Fish do not close their eyes.
That is the reason usually given for the wooden fish monks strike while they chant — a creature that never sleeps, kept in the room to help the ones who might. These are painted on the glass in blue, swimming around the outside of the bell, and when the sun comes through them they land on the wall behind.
The paper strip below the bell is not decoration. It catches the wind. A furin has three parts — a glass bell, a clapper hanging inside it, and the strip of paper beneath — and the wind pushes the paper, the paper swings the clapper, and the clapper touches the glass. Take the paper off and it will barely ring at all.
The sound is small and it does not carry. That is the design, not a shortcoming.
Borosilicate glass, blown and painted by hand.
What it is
Glass bell 8 cm (3.1 in) across, 7 cm (2.8 in) tall. Hangs about 40 cm (16 in) overall; the cord is adjustable. Paper strip 13 × 4 cm.
Where to hang it
Somewhere the air actually moves — an open window, a doorway, the edge of a balcony. A still room will give you nothing.
It also works where there is light but no wind. The blue holds the sun and throws it.
Bring it in before a storm, and take it down for the winter if the window stays shut. It is glass on a cord.
