Chirin no Suzu (book)
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Chirin no Suzu (Japanese: チリンの鈴, Chirin no Suzu, literally Chirin's Bell) is a 1978, notably dark children's book by Takashi Yanase. On the same year, a Sanrio film adaption with the same name was produced in Japan and released in 1983 as Ringing Bell.
Plot[edit | edit source]
The main character of the novel is Chirin, a young and originally naive lamb brought up by his loving mother on a farm. Chirin wears a bell that rings so other know where he is. Chirin's mother had told Chirin never to go beyond a fence surrounding the farm in which he lives. However, when Chirin's mother was killed by Woe the wolf he his heartbroken, angry and filled with feelings of revenge to kill the wolf.
Soon however Chirin develops a bond with the wolf as he trains Chirin to be an aggressive killer more like the wolf, and they travel the mountains killing many.
Chirin cannot bring himself to kill other sheep from the barn in which he was born even though he attacked the dogs and is faced with traumatic memories from his past and an identity crisis. When the wolf doesn't accept this, Chirin (now as an aggressive ram) kills the wolf with his horns, who comments that he was happy Chirin was the one who killed him.
However, after Chirin kills the wolf he is left with no role model as the sheep he lived with reject him, and is left to wander in the mountains alone with the song of his bell still chiming.
