Editor's Note - This is an excerpt from the April 2003 issue of the Buddhist Wheel

Bells have long been the subject of literature in both the East and the West. In some old communities in Hawaii, people enjoyed hearing the echoing gongs whenever any church bell tolled. Through the beautiful sound, they could remember the religious messages, which permeated throughout their hearts. Called Bonsho in Japanese, meaning “Indian bell,” its deep gong at Buddhist temples especially in the evenings gave people a sense of rest after their day’s toil.

Our temple bell recently brought down from the tower has given us a chance to reflect on our Bonsho in light of temple history.

When the bell was brought down on March 4, Hardy Iida checked the condition of the old bell. He asked me to record the information inscribed on the surface of the bell. The ministers hurriedly checked the basic information and shared it with William Ing from the Hawaii Tribune Herald.

According to the information, the temple bell was cast in 1907 in Kyoto as the property of Honpa Hongwanji Hilo Betsuin. The resident minister was Rev. Tessho Kato. Around the surface of the bell are inscribed nearly one hundred names of donors from the western part of Japan, many of whom donated as much as five dollars. From this information, we can conclude that Rev. Kato and others went to Japan to solicit donations, and that the Bonsho was ordered in Kyoto.

Where was the new bell hung when it came to Hilo? It was not in the present temple bell tower because that was dedicated in 1926. Sadaichi Kubota remembers that the former temple was across the present building on Kilauea Avenue, and the Bonsho must have been somewhere in the temple compound. When the present temple building was dedicated in 1926, it was installed in the bell tower.

Ministers and lay members rang the Bonsho on occasions including the six major services and New Year’s Eve. Mr. Kubota also remembers that the sound of the bell reached his home in Amauulu, a few miles away from the temple. Many temple members in the community recognized the sound of Hilo Betsuin’s bonsho. For them, it was the voice of the compassionate Buddha affirming human existence.

Widely accepted in Hawaii is the belief that the Bonsho is struck 108 times on New Year’s Eve to eradicate the 108 blind desires one has created throughout the year. But for Jodo Shin Buddhists, striking the Bonsho must mean more than that. The deep sound of Bonsho signifies the calling out to each of us by the compassionate heart of Amida from the Buddha’s land of peace.

One meaningful work on the subject of bonsho is found in the writings of Rev. Chisho Yanagida. In the Gatsuai Zanmai he writes:

Recently, the Kyodan president appointed a committee for the project of constructing a new bell tower. Let us look forward to having a new bell tower in the temple compound so that the tolling gong may be heard by all. Let us look forward to striking the bonsho joyfully with a sense appreciation to the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.

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