Hard to Find Lotus Lantern- First we have seen

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An innovative heavily hand cast, and extraordinary designed Lantern that could emit brilliant night light.

Antique Japanese Hand Crafted Bronze Hanging Lantern with unique acorn finial , painted lotus , chrysanthemums, and other floral side panel designs. Neat naturalistic branches or roots designs top and base. Unusually fine artistic top acorn style finial, pierced side panels with hand enameled florals burst brilliant night light in all directions. It’s emblazoned on one of its side panels with the mon of the Tokugawa shogunate, three hollyhock leaves inside a circle- an important symbol of artistic quality and importance to elitist classes.

Dimensions: 16.5 inches tall to top of finial and 11.5 inches wide, heavily hand cast.

May be displayed on its base or hung from its handsome top loop in your favorite garden or indoor space.
In good condition, with an attractive age appropriate patina. Could be wired for electrical light through its base..

This lantern was hand crafted and hand formed – a brilliant and unique sculptural accomplishment – the first lantern motif like this we have ever seen.

Good garden candidate, this is an ideal accent size for a particular, special indoor or outdoor garden space.

Unique…Only one.

Provenance: Old American/Japanese garden collection.

Lifetime guarantee of authenticity. All our Asian works of art are accompanied by our lifetime guarantee of authenticity.
We are members of NAJGA- North American Japanese Garden Association.

We have been dealing in authentic Japanese and fine Asian art, lanterns, garden ornaments, and water basins for 25 years. Our president personally travels to Japan and Europe each year to meet his network partners who assist him in finding best examples. He personally inspects each antique work of art to ensure its old age, authenticity and quality condition.

History of Japanese lanterns:
In Japan a to¯ro¯ (lantern) is a traditional lantern made of stone, wood, or metal. Like many other elements of Japanese traditional architecture, it originated in China. In Japan, to¯ro¯ were originally used only in Buddhist temples, where they lined and illuminated paths and lighted lanterns were then considered an offering. In its complete, original form the lantern represents five elements of Buddhist cosmology: Bottom touching the ground, represents chi, the earth, the next section represents sui, or water, ka or fire, is represented by the section encasing the lantern’s light or flame, while fu¯ (air) and ku¯ (void or spirit) are represented by the last two sections, top-most and pointing towards the sky. These last two sections express the idea that after death our physical bodies will go back to their original, elemental form.

Yukimi-do¯ro¯ or legged lanterns have as a base not a post but curved legs and a wide umbrella with a finial. Relatively low, they are used exclusively in gardens and the traditional placement is near water. The umbrella can be round or have from three to eight sides, while the fire box is usually hexagonal. Yu-loosley translated means water reflection. It was probably developed during the Momoyama period, but the oldest extant examples, found at the Katsura Villa in Kyoto, go back only to the early Edo period (17th century).