Dōtaku

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A Yayoi period dōtaku, 3rd century.
A Yayoi period dōtaku, 3rd century.

Dōtaku (銅鐸?) are Japanese bells smelted from relatively thin bronze and richly decorated. The oldest dōtaku found date from the 2nd or 3rd century (corresponding to the end of the Yayoi era), and were nearly only used as decorations for rituals. Richly decorated with patterns representing nature and animals (among which the dragonfly, praying mantis and spider are featured), historians believe that dōtaku were used to pray for good harvests. The animals featured are indeed natural enemies of insect pests that attack paddy fields.

[edit] In popular culture

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