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

The is a lamp consisting of

paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distrib ...

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 Rapeseed (''Brassica napus ''subsp.'' napus''), also known as rape, or oilseed rape, is a bright-yellow flowering member of the family Brassicaceae (mustard or cabbage family), cultivated mainly for its oil-rich seed, which naturally contains a ...

oil was popular.

Candles A candle is an ignitable wick embedded in wax, or another flammable solid substance such as tallow, that provides light, and in some cases, a fragrance. A candle can also provide heat or a method of keeping time. A person who makes candles ...

were also used, but their higher price made them less popular. A lower-priced alternative was

sardine "Sardine" and "pilchard" are common names for various species of small, oily forage fish in the herring family Clupeidae. The term "sardine" was first used in English during the early 15th century, a folk etymology says it comes from the It ...

oil. The became popular in the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was characte ...

(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 Kobori (written: 小堀) is a Japanese surname. Notable people with the surname include: *, Japanese artist and aristocrat *, Japanese tennis player *, Japanese ice hockey player *, Japanese swimmer *, Japanese swimmer *, Japanese voice actress *, ...

, 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 47 (forty-seven) is the natural number following 46 and preceding 48. It is a prime number. In mathematics Forty-seven is the fifteenth prime number, a safe prime, the thirteenth supersingular prime, the fourth isolated prime, and the sixth L ...

Oishi Yoshio Oishi may refer to: * Ōishi (surname), a Japanese surname * Oishi (Philippine brand) Liwayway Holdings Company Limited, doing business as Oishi ( ), is a snack company based in the Philippines. File:Andon LCCN2008660135.jpg, print showing an being carried indoors File:行燈（あんどん）8163423.jpg, An standing outdoors with one side open File:Mishimajuku-jikuchiandon 2013.jpg, hung in

Mishima, Shizuoka Mishima City Hall is a city located in eastern Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 109,803 in 49,323 households, and a population density of 1800 persons per km². The total area of the city is . Geography ...

File:京都・東山花灯路清水坂行灯.jpg, Example of a cylindrical at the Festival in

Arashiyama is a district on the western outskirts of Kyoto, Japan. It also refers to the mountain across the Ōi River, which forms a backdrop to the district. Arashiyama is a nationally designated Historic Site and Place of Scenic Beauty. Notable t ...

, Kyoto File:SekienAoando.jpg, The of Japanese folklore.

The is a kind of Japanese

paper lamp A paper lantern is a lantern made of thin, brightly colored paper. Paper lanterns come in various shapes and sizes, as well as various methods of construction. In their simplest form, they are simply a paper bag with a candle placed inside, alt ...

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 is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-densest at . Its geographic area of makes it fifth-smallest. Kanagaw ...

. Artists paint on the about 400 erected for the occasion on the shrine's grounds. File:Bonbori001.jpg, lining the at a Bonbori Festival File:Youkoukan07s4592.jpg, in Fukui File:Aki-no-nanakusa 01.JPG, at

Ise Jingū The , located in Ise, Mie Prefecture of Japan, is a Shinto shrine dedicated to the sun goddess Amaterasu. Officially known simply as , Ise Jingū is a shrine complex composed of many Shinto shrines centered on two main shrines, and . The Inner ...

File:Yasukuni Mitama Night.JPG, at the festival at

Yasukuni Jinja is a Shinto shrine located in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It was founded by Emperor Meiji in June 1869 and commemorates those who died in service of Empire of Japan, Japan, from the Boshin War of 1868–1869, to the two Sino-Japanese Wars, First Sino-Japane ...

A relative of the Chinese

paper lantern A paper lantern is a lantern made of thin, brightly colored paper. Paper lanterns come in various shapes and sizes, as well as various methods of construction. In their simplest form, they are simply a paper bag with a candle placed inside, a ...

, 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 , or Gifu paper lanterns, are a special product of the city of Gifu in Gifu Prefecture, Japan. They have been labeled as one of Gifu's traditional crafts. Famed artist Isamu Noguchi designed a series of Gifu Lanterns that were entitled ''Akari'' ...

, a kind of made from .Gifu Paper Lanterns
Japan National Tourist Organization. Accessed April 30, 2008. File:Minatogawai-Jinja Massha Kusumoto-Inari-Jinja3.JPG, at

Minatogawa Shrine is a Shinto shrine in Chūō-ku, Kobe, Japan, roughly on the site of the Battle of Minatogawa established in 1872. The enshrined kami is the spirit of Masashige Kusunoki, a military commander. It is one of the Fifteen Shrines of the Kenmu Resto ...

in Kōbe File:野崎八幡神社 - panoramio (3).jpg, White decorated with File:Senso-ji Kaminarimon Laterne.jpg, Oversized at the Kaminarimon in

Sensō-ji is an ancient Buddhist temple located in Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan. It is Tokyo's oldest temple, and one of its most significant. Formerly associated with the Tendai sect of Buddhism, it became independent after World War II. It is dedicated to Kan ...

File:Cyochin2.jpg, lantern outside an File:Kuniyoshi Utagawa, Japan, Woman with fan.jpg, print by

Utagawa Kuniyoshi Utagawa Kuniyoshi ( ja, 歌川国芳, ; January 1, 1798 – April 14, 1861) was one of the last great masters of the Japanese ukiyo-e style of woodblock prints and painting.Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric ''et al'' (2005). "Kuniyoshi" in He was ...

showing a decorated with a landscape File:Yatadera-temple Kyoto.JPG, Yata-dera (矢田寺) Temple in Kyōto File:Gifu cyouchin0000000001.JPG, File:Isshiki Manabinoyakata museum ac (1).jpg, 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 Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

temples,

Shinto shrines A is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more ''kami'', the deities of the Shinto religion. Overview Structurally, a Shinto shrine typically comprises several buildings. The '' honden''Also called (本殿, meani ...

Japanese garden are traditional gardens whose designs are accompanied by Japanese aesthetics and philosophical ideas, avoid artificial ornamentation, and highlight the natural landscape. Plants and worn, aged materials are generally used by Japanese garden desi ...

s, 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.

Stone

File:北投不動明王石窟石燈籠.jpg, Stone lantern in Taiwan File:Wuzhen old town.JPG, Water lantern in Zhejiang Province File:Kasuga-taisha30bs4592.jpg, of the type File:IMG 2660.jpg, Three legged . One leg rests on ground, two in water.

Bronze

File:Chi Lin Nunnery 10, Mar 06.JPG, Bronze and stone lanterns in

Chi Lin Nunnery Chi Lin Nunnery () is a large Buddhist temple complex located in Diamond Hill, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It was founded in 1934 as a retreat for Buddhist nuns and was rebuilt in the 1998 following the traditional Tang Dynasty architecture. The temple ...

, Hongkong File:Horyu-ji43s3200.jpg, Bronze lantern at

Hōryū-ji is a Buddhist temple that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples, in Ikaruga, Nara Prefecture, Japan. Its full name is , or Learning Temple of the Flourishing Law, the complex serving as both a seminary and monastery. The temple was ...

File:NaraTodaijiL0202.jpg, 8th century bronze lantern at

Tōdai-ji is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Japan. Though it was originally founded in the year 738 CE, Tōdai-ji was not opened until the year 752 CE. The temple has undergo ...

(National Treasure) File:Latarnia w Miyajima.JPG, Bronze lantern at Itsukushima Shrine

Wooden

File:Kuroki-toro (Reiwa Daijokyu).JPG, Wooden () File:Fukutokuinari shrine 福徳稲荷神社 - panoramio.jpg, Wooden placed between stone at Fukutokuinari shrine

References

External links

* Japanese Gardening
Lanterns
Accessed on February 2, 2010 {{Shinto shrine Japanese culture Japan Light fixtures

Stone

Bronze

Wooden

See also

References

External links