Traditional lighting equipment of Japan

File:Japanese Lantern Makers.jpg

Japanese Lantern Makers, photo by T. Enami

The traditional lighting equipment of Japan includes the , the , the , and the .

The is a lamp consisting of paper stretched over a frame of bamboo, wood or metal. The paper protected the flame from the wind. Burning oil in a stone, metal, or ceramic holder, with a wick of cotton or pith, provided the light. They were usually open on the top and bottom, with one side that could be lifted to provide access. Rapeseed oil was popular. Candles were also used, but their higher price made them less popular. A lower-priced alternative was sardine oil.

The became popular in the Edo period (1603–1867). Early on, the was handheld; it could also be placed on a stand or hung on a wall. The was most common indoors. Many had a vertical box shape with an inner stand for the light. Some had a drawer on the bottom to facilitate refilling and lighting. A handle on top made it portable. A variety was the . One explanation attributes it to Kobori Enshu, who lived in the late Azuchi-Momoyama period and early Edo period. Tubular in shape, it had an opening instead of a drawer. Another variety was the , a bedside lamp. The under the eaves of a shop, often bearing the name of the merchant, was a common sight in the towns.

The expression , or "daytime lamp," meant someone or something that seemed to serve no purpose. In dramatizations of the story of the forty-seven ronin, Oishi Yoshio is often given this description.

• Script error: No such module "lang". print showing an Script error: No such module "lang". being carried indoors
  print showing an being carried indoors
• An Script error: No such module "lang". standing outdoors with one side open
  An standing outdoors with one side open
• Script error: No such module "lang". hung in Mishima, Shizuoka
  hung in Mishima, Shizuoka
• Example of a cylindrical Script error: No such module "lang". at the Script error: No such module "lang". Festival in Arashiyama, Kyoto
  Example of a cylindrical at the Festival in Arashiyama, Kyoto
• The Script error: No such module "lang". Template:Lit of Japanese folklore.
  The Template:Lit of Japanese folklore.

The is a kind of Japanese paper lamp used in the open during festivals. It normally has an hexagonal profile and a rather wide, open top. It can either hang from a wire or stand on a pole. Famous is the , held annually at Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū in Kamakura, Kanagawa. Artists paint on the about 400 erected for the occasion on the shrine's grounds.

• Script error: No such module "lang". lining the Script error: No such module "lang". at a Bonbori Festival
  lining the at a Bonbori Festival
• Script error: No such module "Nihongo". in Fukui
  in Fukui
• Script error: No such module "Nihongo". at Ise Jingū
  at Ise Jingū
• Script error: No such module "Nihongo". at the Script error: No such module "lang". festival at Yasukuni Jinja
  at the festival at Yasukuni Jinja

A relative of the Chinese paper lantern, the has a frame of split bamboo wound in a spiral. Paper or silk protect the flame from wind. The spiral structure permits it to be collapsed into the basket at the bottom. The is used outdoors, either carried or hung outside the house. In present-day Japan, plastic with electric bulbs are produced as novelties, souvenirs, and for and events. The earliest record of a dates to 1085, and one appears in a 1536 illustration.

The , or red lantern, marks an . In Japanese folklore, the appears as a , the .

Gifu is known for its Gifu lanterns, a kind of made from .

• Script error: No such module "lang". at Minatogawa Shrine in Kōbe
  at Minatogawa Shrine in Kōbe
• White Script error: No such module "lang". decorated with Script error: No such module "lang".
  White decorated with
• Oversized Script error: No such module "lang". at the Kaminarimon in Sensō-ji
  Oversized at the Kaminarimon in Sensō-ji
• Script error: No such module "lang". lantern outside an Script error: No such module "lang".
  lantern outside an
• Script error: No such module "lang". print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi showing a Script error: No such module "lang". decorated with a landscape
  print by Utagawa Kuniyoshi showing a decorated with a landscape
• Yata-dera (矢田寺) Temple in Kyōto
  Yata-dera (矢田寺) Temple in Kyōto
• Script error: No such module "lang".
• Massive Script error: No such module "lang". at Isshiki Manabi no Yakata museum
  Massive at Isshiki Manabi no Yakata museum

Originally used in the broad sense to mean any lantern, the term came to refer to a lamp of stone, bronze, iron, wood, or another heavy material. These illuminate the grounds of Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, Japanese gardens, and other places that include tradition in their decor. The earlier use of oil and candles has in the modern day been replaced by electric bulbs.

Bronze

• Bronze and stone lanterns in Chi Lin Nunnery, Hongkong
  Bronze and stone lanterns in Chi Lin Nunnery, Hongkong
• Bronze lantern at Hōryū-ji
  Bronze lantern at Hōryū-ji
• 8th century bronze lantern at Tōdai-ji (National Treasure)
  8th century bronze lantern at Tōdai-ji (National Treasure)
• Bronze lantern at Itsukushima Shrine
  Bronze lantern at Itsukushima Shrine

Stone

• Stone lantern in Taiwan
  Stone lantern in Taiwan
• Water lantern in Zhejiang Province
  Water lantern in Zhejiang Province
• Script error: No such module "lang". of the Script error: No such module "lang". type
  of the type
• Three legged Script error: No such module "lang".. One leg rests on ground, two in water.
  Three legged . One leg rests on ground, two in water.

Wooden

• Wooden Script error: No such module "lang". (Script error: No such module "Lang".Template:Category handler)
  Wooden (Template:Category handler)
• Wooden Script error: No such module "lang". placed between stone Script error: No such module "lang". at Fukutokuinari shrine
  Wooden placed between stone at Fukutokuinari shrine

See also

• Physalis alkekengi, the lantern plant
• Water lantern
• Gandō

External links

• Japanese Gardening, Lanterns. Accessed on February 2, 2010