Stone Lanterns | A nod to our beginnings

 

 Traditional bronze Japanese temple lanterns in Kyoto, Japan | Photo by Carl Parkes of San Francisco, CA

 

The temples and shrines of Japan used lanterns made in bronze, iron, and stone to hold votive candles as a decorative, spiritual, and symbolic element in these sacred spaces as early as 6th Century AD.  These traditional lanterns weren’t meant to provide functional light for pathways, but as the Japanese tea ceremony started to develop in the 16th Century AD, they were borrowed and placed in the garden for ambiance and reference to transcendence.

Opinions vary as to whether tea ceremonies were regularly practiced during daytime or night-time hours, but most sources agree that the evolution of the stone garden lantern design resulted from tea masters seeking elements for the environment where they would practice.  It was important that these items be in keeping with the concepts of transformation and “wabi-sabi”, or the aesthetic that embraces finding beauty in imperfection and impermanence.  This speaks directly to the desire to be surrounded by objects from the natural world, made of natural materials.  Sukiya Living Magazine suggests that some tea masters “may have sought a subtle, slightly ‘man-made-looking’ lighted object to distinguish the mood of the tea garden from that of a dark and raw mountainside” but bring up tea master Soh’hen Yamada’s comment that “lanterns are not street lights”, explaining that appearance was far more important than functionality, and that other sources of light, such as torches or hanging paper lamps, were used to light these spaces.

 Types of Japanese Stone Lanterns  |  A Japanese Touch for your Garden  |  Drawings by author Kiyoshi Seike

 

Stone lanterns are carved in a variety of shapes, sizes and styles.  The book A Japanese Touch for Your Garden presents a general classification of the more well-known styles under these categories:

-Tachi-gata | Pedestal Lanterns:  Larger, show-stoppers, usually comprised of about six stacked pieces, feature a base pedestal.  The Stone Forest lanterns inspired by this type of style are:

–Ikekomi-gata | Buried Lanterns:  Lack base pedestals, so they are buried directly into the ground like emerging light posts, but still boast height.  As the image shows, some mimic the complexity of the pedestal lantern, while others have a simpler, less ornate design.  The Stone Forest lanterns inspired by this type of style are:

–Oki-gata | Small, Set Lanterns:  Small, low, subtle, and often placed “on the edge of a pond, at the side of a path, or in very small courtyard gardens.”  The Stone Forest lanterns inspired by this type of style are:

–Yukimi-gata | Snow-Viewing Lanterns:  Elegant with open legs and wide roofs that are usually round or hexagonal in shape.  Usually placed “near water elements”, and “so named because of the delicate way they hold snow on the roof.”  The Stone Forest lanterns inspired by this type of style are:

An interesting tidbit |  The beige granite lantern on the left, and the two blue-grey lanterns on the right are called “Yukimi” lanterns.  Sukiya Living Magazine explains that it is “related to the term uku, which means ‘to float’,” and refers to the idea that the reflection ‘floats’ on the water’s surface.  Contrary to popular belief, Sukiya Living Magazine argues that the word yukimi is not related to snow at all, and that it’s Japanese characters were misinterpreted.  “Yukimi style lanterns have always been used in sub-tropical regions where it never snows, and they are not used in tea gardens- a garden style famous for its expression of winter beauty.  At the same time, there are countless examples of yukimi lanterns being used correctly at the water’s edge, displaying their light, cheerful, and ‘floating’ character.”

 

Although traditional Japanese stone lanterns were not designed with the intention of providing enough light for seeing at night, Western civilization has often adapted these designs to provide functional lighting.  “In Japan putting an electric light bulb in your stone lantern might be seen as somewhat humorous,” writes Sukiya Living Magazine.  Indeed, you’ll find that most U.S. Japanese Gardens or private enthusiasts are more likely to point a spotlight toward the stone lantern so that it can be admired, versus installing bulbs or candles inside. Here at Stone Forest, we core-drill most of our lantern designs to accommodate electrical  wiring so that you can choose how you use them.  You’ll find that our few exceptions to drilling are the more ornate pieces, like the Kotoji, which don’t take the drilling due to their shape, delicate size, or overall design.  Since we are “core” drilling, the hole is hiding on the interior of the piece, so it’s not a hindrance to the overall appearance. Assembly is also important to stone lantern display.  Sukiya Living Magazine explains the names and positioning of the different sections of a large stone pedestal-style lantern, all carved carefully for balance and easier moving.  We’ll use our Kasuga lantern here as a visual reference:

You can see that the small set and snow-viewing style lanterns have similar sections at a smaller scale (shown in part 2, above).  Stone Forest’s buried-style lanterns have extra length in the post for anchoring in soil or cement.  When installing in soil, pack rocks tightly around the buried base.  Bonding the individual pieces together with an epoxy is optional, and provides further stability.