Page:Brinkley - Japan - Volume 7.djvu/129

RV 105 ception is the "alligator's mouth." It hangs in the vestibule of temples and shrines, and is sounded by means of a thick rope which hangs in contact with its surface, and is swung against it by worshippers to attract the presiding deity's attention. It cannot be said that the Japanese developed any remarkable skill in the manufacture of these objects. The kin often emits a prolonged musical note, tender and soft, and Japanese connoisseurs of sound make enthusiastic distinctions between one kei and another as to timbre and purity of voice; but it does not appear that the manufacture of these objects ever made any special claim on the attention of experts. In the matter of gongs there can be no doubt that Korea stands far in advance of Japan. Neither country, however, possesses a large supply of fine gongs. Long and patient search for such treasures may often prove fruitless. But if the searcher is so happy as to find a Korean gong of the best type,—and he is just as likely to find it in Japan as in Korea,—he has an instrument of grand sounding capacities, which sends forth wave after wave of complex vibrations, mellow, sonorous, and sweet.