1/4/2024 0 Comments White lantern symbol![]() Originally, these lanterns served as travel illumination, carried like flashlights if one had to venture out into the dark. The iconic red chouchin outside of restaurants are sometimes called ‘aka-chouchin’ after their color. It is not uncommon to see chouchin written with the restaurant’s name, words like “delicious”, “open for business!”, or the type of food served. Typically easy to fold up and tuck away, these bucket-shaped paper or (in modern-day) nylon lanterns adorn the storefronts of izakaya, matsuri stalls, and Japanese eateries. Paper/Bucket Lantern: ‘Carried Light” Chouchin They are even safe enough to keep by your pillow at night. The andon is a charming little decoration, easy to move, and bright enough to write by with its white, paper-diffused light. The andon, petite wood and paper lamps that protect a candle within were a way to invite human-made illumination into these spaces. Tanizaki expresses his appreciation for the way Japanese homes invite and relish in low light and shadow. In places like Nara, lanterns may be donated by wealthy members of the shrine. At many shrines, staircases are lined with skinny wooden toro painted to match the auspicious red torii gates. ![]() Or, they may stand solid along a path or among landscaping, as with ishi-toro stone lanterns. Toro may hang from the eaves of a building, as in Nara’s ancient bronze tsuri-toro. However, Toro really refers to the sturdy outdoor lanterns that decorate and illuminate temples, shrines, homes, and gardens. The term Toro is used when we want to talk generally about Japanese lanterns for any purpose or shape. ![]() General Term for Outdoor lanterns: ‘Light Basket’ Toro Let’s discover the many kinds of lanterns unique to Japan, their purpose, history and how to enjoy them! Types of Japanese Lanterns 1. ![]() Japanese lanterns hold a beguiling quality, be they stone or paper, beckoning or purifying. If you have ever enjoyed the serene night scenes of Kyoto, the warm glow of paper lanterns outside Izakaya or felt bewitched by paintings of Japanese spirits in procession, you likely understand the point Tanizaki makes in his essay. “We do not dislike everything that shines, but we do prefer a pensive lustre to a shallow brilliance, a murky light that, whether in a stone or an artifact, bespeaks a sheen of antiquity” ― Jun’ichirō Tanizaki, On the topic of Japanese light and lanterns… ![]()
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