Andon (lantern)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Andon ( Japanese 行 灯 ) is a traditional Japanese lantern . The characters read individually mean 行 'go' and 灯 'lamp', since the first Andon were worn. Today, however, Andon is mostly found as standing lanterns, less often attached to walls. The Andon is differentiated from the Chōchin , a foldable paper lantern-like paper lantern.

history

The Andon was widely used during the Edo period (1603–1868). The frame was made of bamboo, wood or metal, which was covered with washi to protect the flame from the wind. Candles, which were placed on a metal plate inside the Andon, were mainly used as light sources. There were also versions in which a stone or ceramic plate was filled with oil and equipped with a cotton wick or something similar. Rapeseed oil was cheaper than candles and the common people often used fish oil, which brought with it the disadvantage of a large amount of smoke and odor. While the structure of the framework, mostly made of wood and paper, has remained the same over the centuries, nowadays electric light bulbs are used almost exclusively as light sources. The luminosity of the Edo period Andon is said to have been only about a fiftieth of the electrically lit lanterns of today, one often hears in Japan.

Types and areas of application

  • The standing lantern ( 置 行 灯 , okiandon ) is the most common form of Andon. It is usually between 30 and 50 centimeters high, its floor plan is square and at the lower end of the lamp body there are four feet on which it stands. You can find them today in many traditional Japanese hotels ( ryokan ) and sometimes in apartments with Japanese rooms ( washitsu ).
  • The hanging lantern ( 掛 行 灯 , kakeandon ) used to be attached to the outside of buildings and often illuminated the name of a shop, which was especially important when it was open at night (like some restaurants and izakayas ).
  • Enshū-Andon ( 遠 州 行 灯 , Enshū andon ) are a subspecies of okiandon, the floor lanterns. The body is cylindrical and the light source is not completely enclosed, but is exposed on one side. The flame is ignited and extinguished through this opening. According to one theory, the name goes back to the alleged inventor Kobori Enshū .
  • Ariake-Andon ( 有 明 行 灯 , Ariake andon ) were small Andon that were placed over the head of the bed and had a small flame that burned all night. The name is derived from the Japanese word ariake ( 有 明 ) dawn .

gallery

  • Andon with packaging (to the left) from a furniture store in Kyoto

  • Floor lantern with an electric lightbulb in a washitsu

  • Andon on a colored photograph, before 1933

  • Futons and Andon in the background in a ryokan

See also