Few Japanese Lanterns Design Ideas

The traditional Japanese design for garden creates a natural landscape in small spaces, making gorgeous reflections of the natural surroundings. All elements in the oriental garden design are mixing aesthetic appeal, balance and harmony. Beautiful Japanese design ideas give great inspirations for decorating homes and yards, creating peaceful spaces where you can rejuvenate and relax. The garden design should be right for the location, integrating natural features into a beautiful and well-organized yard. Your garden design starts from having nothing. Then you add Japanese lanterns, garden rocks, shrubs and trees.

The Japanese shires and temples used lanterns made by stone, iron and bronze to hold candles as a symbolic, spiritual and decorative element. These traditional Japanese lanterns were not meant to provide functional light for pathways, but they were used during the tea ceremony with a purpose to create a pleasant and comfortable ambiance. There were different lantern designs, depending whether the ceremonies were practiced during night or daytime hours.

You need to remember that the Japanese lanterns are not street lights. They have more a functional rather than decorative usage. When it comes to their beauty and design, stone lanterns come in many different styles, shapes and sizes. If you want to add a traditional Japanese style to your garden, the lanterns are definitely the items you should use. In addition to this, here is a common classification of the well known styles of Japanese lanterns:

Pedestal Lanterns (Tachi-gata) – Show-stoppers, larger, typically comprised of about six pieces, featuring a base pedestal.

Buried Lanterns (Ikekomi-gata) – Lack base pedestals, so these lanterns are directly buried into the ground, but still boast height. Some of them copy the complex side of the pedestal lantern, while other have a less ornate and simpler design.

Small, Set Lanterns (Oki-gata) – These lanterns are subtle, low, small and usually placed at one side of the path, or on the edge of a pond in very small gardens.

Viewing Japanese Lanterns (Yukimi-gata) – Elegant with wide roofs and open legs, these Japanese lanterns are usually hexagonal or round in shape. They are usually placed near water elements and look very beautiful in winter days because they hold the snow on their roof.

Although the traditional Japanese lanterns were not originally created to provide enough light at night, the Western civilization has adapted these lantern designs to provide functional lighting. Once you make the decision which type of lantern to place in your garden, you need to find the perfect place where to put the lantern.