The Great Bodhisattva Pass, Book 27: Longing for the Bell

In a silent country house, the blind monk Benshin hears a shakuhachi playing far away. An uncanny visitor questions him about Reibo, the music of longing for a bell, and its elusive meaning. At the winter-bound Hakkotsu hot spring, other listeners wonder who has played with such feeling.

Hyōma arrives unexpectedly and falls ill. Letters, private diaries, martial reputations, hidden recognition, and the unsettling power of music draw the guests into overlapping stories. Mountain flowers and sacred peaks open into a disputed dream, and the author closes with a personal meditation on near misses and fate.

Longing for the Bell translates all sixteen sections of Book27 of Nakazato Kaizan’s epic, including its complete music discussion, quotations, and final reflection.