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Source Description
The five prongs of this bell symbolize the Buddhist “Five Perfections”—generosity, morality, patience, perseverance, and concentration. The mouth of the bell symbolizes the “Sixth Perfection” of wisdom. The bell was used in Japanese Esoteric Buddhist rituals along with vajra pestles, or kongōsho.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
284355
label
Five-pronged Vajra Bell (Gokorei)
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
284355
contentType
object
title
Five-pronged Vajra Bell (Gokorei)
description
The five prongs of this bell symbolize the Buddhist “Five Perfections”—generosity, morality, patience, perseverance, and concentration. The mouth of the bell symbolizes the “Sixth Perfection” of wisdom. The bell was used in Japanese Esoteric Buddhist rituals along with vajra pestles, or kongōsho.
date
early 1300s
citation
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60757712
genreSpecific
Metalwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
height: 16.7 cm (6 9/16 in.); Diameter: 7.5 cm (2 15/16 in.)
cul
Japan, Kamakura period (1185–1333)
accession
2016.38
Source extras
tec
gilt bronze
tombstone
Five-pronged Vajra Bell (Gokorei), early 1300s. Japan, Kamakura period (1185–1333). Gilt bronze; height: 16.7 cm (6 9/16 in.); diameter: 7.5 cm (2 15/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Lillian M. Kern Memorial Fund, 2016.38
collection
Japanese Art
didYouKnow
Vajras are symbolic weapons, representing the properties of a diamond (indestructibility) and a thunderbolt (irresistible force), still used in Buddhist ceremonies today.
citations
citation
Vilbar, Sinéad. “Acquisition Highlights 2016: Japanese Art.” <em>Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine</em> 57, no. 2 (March/April 2017): 18–19.
page_number
Reproduced and Mentioned: p. 19
creditline
Lillian M. Kern Memorial Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 08:51:43.357000
sourceId
284355
dept
Japanese Art
coll
Japanese Art
med
gilt bronze
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
fa50f428d28cfe56