Oyako 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 Oyako Gata Ishidōrō (親子型石灯籠) is a combination of a small and a large lantern that come together through the base. Oyako is the Japanese word for parent and child, which refers to the two lanterns. The larger parent lantern stands higher to, as it were, watch over the smaller child lantern.