The Japanese lantern : Symbolism and ritual uses

The Japanese Lantern: A Millennia-Old Story

The lantern appeared in Japan around the 6th century, introduced from China and Korea along with Buddhism. In the early decades of its existence on the archipelago, it was exclusively reserved for Buddhist temples, where it played a specific ritual role: to offer light to the Buddhas and spirits as one would offer flowers or incense. The light is not functional; it is votive.

From the Heian period (794-1185) onwards, the lantern began to spread beyond temples and integrate into Shinto shrines, imperial palaces, and aristocratic gardens. It then diversified into a multitude of forms and materials, each responding to specific uses and symbolism. It is during this time that the Japanese lantern culture truly emerged, inseparable from the refined aesthetics that characterize the Heian court.

From Temple to Garden: A Gradual Democratization

It was during the Edo period (1603-1868) that the lantern definitively emerged from aristocratic and religious spaces to enter the daily life of the Japanese people. Merchants, artisans, and ordinary families began to use paper lanterns to illuminate their homes and streets. This democratization gave rise to a thriving artisanal industry, with entire regions specializing in lantern manufacturing using techniques passed down through generations. Some of these artisanal traditions still endure today, classified as intangible cultural heritage of Japan.

Tōrō: The Word Behind the Object

In Japanese, the lantern is called tōrō (灯籠) in its traditional stone or metal form, and chōchin (提灯) to refer to the foldable paper lanterns that are hung or carried by hand. This linguistic distinction is revealing: the two objects share the same luminous function but belong to different symbolic registers, with tōrō associated with the sacred and permanence, and chōchin with festivity and the everyday.

 

What Light Says in Japan

<>To understand the symbolism of the Japanese lantern, one must first understand what light represents in Japanese thought. Unlike the Western tradition that opposes light to darkness in a moral combat, Japanese culture maintains a more nuanced, poetic relationship with light, where shadow holds as much value as clarity. <>The Japanese essayist Jun'ichirō Tanizaki masterfully described this in his famous treatise In Praise of Shadows: Japanese beauty arises precisely from the encounter between diffused light and the surrounding darkness. The Japanese lantern is never blinding; it does not seek to chase away the shadow but to engage in dialogue with it, creating an atmosphere of softness and mystery that direct light could never produce. This philosophy of veiled light largely explains why the lantern has found such fertile ground in Japanese culture.

Light and Divine Presence in Shinto

In Shinto religion, light is perceived as a direct manifestation of the presence of kami. Lighting a lantern in front of a shrine is therefore much more than a practical gesture; it is an act of invocation, a way to signal to the gods that humans are present, attentive, and respectful. The rows of stone lanterns lining the paths of major Shinto shrines are not decorative; they are luminous beacons guiding the kami to humans and humans to the kami.

Light as Offering in Buddhism

In Japanese Buddhist practice, lighting a light in front of a Buddha statue or on a grave is one of the most fundamental offerings. This practice, called tōmyō (灯明), is based on the idea that light symbolizes wisdom that dispels the darkness of ignorance. Offering light is to offer knowledge, spiritual clarity, a gesture of considerable philosophical depth expressed by the simple act of lighting a flame.

 

The Major Families of Japanese Lanterns

The diversity of Japanese lanterns is remarkable. Over the centuries, Japanese artisans have developed a very precise typology of objects, each responding to specific uses, materials, and symbolism.

The tōrō in Stone: Guardian of Shrines

The tōrō in stone is the oldest and most solemn form of the Japanese lantern. Carved from granite or basalt, it is designed to last for centuries and to harmoniously integrate into the natural landscape of gardens and shrines. Its canonical form consists of a base, a shaft, a hexagonal or octagonal open brazier, and a pagoda-shaped roof. Each element of this structure is filled with meaning: the shaft represents the link between earth and sky, the open brazier allows light to pass through like a heart radiating outward.

The most famous tōrō in stone in Japan are those lining the main path of the Kasuga shrine in Nara, some of which are over eight hundred years old. Their moss and patina testify to a millennia-old presence that further enhances their sacred character.

The chōchin in Paper: From Festival to Mourning

The chōchin is the foldable paper lantern found in almost all popular representations of Japan. Light, colorful, and easy to carry, it is the object of all festivals and ceremonies. Red and white in front of restaurants and izakayas, pure white during funeral ceremonies, multicolored during matsuri, the chōchin changes meaning according to its color and context. This symbolic versatility makes it one of the most representative objects of the Japanese ability to imbue a simple object with a multitude of simultaneous meanings.

The Andon Lantern: The Soul of Japanese Interiors

Less known than its outdoor cousins, the andon lantern is the traditional Japanese indoor lantern. Placed on a lacquered wooden stand and surrounded by translucent washi paper, it diffuses a soft and warm light that transforms the interior space into a luminous cocoon. The andon is inseparable from the aesthetics of traditional Japanese interiors, where the quality of light is as important as that of materials or architectural proportions. Its influence is clearly seen in contemporary Japanese design, particularly in the famous Akari lamps by designer Isamu Noguchi, which are a modernist reinterpretation that has become iconic.

 

Rituals and Ceremonies: When the Lantern Guides Souls

It is in funeral rituals and festivals of the dead that the Japanese lantern perhaps reveals its most profound and moving symbolic dimension. Light as a guide for souls is a universal idea, but Japan has made it a practice of exceptional beauty and poetry.

Obon: When the Dead Return to the Light

The Obon is one of the most important festivals in the Japanese calendar. Celebrated every year in August, it is dedicated to the spirits of ancestors who, according to Buddhist belief, briefly return to the world of the living for this occasion. Lanterns play a central role in this ritual: they are lit at the entrance of homes to guide the spirits to the family hearth, and they are placed on graves to illuminate the path back. At the end of the festival, floating lanterns (tōrō nagashi) are placed on rivers and bays to accompany the souls on their journey back to the afterlife. This spectacle of thousands of lights gently drifting on the water in the summer night is one of the most poetic and moving images of all Japanese culture.

The Matsuri: The Lantern at the Heart of the Festival

In the grand Japanese festivals, the matsuri, the lantern is omnipresent. It lines the paths of shrines, illuminates dance stages, adorns parade floats, and guides crowds through the night. Some matsuri are entirely built around the lantern, such as the famous Himeji Lantern Festival or the Tōkae of Nara, where thousands of candles are placed in paper lanterns that transform the city into a sea of light. These nighttime festivals have a strong spiritual dimension: the night, domain of spirits and invisible forces, is tamed and sanctified by the collective light of the lanterns.

 

From Traditional Craftsmanship to Contemporary Design

The Japanese lantern is not an object of the past. It continues to inspire contemporary Japanese creators with remarkable vitality, proving that certain cultural forms transcend eras without ever becoming stagnant.

In the field of design, Isamu Noguchi's Akari lanterns, created from the 1950s onwards, are the most famous example of this creative continuity. By reinterpreting the traditional chōchin lantern with modernist materials and forms, Noguchi created objects that are now exhibited in the world's greatest museums while still being handcrafted in Japan using traditional techniques. This dialogue between heritage and modernity is characteristic of the Japanese approach to design.

In Japanese fashion and streetwear, the lantern motif is regularly reinterpreted on clothing, accessories, and textile prints. Its recognizable shape and symbolic weight make it a motif that is both aesthetically strong and culturally rooted, particularly appreciated in collections with a strong Japanese identity. Designers like Kenzo and Issey Miyake have incorporated this luminous iconography into their works, helping to spread the beauty of the Japanese lantern far beyond the archipelago's borders.

 

FAQ - We Answer Your Questions About the Japanese Lantern

What is the difference between a toro and a chochin ?

The tōrō is a permanent lantern made of stone or metal, associated with shrines and gardens. The chōchin is a lightweight lantern made of paper and bamboo, used during festivals and ceremonies. The former belongs to the register of the permanent sacred, while the latter belongs to the festive and everyday.

Why do we release lanterns on the water in Japan?

This practice, called tōrō nagashi, takes place during the Obon festival. The floating lanterns are meant to guide the souls of ancestors on their journey back to the afterlife after their annual visit to the world of the living. It is one of the most moving and visually spectacular rituals in all of Japanese culture.

What is the significance of the color of Japanese lanterns?

The color carries a specific meaning depending on the context. Red and white are associated with celebrations and Shinto shrines. Pure white is the color of mourning and funeral ceremonies. Multicolored characterizes festival lanterns. This color coding is deeply rooted in Japanese culture and applies to many other ritual objects.

Are Noguchi's Akari lanterns made in Japan?

Yes, Isamu Noguchi's Akari lanterns are still handcrafted in Gifu, a Japanese city renowned for centuries for the production of washi paper lanterns. This continuity between traditional craftsmanship and contemporary design is one of the most remarkable features of Japanese material culture.

Can traditional Japanese lanterns be found outside of Japan?

Yes, the Japanese lantern is now exported worldwide, both as decorative objects and in contemporary reinterpretations. Noguchi's Akari lanterns, in particular, are distributed internationally. Many Japanese artisans also offer authentic creations for export, perpetuating millennia-old know-how for a global audience.

 

The Japanese lantern is a lesson in philosophy expressed in paper, stone, and light. It reminds us that illuminating is not just a practical function, but can be a spiritual, artistic, and human act of infinite depth. In a culture that has elevated shadow to the rank of aesthetic value, light shines all the more brightly.