Lanterns come in many forms worldwide and are utilized quite often within a garden setting. They provide a gorgeous glow and can make your garden resemble something out of fantasy.
However, as you might expect, in Japan, the stone lantern/shrine is quite popular and is not a new idea.
After many years of use, these beautiful and heavy lanterns didn’t just provide a light source for areas, making things easier to see.
What’s more of interest is these are meant as more symbolic than practical, and the meanings are beautiful.
In This Guide: We will explore the history of the Japanese stone lantern, their meanings, and their popularity in Japan and around the world.
The History of the Japanese Stone Lantern In Gardens
A traditional Japanese garden is called a Nihon Teien and these can be found all across the country as one of the most popular attractions for locals and visitors alike.
In addition, these beautiful, well-tended gardens can be found at the homes of the rich and famous, at temples and shrines.
However, there are some Nihon Teien that stand out more than others and are classified as the best.
Three of these are considered the three great gardens, the Nihon Sanmeien.
There is the Kairaku-en in Mito in Ibaraki Prefecture, Kenroku-en in Kanazawa in the Ishikawa Prefecture as well as the Koraku-en in Okayama in the Okayama Prefecture.
If you love beautiful gardens and are in Japan, we highly recommend visiting either one of these three.
There are a lot of things that make a Japanese garden unique and visually pleasing and these can include pruned hedges which sometimes make up an enclosure and typically includes some traditional wall made of rock or stone.
Water also plays a large role in the Japanese garden and is commonly accented with some bridge or stepping stone(s) which often lead to a Japanese teahouse or Japanese stone lantern.In Japanese culture, these lanterns are known as ishidourou as they are believed to balance and harmony in the garden.
They are recognized as one of the most iconic components of the Japanese garden and are becoming increasingly popular in gardens within the West.
It’s interesting to note that the concept of the stone lantern was not a Japanese one, as these lanterns were brought to Japan from China and Korea.
Even more interestingly, the stone lantern is thought to have origins in Japan which date as far back as the 6th century, so who knows how long they were used in all the other countries before this!
One of the biggest reasons that these stone lanterns suddenly became so commonplace in Japan was because of the spread of Buddhism in the country.
Buddha taught that light would dispel sinful ignorance, and while the actual light was a means to an end, it served as a symbol which would remind people of the teachings of this wise being.
This idea of lanterns as symbols didn’t take long to catch on within the Shinto shrines in Japan.
While they were initially used as votive, humans have a natural instinct to use items for practicality; and so they simply began using them as physical light in the dark.
Until the 16th century, the stone lanterns were mainly used within religious communities, that is, until they began being seen in communities outside of religion.
Tea has considerable cultural value in Japan, and stone lanterns made their way into tea gardens to provide transitory cool light.
From here, we began to see more aesthetic quality added to the stone lantern, and many different styles emerged.
Even the materials used began to evolve, and today, one of the most common is granite which is now well established in both domestic and commercial gardens.
The First Lanterns
Even though Japanese stone lanterns are very common today, you may be surprised to learn that some of the very first lanterns are still intact.
One such lantern known as the Taima-ji in Nara, Japan, is thought to be anywhere from 1300 years old.
While this is truly something special, it is not the only lantern that survived from the Asuka period, and the number of other lanterns still in existence is thought to be over 100.
Many of these lanterns are in Kyoto.
How the Lanterns Are Made
A stone lantern consists of a pedestal where all the other components rest on top of it.
What is interesting about the different types of lanterns is that there are no permanent connections holding everything together, which really means that everything rests on top of each other.
On top of the pedestal is a shaft, and on that is the platform (which has a compartment for the light).
Over the platform is a roof and sometimes some type of detail at the very top.
There are multiple types of lanterns, with the basic parts being the same, but there are some small differences in design.
For example, a Korean lantern has a larger light compartment, but the shaft looks so much shorter. The Taima-ji lantern tends to be more elegant and is usually much taller than the other lanterns.
Lastly, garden style lanterns tend to be a little bit different to traditional lanterns you would see at a temple or shrine.
Japanese Stone Lantern Symbolism
One great thing about Japanese culture is that everything has a meaning or a symbol and lanterns are no different.
Essentially, the light of the lantern means brightness, love, and protection from evil.
But it does change a little as each type of lantern known to have its own meaning and its own history.
Tachi-Gata
The tachi-gata is a form of pedestal lantern that typically has a lotus flower as the top decoration.
This flower symbolizes wealth and professional progress in Japanese culture. However, the tachi-gata lantern has other meanings, including purity.
You can also see these lanterns representing the birth of some important person and even the month of December!
Yukimi-Gata
Yukimi-gata is adored! What makes Yukimi-gata special is their wide roofs that catch the snow.
Because of this association with snow, Yukimi-gata are also called snow-viewing lanterns. They have a long history which can be traced back to the Edo era, and are believed to represent the circle of life.
They are most notably associated with the mother figure.
Ikekomi-Gata
Next we have the ikekomi-gata, also referred to as a remembering lantern, and one of the most common styles.
What makes it unique is that instead of a Buddhist representation, it offers a Christian representation in Japan.
For this reason: You will typically have religious icon included, such as the Virgin Mary.
Oki-Gata
Finally, there is the oki-gata. This lantern is common in gardens and is usually made from granite.
What these lanterns symbolize is finding beauty through imperfections as well as demonstrating how the natural world is impermanent.
Conclusion
Japanese stone lanterns are originally found in other areas like China and Korea but once they made their way to Japan in the 6th century they quickly became a part of this country’s heritage.
There are many variations of lanterns each having their own symbolic meaning.
They were traditionally located in formal settings like shrines and temples but now they can be seen as adornment in gardens not just in Japan, but in other places around the world!