Lanterns

Stone lanterns were first used to hold votive candles near Buddhist temples, symbolizing the light of Buddha’s teachings illuminating the darkness of the world. They moved to Shinto shrines and tea gardens and many styles evolved as they became central to tea garden design.

The Kasuga lantern is named for the temple where it originated. There is a deer and a stag carved into the lantern because the path to the ancient Shinto shrine winds through a cypress forest with wild deer, who are respected as sacred messengers. The other sides are the sun and the moon. The large lantern outside the garden fence is a Kasuga lantern that may date from the 1893 tea house garden. The parts relate to the elements—for example, the base is in contact with the earth, the firebox with fire—and the top parts are shaped like a lotus. 

This style lantern is placed in water in an exposed place.

 

This lantern is a “buried” lantern since only the firebox and roof are visible. They are used to light paths, as this one is positioned.

This is a Rankei lantern. The arched column allows the body of the lantern to overhang the water, linking the experience of land and water. The wide hexagonal roof is designed to capture snow.