A lighting device placed outside. It is composed of a base (kiso), a shaft (sao), a platform (chūdai), a lamp housing (hibukuro), a roof (kasa), and a jewel finial (hōshu). It is made of wood, metal, or stone. It was originally brought to Japan with Buddhism, as a votive lamp placed before a Buddha hall in the Asuka period. It was not until after the tea garden style developed in the Momoyama period that stone lanterns came to be used as an important element in the garden.
Japanese Garden Dictionary: A Glossary for Japanese Gardens and Their History
(C) 2010 by Ono Kenkichi and Walter Edwards. All rights reserved.
