garden lantern

Raku-tei’s stone lanterns are made from Raitai-ishi stone produced in the Izumo region of Shimane Prefecture, and are called Izumo-touro. The texture and coloring of Raitai-ishi stone are atmospheric, making it the ideal stone for the lanterns’ appearance. Raitsuseki is a tuffaceous sandstone formed by volcanic sediments deposited on the seafloor 14 million years ago (middle Miocene Neogene) from the Omori Raitsuseki Formation, which is found on the southern shore of Lake Shinji (around the Raitsuseki area in the town of Shishimicho, Matsue City). The Omori-Kuraitai Formation contains fossils of shark teeth, shellfish, trees, and other organisms and plants from the sedimentary period. 13-million-year-old fossils of Paleoparadoxia, a mammal that became extinct, have also been found. The Raitai Stone from the Omori-Raitai Formation has abundant reserves. The stone has been used as a high-quality stone material because of its uniform quality.
As early as around the 5th century (mid-Kofun period), it was used for stone chambers and sarcophagi in kofun tumuli (burial mounds).

In the Middle Ages, it was used as a building material for stone pagodas (memorial and tombstones) such as Hokyointo and Gorinto, as well as for stone steps and stone walls. In the Edo period (1603-1867), raitai-ishi became known as gochiseki, a stone material that could only be sold outside the Matsue domain with the permission of the domain. Raitai-ishi was also used in Matsue Castle as a building material for stone steps and canal frames. In addition, the stone was widely used for statues such as stone Buddhas, garden stones, and daily utensils.

In the late Edo period (1603-1867), various Raitai stone products such as building materials, stone lanterns, and komainu (stone guardian dogs) were actively transported to various parts of Japan via the Japan Sea route and overland routes.

　Even today, Raitaiishi is known as the raw material for Izumo stone lanterns, a nationally designated traditional handicraft, and for the glazes used in Iwami pottery and Iwashu roof tiles, which utilize stone powder. It is also widely used for monuments such as statues and stone monuments, as well as building materials.

Oribe Lantern

At Raku-tei, we mainly use two types of stone lanterns. One is the Oribe lantern. Oribe lanterns are said to have been conceived by Furuta Oribe, a tea master who was a disciple of Sen no Rikyu, the great master of Wabicha (tea ceremony). Because of their eccentric and distinctive appearance compared to other lanterns, they have been widely favored as tea ceremony room lanterns since the late Momoyama period (1573-1600). This is a square-shaped lantern with a fire box, which is mainly used as a bowl light in a stone washbasin. Therefore, they are mainly used in open-air tea gardens.

Yukimi lantern

The other is Yukimi Lanterns. Yukimi lanterns are said to have been originally placed near water and enjoyed by admiring the lights reflected on the surface of the water, hence the name Yukimi Lanterns, which is a variation of Ukimi Lanterns. Therefore, yukimi lanterns are generally placed near the sea, rivers, or other watery places. Because of its rounded shape, the Yukimi Lantern is a heavy stone, yet it creates a delicate and gentle image. These lanterns are representative of the natural beauty of Japanese gardens, and are indispensable for expressing the natural beauty of the garden.