Chimes of Kyoto

Tuned to an ancient Japanese scale found on early zither instruments.

This graceful and spirited wind chime is named for the Chionin Buddhist temple in Kyoto, which houses one of the largest ringing bells in the world. It takes 17 monks to ring the 74-ton bell, 16 of them to raise the giant wooden hammer by pulling it away from the bell with hanging ropes, while the 17th monk rides the hammer, pushing off with his legs in the split second before impact. Ringing the massive bell is an important New Year's event and the chiming lasts for 20 minutes. It only takes a gentle breeze to play the Woodstock Chimes of Kyoto and you will have years of pleasurable sounds reminiscent of the Japanese Koto, the musical instrument from which it gets its beautiful tuning.