Kodai Maru Yukimi Gata 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.

The Yukimi Gata Ishidōrō (雪見型石灯籠) is the most famous lantern that stands low to the ground. Yukimi is Japanese for seeing snow. This name is based on the fact that the Kasa (傘) or hat of the lantern can be covered with snow during the cold winter days. This makes it easier to see than with most other lanterns. Because of this, the Yukimi lantern is also known as the snow lantern.

Maru (丸) is the Japanese word for round. This refers to the general shape of this well-known variant of the Yukimi lantern.

The Kodai Maru Yukimi Gata stone lantern is an ancient variation on the Maru Yukimi lantern. The Japanese word Kodai (古代) means times of long ago, which refers to the ancient background of the variant.