Antique Yukimi Stone Japanese Chinese Hand Carved Garden Lantern Pagoda
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:18974000 | Primary Material: Stone |
| Region of Origin: Japan | Age: 1850-1899 |
*shipping available upon request please ask for details Antique Yukimi stone Japanese Chinese hand carved garden lantern pagoda measured 26x26" has 4 legs and 5 pieces. On top of the Kasa are chinese characters carved into the stone (see photo) which read "ancient bridge"The striking and well proportioned hand carved sculpture is fashioned in five parts from granite as roof (kasa) and fire box base (Hibukuro) or (kiso) all with substantial patina from good aging. Hand carved of a quali...ty shirakawa stone.Yukimi lanterns have the following five elements stacked one atop the other.Kurin (ornamental top or finial)Kasa (cap or roof)Hibukuro (light chamber or fire box)Chudai or ukebachi (middle stand, platform for the firebox)Jirin or dai (base) Some of its elements like the gorinto and the lagoda the dai-dōrō represents the five elements of Buddhist cosmology. The bottom-most piece, 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 fū (air) and kū (void or spirit) are represented by the last two sections, top-most and pointing towards the sky. The segments express the idea that after death our physical bodies will go back to their original, elemental form.Yukimi-doro or legged lanterns have as a base not a post but from one to six curved legs, and a wide umbrella with a finial either low or absent. Relatively low, they are used exclusively in gardens. The traditional placement is near the water, and a three-legged lantern will often have two legs in the water, and one on land. The umbrella can be round or have from three to eight sides, while the fire box is usually hexagonal. Yukimi denotes water reflection. This form 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 .
