fūrin

thumb|Many fūrin at Nyoirin-ji (Ogori)|Nyoirin-ji with colorful tanzaku paperA is a small, bowl-shaped Japanese wind chime typically hung during the summer. A piece of paper called tanzaku (短冊) is usually hung from each fūrin to cause it to ring even with just a slight breeze. The sound of the fūrin and the sight of the paper blowing in the wind are seen by many Japanese people as having a cooling effect during the hot Japanese summer.　 thumb|Sound of fūrin in a slight breeze

== History == The origins of fūrin are believed to be from the Chinese Tang Dynasty when metal wind chimes were hung in bamboo forests and used to tell fortunes. The word fūrin was first used in Japan during the Heian period when they were hung from eaves, particularly at Buddhist temples, as talismans to ward off evil spirits. They can still be found at many shrines and temples in Japan.