Glass wind chimes hung under the eaves of houses have been adding a touch of color and offering a refreshing feeling with sounds created by gentle breezes in Japan's humid summer for centuries. Furin, or wind chimes, were traditionally used as a device "to ward off evil" but have been drawing renewed attention recently in hopes they can help hasten the end of the coronavirus pandemic.
Japanese glass wind chimes trace their roots back to the Edo period (1603-1867), a time before Japan embarked on a program of national modernization on Western lines. The traditional techniques have been passed on to generations of craftsmen, overcoming numerous hardships along the way, and are very much alive today in modern designs.
