• Region: Kanto
• Prefecture: Saitama Prefecture

Mangyō-ji

Mangyō-ji is a Buddhist temple within Saitama Prefecture.

It has links to the story called The Bell of Nodera in which the fabled bell of Nodera Temple which was hidden by the monk during times of war was rediscovered by farmers. The bell was brought to Mangyō-ji and resided there from then on wards.

The bell which was thought to have been the Nodera bell was melted down during the war effort in the 1940’s.¹

Footnotes

1. Yoda, H. and Alt, M. (2016) “Japandemonium: Illustrated: The Yokai Encyclopaedia of Toriyama Sekien.”. New York: over Publications, Inc.

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Nodera Temple

Nodera Temple is a lost Japanese temple, which once housed a large bell within its complex. Both are known to have existed as a 9th Century poem attributed to Ariwara no Narihara mentions them.

Legend states that in a time of war the monk of the temple took the bell and hid it so it may not fall into enemy hand. The bell was then never seen again, until later rediscovered and taken to Mangyō-ji. This tale relating to the monk can be found titled The Bell of Nodera and was later used by Toriyama Sekien as inspiration for the Yōkai Noderabō.¹

Footnotes

1. Yoda, H. and Alt, M. (2016) “Japandemonium: Illustrated: The Yokai Encyclopaedia of Toriyama Sekien.”. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.

	Check out the Japan Archives, our Japanese History Podcast. Instagram (Japan): @japan_archives
	Check out our Gaming Channel on Youtube. Instagram (Minecraft): @mycenria
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The post Nodera Temple appeared first on . A History . . of Japan . 日本歴史.

The Bell of Nodera

The Bell of Nodera is a story which was used by Toriyama Sekien as inspiration for the Yōkai known as the Noderabō.

The story relates how farmers digging out the roots of potato vines finds them entwined around a temple bell. They take the bell to the nearby temple of Mangyō-ji where the monk exclaims it is from the lost temple of Nodera. Legends state that when war came the monks of Nodera took the bell and hid it so it may not fall into the hands of the enemy. However, it was never retrieved afterwards and so never resurfaced.¹

Footnotes

1. Yoda, H. and Alt, M. (2016) “Japandemonium: Illustrated: The Yokai Encyclopaedia of Toriyama Sekien.”. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.

	Check out the Japan Archives, our Japanese History Podcast. Instagram (Japan): @japan_archives
	Check out our Gaming Channel on Youtube. Instagram (Minecraft): @mycenria
	Find the website useful? Please consider donating to help up keep the website running.

The post The Bell of Nodera appeared first on . A History . . of Japan . 日本歴史.