Dōtaku

Dōtaku (銅鐸) are richly decorated Japanese bells cast in bronze. They were used for about 400 years, between the second century BCE and the second century CE (corresponding to the end of the Yayoi period), and were used almost exclusively as decorations during rituals. They were richly decorated with patterns representing nature and animals, among which the dragonfly, praying mantis and spider are featured. Historians believe that dōtaku were used to pray for good harvests, as the animals featured are natural enemies of insect pests that attack paddy fields.

The Yasu City History and Folklore Museum in Yasu, Shiga Prefecture, Japan (nicknamed the "dōtaku museum") has a permanent exhibition devoted to the bells.