Seeing lanterns in a new light

Lasting Tradition By Tatsuya Sakamoto Special to The Daily Yomiuri

Sanuki chochin lanterns have a rich history going back 1,000 years to a time when they were made in dedication to the 88 Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines in Shikoku. Pilgrims making the trek around Shikoku to visit the holy sites would carry exquisitely patterned foldable lanterns made from bamboo and bamboo grass--the first type of foldable lantern in Japan and the model from which today's lanterns are derived.

The lanterns became a part of everyday life, used to illuminate roads and store signs. But with the arrival and spread of electricity in the Meiji era (1868-1912) demand for the lanterns dwindled.

But Masanobu Miyoshi, 58, an 11th-generation maker of Sanuki chochin in Takamatsu--a line going back 400 years--has made it his task to popularize the lantern to show people its charm. He is doing this by making Sanuki chochin in new shapes such as fish and flowers--designs that could not previously be achieved using traditional techniques.

Every step of the lantern-making process is done by one person. From the age of 7, Miyoshi was trained for more than 10 years, not only in making lantern frames, but also in calligraphy and drawing, and constructing wooden models.

The secrets of making a triple-layered lantern using the ippon-gake technique that prescribes the way a lantern is made, as well as its coloring and patterning, have been handed down through the generations of his family. The innermost layer is decorated with pictures of the dragon god or Shinto and Buddhist deities, the second is adorned with sutras and messages of congratulations, and the outermost layer features traditional pictures and patterns.

The plaudits Miyoshi received for his works at the 1988 exposition in Brisbane, Australia, stoked his desire to spread Japan's lantern culture to other countries. For the ships-and-sea-themed exposition in Genoa, Italy, in 1992, Miyoshi created "The Airborne Aquarium" in which lanterns made in the shapes of various kinds of fish, such as sunfish and balloonfish, were hung from the ceiling, as if they were having a conference of their own.

He also came up with the idea of using the ippon-gake technique to make lanterns in the shapes of guitars and other musical instruments. Incredibly, the lanterns could actually be played, so that even if people could not understand fully the descriptions of them, they could appreciate the lanterns with their eyes and ears.

Miyoshi has shown there is no limit to the size or shapes of his chochin lanterns. He has created a lantern with a five-meter-diameter shaped like a daikon, and he exhibited lanterns in the shape of chrysanthemums and other flowers at the 1970 Osaka Expo. Every year, he produces about 120 new wooden models ready to be brought to life with his traditional techniques.

By constantly developing and regularly exhibiting the Sanuki chochin, Miyoshi is doing far more than just explaining his skills and techniques, he is sharing his passion for his "sculptures of light" with the world.