Customized Lantern hand-painted by Tokyo artisan

Traditional Japanese lanterns will give your interior an impactful atmosphere. Choose the word painted on it to make it unique - we help you change the word into Japanese! The lantern is 45 cm in height from the top of the hook to the bottom rest. Diameter is 14 cm. The lantern weighs 170 gr (out of the box). Keep in mind that the lantern is hand-painted and depending on the time of your order the maker could be busy therefore it can take up to 2 weeks for him to complete your lantern. The lantern can be hung outside but it needs to be away from the rain.

What can I write?

• Your name
• Your pet / shop / lover's name
• An event’s name
• Or anything!

How can my word / name be written in Japanese?

After you place your order we will get back to you by email with the options on how to write it in Japanese. Depending on the length of the word there can be from 1 to 3 options to choose from. You then choose which one you prefer before we send the order to the maker.

Option 1 = Katakana
Phonetics. 1 syllable = 1 sign.
With the name "Marie" for example we use the katakana for MA = マ and the katakana for RI = リ.
Marie = マリ.

Option 2 = Hiragana
Phonetics. 1 syllable = 1 sign.
With the name "Marie" for example we use the hiragana for MA = ま and the hiragana for RI り
Marie = まり.

Option 3 = Kanji
1, 2 or 3 kanji that have close enough phonetics and also a profound meaning.
With the name "Marie" for example we can use the kanji 真 (reads MA, means "truth") and the kanji 莉 (reads RI, means "jasmine")
Marie = 真莉 (true jasmine).

How it's made?

Painting on a lantern is a delicate process. It takes roughly 40 minutes to paint a word on a small one. The style used is called Edo Moji or the Edo Signs, referring to the historical period in which it was created. Since lanterns are not flat the painting must take place once the lantern is built. Also the ruggedness of the lanterns' shape means that signs must be outlined first before being filled.

Who is the maker?

In Asakusa, Mr. Norio Yamada perpetuates the tradition of painting by hand on lanterns. His workshop called Yamazaki-ya Genshichi Chōchin has been in operation for nearly 300 years and has seen 8 generations. Mr. Yamada is one of the official lantern painter for Senso-ji temple in Asakusa.

The workshop's main customers are restaurants, bars and boutiques. They proudly use colorful lanterns with their business names on them to decorate their storefronts. In the Japanese folklore lanterns are associated with luck and good fortune and Mr. Yamada also receives orders for gifts for birthdays, weddings, business openings or festivals.