Memorial Service of Miidera Temple Bell

It is a memorial service for the temple bell famous as a recurring theme in the paintings titled “Autumn Moon at Evening Bell at Miidera” that the series the Eight Views of Omi Province are composed of. The 15th of July in the old calendar was the day for women to visit the temple to worship at Miidera Temple from the Edo Period [between the 17th and mid-19th centuries]. Nowadays, the memorial service is held in August in the new calendar. The bell is one of the Three Greatest Bells in Japan regarded as “Miidera Temple for the sound” due to its characteristics of beautiful sound[, while the other two feature their excellent figure or inscription]. The bell was also designated as one of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan by the Ministry of the Environment in 1996.