A small stone lantern used for tea gardens. Furuta Oribe, a tea master and feudal lord, is said to have favored it, or perhaps designed it. Planted directly in the ground, the upper part of its shaft projects laterally in two directions to form a cross; it is characterized by having an inscription or a human figure carved on the face of the shaft, and sun and moon figures on opposite sides of the lamp housing. It is sometimes called the "Christian lantern."
Japanese Garden Dictionary: A Glossary for Japanese Gardens and Their History
(C) 2010 by Ono Kenkichi and Walter Edwards. All rights reserved.
