In the city of Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture, Yoshinori Shimatani, a fourth-generation master craftsman, continues a centuries-old tradition of handcrafting Buddhist ritual bells known as orin. At 53 years old, Shimatani is among only eight artisans in Japan still producing these standing bells entirely by hand, preserving a legacy that dates back to the early 17th century.
Shimatani works in the Shimatani Syouryu Studio, founded in 1909 by his great-grandfather Wakichi Shimatani. The studio is located in Takaoka—a city with a 400-year heritage as a center for metalworking. The craft’s origins trace to 1611 when Maeda Toshinaga, ruler of the Kaga domain (modern-day Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures), invited master metalworkers from Kyoto to develop sacred metal objects, including orin, which remain integral to Buddhist temples across Japan.
The process of creating an orin is meticulous and physically demanding. Each bell is made from a brass alloy consisting of 70% copper and 30% zinc, shaped from three separate sections that are welded together. The rim, about 7 millimeters thick, provides the bell’s structural integrity and deep resonance, while the body and base are hammered to a paper-thin 0.7 millimeters to optimize vibration and tone projection. Unlike mass-produced metal items, each orin requires repeated hammering to increase the metal’s density, often accompanied by up to 40 annealing phases, where the brass is heated and cooled to relieve internal stress.
Tuning is regarded as the most challenging aspect of the craft. Shimatani spends up to an hour striking the bell’s interior in silence, listening carefully for the precise pitch and overtones that will define a bell’s distinctive sound. Adjustments are made by hammering either the interior or exterior to correct tonal discrepancies. This intricate process is performed entirely by ear and instinct, honed through years of experience.
Shimatani describes the sound he aims to achieve as one that naturally invites reverence and prayer. If a bell fails to meet his exacting standards, it is eventually melted down and recast—a commitment to quality that can extend the creation of a single orin to approximately six months.
Despite inheriting the studio’s legacy, Shimatani was reluctant to pursue the craft initially, wary of the physical toll it took on his father and grandfather. After leaving Toyama to study in Tokyo and working as a cook, an unexpected encounter with an elder who emphasized the sacred nature of his family’s work prompted him to return. Since then, Shimatani has embraced his role as a custodian of this rare and revered tradition.
He attributes his mastery not to written manuals, which do not exist for this craft, but to long hours of practice and attentive listening inherited from his forebears. “Hearing a bad sound feels physically uncomfortable,” he says, underscoring the intimate connection between the artisan and the sound he produces. For Shimatani, the process demands both technical skill and heartfelt sincerity, with every small action contributing to the final resonant tone that honors centuries of craftsmanship.