History of "ARIAKE Lantern Sign Stand"

Lanterns, born out of a love for light when light was more precious than it is today

"In Edo period Japan, lighting was very faint. A dim light was produced by pouring rapeseed oil into an oil dish, then lighting a wick soaked in the oil. To prevent the fire from being extinguished by the wind, the lanterns (andon) were covered with washi paper and used as lighting devices.
These lanterns were placed by entrances, in corridors and by bedsides to provide nighttime illumination. Their brightness is like that of a miniature light bulb, but interestingly, the indirect light of the andon feels brighter and gentler than that of a light bulb. The common people of Edo, who had previously lived in darkness as a matter of course, found great joy in these paper lanterns."

Ariake andon, a specially crafted type of lantern, reveals the longing for light felt by the common people of Edo. These andon normally had a lamp placed on top of the base box to provide light in the same way as a regular andon, but during sleep the lamp was placed inside the base box. In this way, the brightness could be reduced allowing a small amount of light to leak through the translucent window, creating a night light. The name Ariake andon comes from the fact that this dim light could remain by one's bedside until morning, like the Ariake moon (a moon still visible even after dawn), and the design of the openwork window, a full moon or crescent moon shaped. A practical lighting device has evolved into a craft deeply rooted in daily life.
The Edo lifestyle, with its love of light, had a fullness that we in the modern world have forgotten.