Water Music, Hosen-in Temple
The suikinkutsu water music at Hosen-in is a unique experience. It can be heard from the external walkway at the back of the reception hall, where there is a bamboo deck. Visitors are invited to put their ears to the bamboo to catch the sound most clearly.
The suikinkutsu is an inventive piece of Japanese garden technology. It begins with a ceramic pot, which is turned upside down. A hole at the top is partially covered with pebbles. Water drips from a nearby stone basin over the pebbles and into the overturned pot, where it falls into a pool creating a pleasant, tingling echo. The sound has been compared to the music of a koto (Japanese zither) and shomyo Buddhist chants.