joya no Kane.

[13] The attendance for this annual event is so high that trains on the Seoul Subway do not stop at Jonggak station around that time to prevent accidents.Some Japanese Buddhist temples in the United States, such as the Jodo Shinshu Seattle Betsuin Buddhist Temple, also celebrate Joya no Kane.