Shōrō

What a shōrō is

A shōrō is the building in a temple precinct that houses the bronze bell. It is also called a kanetsukidō, bell-striking hall. The bell hangs from a beam and is struck with a swinging log to mark the time and announce services. In ancient temple layouts it was often set before the lecture hall, paired with the sutra repository.

There are two main forms. In one, a roof stands on four posts and the sides are left open so the bell can be seen, often with no more than low boarding between the posts. In the other, the lower part is enclosed by a flared wall, the Hakamagoshi, with the bell chamber above, so that the building appears two-storeyed; records describe this as having a hakamagoshi.

A gate with a bell hung in its upper storey is a shōrōmon, bell-tower gate. Okayama Prefecture describes the bell-tower gate of Saidaiji as housing a bell that is itself an Important Cultural Property.

Reading the records and the building

Records give the size and form, such as with hakamagoshi, hip-and-gable roof, traditional tiles. The bell tower of Kongoji in Kawachinagano, Osaka, an Important Cultural Property, is three bays by two with a hakamagoshi and a hip-and-gable tiled roof. The bell tower of Einichiji in Tamba, Hyogo, is one bay square with a hakamagoshi and a cypress-bark hip-and-gable roof, its bronze bell hanging from an exposed beam, and is recorded as a tall, imposing tower with a full set of two-step bracketing under its veranda. The bell tower of Renjoji in Nantan, Kyoto, is a simple structure of square posts leaning slightly inward on foundation stones, boarded at the base, with the bell hanging from a curved beam under the ridge.

Bell towers and bells are often separate cultural properties, so articles should make clear whether the building, the bell or both are designated or registered.