Kotoji Ishidoro, Japanese Stone Lantern

Stone lanterns, Ishidōrō (石灯籠) in Japanese, are undoubtedly the most characteristic element of the traditional Japanese garden. The phenomenon originated more than a thousand years ago in China, from where it also became part of traditional Japanese culture via Korea. Every Japanese sanctuary, such as a Buddhist temple or Shinto shrine, uses stone lanterns as a sacred light source. During the 16th century, stone lanterns became very popular among Japanese tea masters and were used in tea gardens to illuminate the path to the tea house. Since then, one or more stone lanterns can almost always be found in nearly every traditional Japanese garden.

A Japanese stone lantern consists of several separate parts that must be carefully stacked on top of each other. The resulting perfect balance makes the lantern a very sturdy and durable whole.

De Kotoji Ishidōrō (徽軫石灯籠) is een speciale variant op de Yukimi sneeuwlantaarn die bekend staat om de twee pilaren die naar elkaar toe buigen. Deze lantaarn wordt vaak langs het water geplaatst en het beroemdste exemplaar is te vinden in de Kenroku-en tuin in Kanazawa, Ishikawa prefectuur. De naam van de lantaarn is gebaseerd op het feit dat de gebogen pilaren veel doen denken aan de brug van een Koto, een traditioneel Japans snaarinstrument.