IZUMOZAKI, Niigata Prefecture--A centuries-old hanging bell that escaped being melted down for Japan’s failed war effort in the 1940s is finally back where it belongs. The artifact was returned ...

The hanging bell was cast during the early years of the Edo Period (1603-1867). It is 3.3 meters tall, 2.8 meters wide and weighs 70 tons. It is regarded as one of Japan’s three most ...

each hanging in a separate tower. But one of them was destroyed by the 1945 atomic bombing of the city in southwestern Japan. The cathedral was rebuilt and currently has only the other bell ...