The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 26, 2024
Five-pronged Vajra Bell (Gokorei)
early 1300s
(1185–1333)
height: 16.7 cm (6 9/16 in.); Diameter: 7.5 cm (2 15/16 in.)
Lillian M. Kern Memorial Fund 2016.38
Location: not on view
Did You Know?
Vajras are symbolic weapons, representing the properties of a diamond (indestructibility) and a thunderbolt (irresistible force), still used in Buddhist ceremonies today.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.- 2016-The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, 2016-present
- Vilbar, Sinéad. “Acquisition Highlights 2016: Japanese Art.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine vol. 57, no. 2 (March/April 2017): 18-19. Reproduced and Mentioned: P. 19.
- Japanese Gallery 235 Rotation - July 2017-January 2018. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (July 15, 2017-January 2, 2018).Japanese Gallery 235 Rotation - September 2016-January 2017. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (September 19, 2016-January 8, 2017).
- {{cite web|title=Five-pronged Vajra Bell (Gokorei)|url=false|author=|year=early 1300s|access-date=26 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2016.38