The traditional lighting equipment of Japan includes the, the, the, and the .
See also: Andon (manufacturing). The is a lamp consisting of paper stretched over a frame of bamboo, wood or metal. The paper protected the flame from the wind. Burning oil in a stone, metal, or ceramic holder, with a wick of cotton or pith, provided the light. They were usually open on the top and bottom, with one side that could be lifted to provide access.[1] Rapeseed oil was popular. Candles were also used, but their higher price made them less popular. A lower-priced alternative was sardine oil.
The became popular in the Edo period (1603–1867). Early on, the was handheld; it could also be placed on a stand or hung on a wall.[2] The was most common indoors. Many had a vertical box shape with an inner stand for the light. Some had a drawer on the bottom to facilitate refilling and lighting. A handle on top made it portable. A variety was the . One explanation attributes it to Kobori Enshu, who lived in the late Azuchi-Momoyama period and early Edo period. Tubular in shape, it had an opening instead of a drawer.[3] Another variety was the, a bedside lamp. The under the eaves of a shop, often bearing the name of the merchant, was a common sight in the towns.
The expression, or "daytime lamp," meant someone or something that seemed to serve no purpose.[4] In dramatizations of the story of the forty-seven ronin, Oishi Yoshio is often given this description.
The is a kind of Japanese paper lamp used in the open during festivals. It normally has an hexagonal profile and a rather wide, open top.[5] It can either hang from a wire or stand on a pole. Famous is the, held annually at Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gū in Kamakura, Kanagawa. Artists paint on the about 400 erected for the occasion on the shrine's grounds.[6]
A relative of the Chinese paper lantern, the has a frame of split bamboo wound in a spiral. Paper or silk protect the flame from wind. The spiral structure permits it to be collapsed into the basket at the bottom.[7] The is used outdoors, either carried or hung outside the house. In present-day Japan, plastic with electric bulbs are produced as novelties, souvenirs, and for and events.[8] The earliest record of a dates to 1085, and one appears in a 1536 illustration.
The, or red lantern, marks an .[9] In Japanese folklore, the appears as a, the .[10]
Gifu is known for its Gifu lanterns, a kind of made from .[11]
Originally used in the broad sense to mean any lantern, the term came to refer to a lamp of stone, bronze, iron, wood, or another heavy material. These illuminate the grounds of Buddhist temples, Shinto shrines, Japanese gardens, and other places that include tradition in their decor.[12] The earlier use of oil and candles has in the modern day been replaced by electric bulbs.
See main article: Stone lantern.