how to make a SHISHI-ODISHI

Traditionally,a SHISHI_ODISHI is used to frighten off animals such as deer .With water pouring through a bamboo  pipe  into a  piece of bamboo that swings on a pivot  when filled with water ,which then tips the water out and as the bamboo swings back it hits a  rock making a loud noise thus frightening away the deer.The traditional way was to place it within a stream or water course ,running off some of the water to pour through the bamboo pipe. So for it to work with water run off from a stream in your Japanese garden it needs placing near a waterfall. 

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HOW TO MAKE YOURS

How I made the one in the photo :-

The pot has two holes drilled near the bottom on opposite sides one for the wire for the electric pump and the other for the pipe to take the water to the dripper to feed the rocker arm. the electric pump is situated in the pot and a grill is placed above it about 4" below the top of the pot and cobble stones placed on it to hide the pump. The water is pumped through a pipe up the bamboo which has had the nodes knocked out, it then drips into the rocker arm which has had the first node knocked out and when full of water tips up and empties the water allowing the rocker arm to to swing down on to the sounding rock.The rocker arm is placed aproximately half way up the two bamboos making the frame, A hole is drilled through the rocker arm slightly below the half way mark and below a node to form the pivot.

The bamboo used was aprox 4" in diameter

Another way is to sink a container in the ground containing the pump and place a grill over the top with a pond liner with a hole in the middle placed above that to enable the water to run into the container, and then place some round cobles over that to cover the liner, the SHISHI-ODISHI is placed along side.