Waniguchi

The waniguchi (鰐口, “crocodile mouth,” because of its slit) is a flat, round metal gong hanging at the front of the hondō or daishidō. A thick braided rope hangs in front of it: on arrival, the pilgrim shakes it to ring the gong and announce their presence, before leaving an osamefuda and reciting the sutras.

Donors had their name and a date engraved on it. A small waniguchi from 1471, found in a Jizō chapel in Erimon (Ino, Kōchi), bears the inscription “八十八ヶ所”: perhaps the oldest mention of the 88 places, though its reading is debated.