Added image of the Temple Bell to Wikipedia “Soji-ji Temple”

Visiting the temple bell at Soji-ji Temple

Soji-ji Temple is located in Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is the head temple of the Soto sect in Japanese Buddhism, which consists of approximately 14,000 temples, and its vast grounds are home to various buildings, including a Buddhist hall.

Many temples in Japan have bells called Bonsho (Temple bell). I visited Soji-ji Temple because I wanted to see the bell, which is said to be one of the largest in the Kanto region. This bell was cast in 1913 and is 1.9 meters in diameter, 3.2 meters in height, and weighs approximately 18.5 tons. Because this bell was so large, a metal foundry craftsman living in Kyoto stayed in Yokohama for an extended period of time and set up a foundry within the temple grounds to cast it.

Added an image to the Wikipedia article “Soji-ji Temple”

The Wikipedia article “Soji-ji Temple” was created in 2004 and has been edited by many people over the 21 years since then, but there is no significant mention of the temple bell, nor is there any images of the bell. Looking at Wikimedia Commons’ Category:Sōji-ji (Yokohama), not a single image of the bell has been uploaded. So I uploaded an image of the bell to Wikimedia Commons’ Category:Temple bell, Sōji-ji (Yokohama), and then included it in the Wikipedia article “Sōji-ji Temple.”

Compared to the magnificent Buddhist hall at the center of the temple complex, the bell is merely a modest artifact, so it’s no wonder that its presence is overlooked in the Wikipedia article. The current Wikipedia article also makes no mention of the numerous stone structures in the same grove, such as the “Dr. Ladd Monument,” a monument in honor of psychologist George Trumbull Ladd. There seems to be plenty of room for improvement, and it might be interesting to use it as a topic for an event like “Wikipedia Town”.