Nothing says Japanese garden more distinctly than a stone lantern. Known as ishi-dōrō in Japanese, these beautiful stone carvings are the most popular and recognizable feature in a Japanese garden.
Sharp-eyed readers may have noticed a number of stone lanterns in my last post, Garden Strolling and Viewing in Japan. Shown below is a visual recap. The five structures circled in red are stone lanterns. The three structures circled in yellow are actually stone pagodas which appear similar but serve a different purpose.
Given the prevalence of stone lanterns in Japanese gardens, it’s easy to assume they are native to Japan but stone lanterns actually originated in China. They were brought to Japan with Buddhism in the Asuka period (592 to 710).
Interestingly, there is a notable difference between today’s stone lanterns and the original version found in front of Buddhist temples—today’s stone lanterns have windows. The original stone lanterns had a door to light the lamp and a hole to let the smoke out but no windows. That’s puzzling! If the lanterns had no windows and, thus, could not illuminate the surrounding area, what was their purpose?
Experts at the Kyoto National Museum explain “in the Buddhist scriptures, or sutras, it says that it is virtuous to offer the light of a lamp to the Buddha. Maybe these lanterns in front of temples and pagodas were meant to be symbolic offerings or memorials to the Buddhas? … Both temples and pagodas are sacred Buddhist structures that hold precious, holy objects inside. Temples house sculptures and images of the many Buddha, and pagodas hold the sacred bodily remains of the Buddha Shakamuni. Lanterns also held something holy: a sacred flame.”
Over time, the temples’ stone lanterns evolved to illuminate pathways. In the 13th century, they were adopted by Shinto shrines for the same purpose. Early stone lanterns were lit with a floating wick in a small bowl of sesame oil.
Stone lanterns are still prominent at Japan’s temples and shrines today. Shown below are several elegant stone lanterns at the Zenkoji Temple in Nagano. 
Similar stone lanterns flank a temple entrance at the Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) in Kyoto.
A majestic stone lantern greets visitors to the Iwakiyama Shrine in Hyakuzawa.
The most impressive display of stone lanterns I saw during my recent visit to Japan was at the Ueno Toshogu in Tokyo. This Shinto shrine has over 200 stone lanterns and 48 copper lanterns which were dedicated to the shrine by Daimyos (feudal lords) when it was built in 1651.
The stone lanterns line the paths from the shrine gates to the main approach.
The copper lanterns, which cluster around the main approach and the Karamon gate to the shrine building, are not used for illumination purposes—they are used for purification and sacred fires required when performing religious ceremonies.
The story of stone lanterns takes an interesting twist when the tea-master Sen no Rikyū (1522-1591) designed the tea-garden to enhance the tea-ceremony experience. “As these ceremonies were often held at night, the stone lantern became essential in order to light the way.” writes author Sima Eliovson in her book Gardening the Japanese Way. “So it is now essential that a stone lantern should be used to light a pathway or a water-basin, an entrance or a dim corner in a garden.”
This grand stone lantern is perfectly placed to illuminate the water-basin at the Saisetsu-tei tea house in the Gyokusen’inmaru Garden in Kanazawa.
The Kyoto National Museum adds “tea masters such as Sen Rikkyu … began designing lanterns specifically for garden use. The stone lantern, made primarily of granite, became a permanent feature of Japanese garden design thereafter.” Highly-skilled stone masons use traditional techniques to hand-carve stone lanterns from granite.
The Kyoto Museum of Crafts and Design includes an interesting exhibit on Kyoto Stone Crafts. As explained in the exhibit “Stone working… in Japan … developed with the introduction of Buddhism. Good quality granite mined in … the foothills of Mt. Hiei, combined with the aesthetics of the tea ceremony, led to the development of highly refined stone working skills”.
Shown below are a few stonemason’s tools used to carve granite including chisels and a bush hammer.
The Traditional Crafts of Japan website, Kogei Japan, includes a listing for Makabe Stone Lanterns. Makabe is a town in the Ibaraki Prefecture just north of Tokyo. As explained on the website, “the key features of Makabe stone lanterns are its pure white color tone from the high quality granite quarried from Mt. Kaba and other local sites. … Kichibei KUBOTA, a stonemason, established traditional techniques at the end of the Edo period, … which have been passed down from master to apprentice for many generations… and are still used today.”
Stonemasons begin by selecting the stones. “After the stone is selected, it is divided into six parts: a gem shaped part to be placed on the top, the shade, fire box, central platform, post and base platform, each of which is marked with ink. They are then roughly hand cut and are carved with chisels and bush hammers.” Each piece progresses through the stages from rough carving, to refined functional carving to detailed decorative carving. “The post has the most important role among all the parts, and a higher quality of stone is used for it. Carving the post roundly requires high skills and years of experience. Firstly, the top and bottom are horizontally carved. Then, tenons are created to fit with the central platform and the base platform. A band and patterns are carved to complete.”
Kogei Japan’s Makabe Stone Lanterns listing explains “With high craftsmanship, hundreds of lantern shapes including legged lanterns, pedestal lanterns, and buried lanterns are still produced today. Stone lanterns are hand-carved one by one to match a particular Japanese garden which gives them both a substantial and ethereal presence, and is subtly fascinating to the viewer.”
Legged lanterns can have one, two, three or four legs. This regal, one-legged stone lantern was spotted at the Hirosaki Castle Botanical Garden in Hirosaki.
This lantern with two legs, called the Kotojitoro Lantern, is an iconic sight at the Kenrokuen Garden in Kanazawa. “This lantern” explains the Garden brochure, “is said to have gotten its name from the fact that it is shaped like the bridges that support the strings of a koto” (a Japanese harp).
The below simple stone lantern, which was spotted at the Kyoto Gyoen National Garden in Kyoto, has four legs.
This is another beautiful stone lantern with four legs—it was spotted at the Kanazawa Castle Park.
As explained by Don Pylant on the North America Japanese Garden Organization website, one style of stone lantern is the “Yukimi doro – sometimes called “snow-viewing lantern”. The exact origins of the Yukimi Stone Lantern are not known for sure, but it is generally thought to be from the Edo period (1600s). It is believed to have been used to mark peninsular landmasses for boaters.
Although “Yukimi” is the Japanese custom of “snow-viewing”, the original Japanese character describing this lantern may have meant “floating light”. The customary placement is at the edge of land and water – in the case of a three-legged lantern, one leg on the land and the other two in the water. If this lantern were used to indicate the tide, the wide brim would cast light across the water and reflect the light to its base, showing the water level and indicating safe port or landing site for boats.”
This stone lantern, with three legs, is carefully positioned at the water’s edge in the Kenrokuen Garden.
Pedestal lanterns and buried lanterns both have posts but the base treatment differs. Pedestal lanterns are elevated on a foundation stone while the buried lanterns’ posts are mounted on pedestals buried in the ground. The stately pedestal lantern, on the left, was spotted at the Zenkoji Temple in Nagano. The rustic lantern on the right, is a buried lantern, at the Eishoji Temple in Magome.
Author Sima Eliovson provides the following guidelines for the use of stone lanterns in personal gardens:
“.stone lanterns should be placed on a level area
.the front of the lighted opening should not face the viewer squarely
.the brightest part will light up the path or basin that it is meant to illuminate
.a rock is generally set about thirty or sixty centimeters from the base in order to give the lantern a look of stability
.stone lanterns should be partially concealed by foliage
.the stone lantern may also be placed … on the edge of a pool, so that it is reflected in the water
.a very large garden may have as many as twenty lanterns in it, they should not be … seen together in the same glance
.small gardens should be dominated by large lanterns
.do not use electricity to light a stone lantern if possible.”
Shown below is a beautiful stone lantern surrounded by carefully-manicured trees and shrubs at the Hirosaki Castle Botanical Garden.
The Kogei Japan website concludes “Stone lanterns become increasingly attractive with time as they are covered with moss so they gradually and naturally blend in the garden landscape harmoniously. Within a couple of years or so, the stone lantern will have mellowed to give a gentle feeling of wabi sabi, which is a traditional Japanese aesthetic described as ‘imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete’.”
Here are a few great examples of moss-capped stone lanterns from the Kenrokuen Garden.
More Info
Check out the previous FanningSparks blog post, Garden Strolling and Viewing in Japan, to learn more about Japanese Gardens and what makes them so special. You may also enjoy the post Sculpture for the Home Garden.
See the On Mark Productions online article, Ishidoro Japanese Stone Lanterns, to learn from experts at the Kyoto National Museum.
Sima Eliovson was a prolific and popular author from South Africa. She published twelve books on gardening and gardeners including Gardening the Japanese Way which is available on the Internet Archive.
The Kyoto Museum of Crafts and Design features a permanent exhibition called 74 CRAFTS EXHIBITION which assists visitors in learning more about 74 traditional crafts of Kyoto including Kyo-ishi-kogeihin (Kyoto stone crafts).
See the Kogei Japan website for more information about traditional crafts of Japan including Makabe Stone Lanterns.
The North American Japanese Garden Association (NAJGA) champions the art, craft and heart of Japanese Gardens in North America. See the NAJGA website for more info including a description of stone lanterns by Don Pylant.
Today’s Takeaways
1. Stone lanterns are a popular feature in Japanese gardens.
2. Japan’s gardeners adopted stone lanterns from temples and shrines.
3. Position a stone lantern carefully to maximize its impact in the garden.
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