 As part of Japanese New Year celebrations , people queue to ring the temple bells 108 times in a ceremony known as Joyanokane ( 除夜の鐘 , New Year bells ) ; the 108 peals of the bell are intended to purge humanity of the 108 earthly temptations . During the Buddhist Bon Festival , a special type of bonshō called an ōkubo @-@ ōgane ( 大久保大鐘 , great hollow bell ) is rung . This bell is hung above a well , and it is believed that the sound of the bell resonates down the well into the underworld , to summon the spirits of the dead . At the end of the festival , another bonshō , called an okurikane ( 送り鐘 , sending @-@ back bell ) , is rung to send the spirits back and to represent the end of the summer . 
