Japanese stone lantern guidebook

Guide to Japanese stone lanterns

A garden not only offers space to relax, but also allows you to try out decorations that are an extension of the interior of the house. For a long time, facilities and decorations are in fashion, which are based on Far Eastern architecture, interior design and art. A Japanese garden is therefore a very good way to make your immediate environment with a touch of Far Eastern ambience. Which style elements you use depends on your own taste and the available space. In a garden, of course, it depends on the right planting. A red fan maple and the Japanese cherry blossom with its showy pink flowers and the initially metallic red bark belong to the absolute must. Also, a pond with Koi is recommended, as long as enough space for these long-lived and sociable animals is available. Since Japanese culture and philosophy attach great importance to opposites, fire is very important as an antipole to water. In order for this to be implemented stylistically appealing and safe, it should be used deliberately, such as in a Japanese stone lantern.

Fire as a style element in the garden

Light is an important element in most gardens. When you come home in the evening and walk through the garden or on long, warm summer evenings until after dark in the garden or on the terrace, light is indispensable. In modern or very minimalist designed gardens, the lighting on the house can already meet some requirements, especially if the outdoor lighting is controlled by a motion sensor. Somewhat appealing, gardens can be illuminated with solar lights, lanterns and even real, burning torches. Who wants to make his garden something special, who uses real fire for lighting. This is possible with some torches designed especially for this purpose or with different types of lanterns. In the western world, especially small portable lanterns are known, which consist of a metal framework and inserted glass panes. They are the smaller version of large street lights as they existed before being powered by light bulbs. In a Far Eastern garden, however, both versions do not fit into the overall stylistic picture. Here Japanese stone lanterns should be used to light up the garden with real fire. They are modeled in their form of Far Eastern architecture and optimally complete a Japanese garden.

Natural stone and Asian shapes

The Japanese stone lanterns are not made of natural stone. This would certainly look very nice, but would have some disadvantages. Since it would be a natural product, no guarantee could be given for consistently high quality. Invisible cracks in the interior could absorb moisture, which could blow up the stone in case of temperature fluctuations. Besides, each would have to Lanternbe laboriously put into the desired shape by hand. On the one hand this would result in a high loss of material and the manual work would make the lanterns incredibly expensive. Instead, the lanterns are made of cast stone. This has a natural appearance and is very homogeneous in its structure. As a result, it can not easily be damaged by weather conditions and keeps in immaculate condition for many years. Another advantage of this material is that it is much lighter than natural stone. Since the Japanese culture is very versatile, the trade offers a wide range of different shapes and figures of stone lanterns. Most Japanese stone lanterns are oriented in their appearance on the Far Eastern architecture and are often modeled in their form the pagodas, towers in Japanese style or Japanese temples. Occasionally, not only is a single stone lantern offered, but it is sold in a set of Buddha statues.