Edo Fūrin – The sound of coolness
In the days before fans and air-conditioners, the Japanese invented many ingenious ways to stay cool. One of these was the "fūrin", or wind bell, hung where any passing breeze would make it ring. Its timbre causes us to think of the wind, and feel cooler. Originally metal, "fūrin" are now made in many materials, including ceramic and glass. One type has a uniquely distinctive tone: the glass Edo Fūrin, developed 300 years ago, and still made using traditional techniques. Its ringing resembles the cries of crickets, a sound that’s typical of cool autumn nights in Japan. We’ll discover the secret of this old technique.
VIDEO BY MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF JAPAN
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In the days before fans and air-conditioners, the Japanese invented many ingenious ways to stay cool. One of these was the "fūrin", or wind bell, hung where any passing breeze would make it ring. Its timbre causes us to think of the wind, and feel cooler. Originally metal, "fūrin" are now made in many materials, including ceramic and glass. One type has a uniquely distinctive tone: the glass Edo Fūrin, developed 300 years ago, and still made using traditional techniques. Its ringing resembles the cries of crickets, a sound that’s typical of cool autumn nights in Japan. We’ll discover the secret of this old technique.
VIDEO BY MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF JAPAN
Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe
Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net
Follow us:
Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook
Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram
Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter
DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion
Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital
Check out our Podcasts:
Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify
Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts
Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic
Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer
Stitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcher
Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein
#TheManilaTimes
#DailyNews
#Japan
#EdoFurin
#Sound
#Coolness
#Wind
#Glass
#Ceramic
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CreativityTranscript
00:00 [Music]
00:12 Summer in Japan gets really hot.
00:15 And in the days before fans and air conditioners,
00:18 the Japanese came up with lots of ingenious ways to stay cool.
00:24 Screens made of bamboo or reeds provide shade while letting air pass through.
00:30 The custom of splashing water on streets lowers the air temperature as it evaporates.
00:36 [Bell ringing]
00:41 A more widely known item is the wind bell or "furin".
00:47 In summer people hang these up where they'll catch the wind.
00:52 Even a gentle breeze moves the dangling strip of paper,
00:56 causing the clapper to ring the bell.
00:59 [Bell ringing]
01:02 Hearing these bells makes us think of the wind,
01:06 which subconsciously produces a cooling sensation.
01:10 [Bell ringing]
01:15 The furin's roots date back to the 7th century,
01:19 when temples began hanging such bells from their eaves.
01:23 The constant sound of these bronze bells was believed to ward off disease and disaster.
01:32 Over the centuries other materials came to be used, including ceramics and glass.
01:39 And today you can buy furin in a huge range of shapes and colours.
01:48 [Bell ringing]
01:50 One type especially known for its unique tone is the Edo furin, which is made from glass.
01:56 [Music]
02:01 Edo is the old name for Tokyo,
02:03 and these furin have been made in the capital using the same techniques for 300 years.
02:08 No moulds or casts are used.
02:14 These glass bells are individually handcrafted.
02:17 The glass is first softened in a furnace at 1,300 degrees Celsius.
02:25 It's then blown into a globe shape.
02:30 A large opening is cut in the bottom.
02:37 The clapper rubbing on its edges produces the sound.
02:41 This is what makes the Edo furin different from other wind bells.
02:45 [Clapping]
02:47 The edge of the opening is deliberately made rough and jagged.
02:51 This rough edge creates the Edo furin's unique sound.
02:58 [Clapping]
03:03 The clapper doesn't produce sound by striking the inside like a normal bell.
03:08 Instead, as it moves, it rubs against the rough glass edge of the hole.
03:12 The jagged edge around the opening is what creates this special tone.
03:17 [Clacking]
03:20 The sound from an Edo furin is thought to resemble that made by crickets rubbing their wings together.
03:26 [Crickets chirping]
03:33 In Japan, hearing crickets produces a refreshing sensation
03:37 since it's the sound of cool autumn evenings.
03:40 An Edo furin makes you imagine autumn has arrived.
03:44 Another special thing about Edo furin is the way they're decorated.
03:50 Designs are painted on the inside of the glass.
03:55 This requires skill since artists must imagine how the picture will look from the outside
04:02 as they build it up on the inside.
04:06 The layer of transparent glass over the picture also has a cooling effect, like looking through ice.
04:12 Today's artists no longer stick to traditional designs, and the only limit is their imagination.
04:20 The Edo furin.
04:26 Bringing the sound of coolness to Japanese summers for 300 years.
04:31 [Music]
04:34 [Silence]
04:41 [Clacking]
04:43 [Ding]
04:45 [BLANK_AUDIO]