 Bonshō ( Japanese : 梵鐘 , Buddhist bells ) , also known as tsurigane ( 釣り鐘 , hanging bells ) or ōgane ( 大鐘 , great bells ) are large bells found in Buddhist temples throughout Japan , used to summon the monks to prayer and to demarcate periods of time . Rather than containing a clapper , bonshō are struck from the outside , using either a handheld mallet or a beam suspended on ropes . 
