Japan
Japanese

Metal, wood, lacquer, cloth, fiber
19th century
BOWL: Diameter: 13 in, Height: 9 in
Idiophones – Struck Idiophones – Indirectly

This dobachi is a very large, hand-hammered bronze Buddhist rin bowl bell with unique dimpled construction from Japan.  It is used as a Meditation Temple Bell.  This type of bell is technically known as a ‘resting bell’ because it is inverted and this one is supported on a modern silk pillow/cushion and a red and gold lacquered footed base/stand, rather than being suspended. 

Unique to this dobachi (bowl bell) is the scalloped edges around the rim.  It is also known as a ‘singing bowl,’ as it is played by rotating a mallet around the outside rim with a wooden mallet wrapped in leather to punctuate Zen Buddhist temple music.  This produces a sustained musical note, which puts this in the classification of an indirectly struck idiophone.  For it to be classified as a friction idiophone, both objects rubbed together would have to be sonorous, such as sand blocks rubbed together to produce a sound.  The mallet used to play the dobachi is not sonorous.  Regarding classification between a gong and a bell, technically, a bell vibrates most strongly at the edges, whereas a gong vibrates most strongly at the center.

Resource: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/502115