A group of stone lanterns, or ishi-doro,lit at night at the buddhist Danjo Garan temple precinct in Koyasan, Japan.

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The stone lantern, or ishi-doro, was originally intended for a religious shrine. The lanterns ultimately derive from an Indian temple form, which helps explain the frequent combination of Buddhist and indigenous Japanese Shinto motifs. A lamp or a candle is placed in the hollowed-out opening. The secular use of stone lanterns as garden ornaments dates from the Momoyama Period (1568–1600). Aged appearance, such as weathered or mossy stone, is highly admired as sabi, one of the Japanese traditional aesthetic values, which reflects resignation, loneliness, and tranquillity.

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Size: 4608px × 3455px
Photo credit: © John Steele / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: asia, buddhism, buddhist, danjo, east, garan, group, holy, ishi-doro, japan, japanese, koya, koya-san, koyasan, lantern, light, night, religion, san, stone, temple, tradition, wakayama