How to make an authentic Japanese garden lantern without help. Japanese stone lantern. Making, master - class Japanese stone garden lantern by hands
Lantern on the shore
Candle fire inside.
My garden is night
He talks to the moon.
I look and dissolve in a fairy tale ...
When creating a garden in Japanese style, we use special elements, symbols. One such element is stone lanterns. They have an ancient history, differ in types, each of which is intended for a strictly specific place. The lantern consists of several parts: base, support, light chamber stand, light chamber, roof and top. Some types of lanterns do not have all of these parts. The main types of lanterns are kasuga toro, yukimi toro, yamadoro toro, oki toro, oribe toro. A small candle is placed in the light chamber, its waving light creates a mysterious atmosphere in the garden.
Kasuga Toro - this is the most elegant and largest of the lanterns. It is decorated with rich carvings. The Kasuga Toro is installed in a prominent location near the entrance. Two such lights can form a symmetrical pair.
Yukimi Toro designed for admiring the snow. Therefore, it has a very wide flat roof. Often installed near water so that it can be reflected.
Yamadoro Toro installed in shady places, in the far corners of the garden. This lantern is made from roughly cut stones. Over time, it becomes overgrown with greenery.
Oki-toro - the smallest of the Japanese stone lanterns. It is installed in shallow waters, in Zen gardens, by a dry stream.
Oribe Toro installed only together with a tsukubai (bowl for ablution). A distinctive feature of Oribe-toro is that at the bottom of its support there should always be an image of a human figure, which is associated with an ancient legend about the origin of the lantern. Legend has it that the Oribe Master of the Tea Ceremony was not a Buddhist by religion, but a Christian (which was persecuted in Japan at that time). So that you can worship your God, the master cut a crucifix at the very bottom of the lantern support and placed the lantern so that the plants completely covered the bottom of the lantern. And every time, bending over to the tsukubai to draw water during the tea ceremony, the Christian master bowed to his God. And nobody knew about it. Therefore, the tsukubai in the garden is only paired with the Oribe lantern, the lower part of which must always be covered with plants.
In addition to stone lanterns, Japanese gardens contain pagodas as a symbol of a Buddhist temple. They consist of 3, 5, 8 or 13 levels, the size of which decreases with height. The pagodas are positioned so that they can be seen from all corners of the garden, on a high point of relief. And the size of the pagoda should be higher than the very large stone lantern.
In our Japanese garden, we also placed a pagoda and stone lanterns. They were made for us from Inkerman limestone by sculptor Alexander Boldyrev. Each lantern is designed for a specific location, which is marked on the plan. The pagoda is located on a hill in the center of the garden. First, we found suitable items in Japanese gardens, then we created drawings and models of them, and then in the workshop we made lanterns and a pagoda.
It was very interesting to work. Sometimes we came up with some stories related to our lanterns. For example, in the kasuga toro carvings, the claws and scales of a dragon are symbolically depicted. And the two lanterns of the Yamadoro Toro are similar, like two twin brothers, but one of them lives in the city and studies Zen Buddhism, and the other in the village and drinks sake ...
The pagoda and lanterns have stood in the garden for a year and during this time they have partially covered with greenery. This process must continue and our stone elements will look better every year. Japan has a concept shinbaku - improving the effect of time on objects made of stone and metal.
The pictures show the history of our stone lanterns and pagodas.
Oriental motifs in landscape design are very popular with Russian gardeners. Our author Sergey Golovkov did not pass them by either. After going through several options, he decided to make a stone lantern out of wood. Read what he did in the article.
The idea of \u200b\u200bcreating a traditional Japanese lantern for a site seemed very interesting to me for a long time, but for a long time I could not decide how and from what to make it. I do not know how to cut in stone, and this option disappeared. Conducted several experiments on working with concrete. This option was more realistic, but had its drawbacks. First, there was the problem of making small parts. Secondly, the product would be too heavy. Thirdly, I would be constantly attached to work, since concrete cannot be put aside at any time and returned to it later. There remained a version of a lantern made of wood.
Preparation and selection of material
I started my work with a sketch. Usually I rarely do this and keep the "picture" in my head, but here it was necessary. As a material, I used pine and larch, which are left over from the roof repair. Moreover, the tree was far from the best quality and was not used for a long time. But I initially knew that I would paint the lantern, so I practically did not pay attention to knots and other defects of the boards. Thanks to this choice, the cost of the lantern is very small, but there was a lot of work.
Base assembly
1 ... I made a full-size leg template from cardboard and outlined it on two inner planes of the workpiece.
3 ... Similarly, I made the rest of the legs and the jumpers between them. My band saw allowed me to cut the jumper from a single piece. If there is not enough cutting height, it can be made in two parts.
4 ... I glued the parts with moisture-resistant glue, reinforcing the joints with dowels. Finally, I smoothed the irregularities. If all operations are performed accurately and accurately, you will get a solid and stable "stool" without a seat.
Roof manufacturing
The construction of this element was the most difficult, since the roof does not have a single flat surface. The lower and upper sides of the roof were to be rounded so that the corners were at the highest point and the centers of the sides were at the lowest.
I started by working on the underside of the roof. To make the profiles of all its parts the same, I made a template. The radius of the rounding I got was about 4 m. The template was cut from 12 mm plywood, both curved and concave parts of it were needed. I glued the roof in the form of "frames" of different sizes, laid on top of each other.
5 ... First, I glued the largest "frame" from a 60 mm thick board. It will be the bottom of the roof.
6 ... A powerful router is needed to round the surface according to a template. For him, I made a device in the form of a box. I made a through hole in the center of the short side of the box.
7 ... On the roof blank, I installed a technological lintel, in the center of which I found and drilled a center, into which I inserted a nail as an axis.
8 ... On the far side from the center, I fixed two rollers-wheels to the box. I put a plywood lining on the axle under the box so that the box does not rub against the lintel and the corners of the workpiece when moving.
9 ... Inside the box, I screwed runners made of a curved part of the template cut in half. After that, I set the workpiece with the fixture on a flat, smooth surface ...
10 ... put a box on the axle and rounded the underside of the roof. The preparatory work carried out made it possible to do this quickly and easily.
11 ... Then he moved to the top side of the roof. Here, the surface is concave in an arc from corner to corner and, at the same time, from edge to center. To start with, I glued three "frames" to the top of the roof. The dimensions of the frames and their thickness were calculated from the sketch of the lantern.
12 ... While the glue was drying, I started making a device for milling surfaces. First, I ensured the desired movement of the cutter from corner to corner. To do this, I put the router “on the rails” - I made a frame in which I made the longitudinal sides from the concave part of the template. And on the milling cutter I installed three pairs of bearings as wheels.
13 ... At the ends of the rail frame, I installed a pair of bearings. On them, the frame itself will move along the guides from the edge to the center of the roof. The shape of these guides is set by the planned curvature of the roof. I cut them out of chipboard scraps. After all the checks and settings, I started the router and, moving it in different directions, rounded all four sides in turn.
Lantern walls
14 ... The walls of the lantern are exactly the same at the same level. To hide the ends of the tree at the corners, I cut the edges of the vertical elements at an angle of 45 degrees. The grille I had was finished, beech was left from the furniture facade.
15 ... I assembled and glued the walls together - and now the first fitting. Some joints require adjustment, but this will be at the final stage before painting. The main thing is that the form is good. It remains to make two more floors, but of a smaller size. Smaller roofs and walls were made according to already tested technologies.
16 ... I installed a spire at the very top of the lantern. It consists of a small "roof" and the spire itself. By that time, I had finished cutting 100 * 100 mm timber, and I carved a spire from three glued boards.
Shine
I assembled all the parts of the lantern into a single whole beforehand without fitting and grinding. The result pleased me, but the lantern should shine. An open fire, as in a real lantern, is contraindicated for it, it only remained to conduct electric light. It was assumed that the flashlight will be connected to the sensor
lighting and automatically turn on when it gets dark. To save energy, I used 3 W LED bulbs. They have a G9 base. It's pretty sealed, and. although the lantern has its own large roof, this is important when used outdoors. The ceramic plinths were installed on rectangular wooden lintels and fixed in the roofs using their voids. All connections were soldered and insulated with heat shrink tubing.
Before the final assembly of the electrician, the entire lantern was sanded, fitted the connections and covered from the inside with transparent acrylic varnish in two layers.
16 ... I connected all the parts of the lantern with waterproof glue with 8 mm dowels. The only connection without glue is the upper "cover" of the lantern with a spire. It is removable, otherwise the third floor light bulb cannot be replaced. The rest can be reached through the lower window at the base.
Painting
The main task when painting was to create the texture of natural stone. I wanted to get a semblance of granite, but decided to leave the gratings wooden.
Used acrylic paint. First I applied a basic layer of gray. Later I realized that it is easier and better to apply white or very light gray, but this is already the advice of an "expert". In my case, to get an even tone, I had to paint in two layers.
18 ... To simulate the texture of the stone, I used four colors - white, black, gray and ocher. By mixing gray paint with white and black, I got two shades of gray, different from the background. In total, there are 5 colors for coloring. I used a natural sponge as a tool.
The painted lantern was left to dry for a day, after which the surface was easily sanded by hand with 120-150 grit sandpaper, dust-free with a damp cloth and covered together with the gratings with two layers of transparent acrylic varnish.
19 ... With the onset of darkness, a fire is automatically ignited in the lantern.
Sergey Golovnoe, Novocherkassk
The Japanese garden is becoming more and more popular, largely due to the fact that it is easy to do it yourself. It, as a rule, takes up little space (it is quite possible to be limited to an area of \u200b\u200b2 by 2 m), but it is filled with elements and images of wildlife, all this can be achieved using various materials. It is not as difficult to build a Japanese garden with your own hands as it might seem at first glance, you just need to follow the instructions.
The most important elements of Japanese style are stones, water and bamboo - natural materials.
The first step is to make a project for such a garden, you need to find the most favorable location, the shape of the site and its functions and general style.
The Japanese garden is divided into two parts, one part becomes the main one and is located somewhat further from the central part of the view, thus a visual expansion of the space is achieved.
The Japanese style is characterized by the presence of an arched bridge, a lamp and a fence on the site.
The central object is determined (it can be a waterfall or a large beautiful stone), this object must necessarily be turned towards the main viewpoint by the front part. If a stone is chosen as the central object, then on the diagonal, where the large stone is, you need to place two smaller stones, thus creating a balance.
As for the main part of the garden, it needs to be filled with plants, and the other part will be empty, a certain contrast is created, which is one of the hallmarks of a Japanese garden. Making such splendor will require some tools;
- shovel;
- wheelbarrow;
- building level;
- roulette.
How to place stones in a Japanese garden?
When making a Japanese rock garden with your own hands, you need to pay special attention to how the stones are placed. Their location must necessarily be diagonal, parallel or almost parallel to the main line of the garden. For this, it is recommended to use untreated stones, which may be covered with rust and moss, this makes the overall look more natural. Those that have been corroded by wind or waterborne corrosion work well; they often turn greenish, reddish, bluish, whitish or brownish.
Regarding the number of stones - it can be different, but it should always be odd, you can take 3, 5, 7 pieces and all of them need to be grouped according to the "3-2-2" or "2-3-2" scheme. In most cases, the composition consists of three stones (one large stone and two smaller ones are taken for this). If five or more pieces are used at the top of the composition, then they should be made in the shape of a triangle, they should have a single common point (then it can be omitted).
The stones are set on the surface, they can still be partially buried in the ground at an angle to the ground. There is a free space between them, it can be filled with various herbaceous plants or shrubs, it all looks very beautiful.
Sidewalks and paths made of stones are an integral part of a Japanese garden, in order to make them, you need to choose stones that have one smooth side, this side remains on the surface, and the part that is uneven is buried in the ground. The long axis of each of these stones is perpendicular to the path.
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Stone lanterns and towers
When decorating, sand and fine gravel (size up to 2 mm) are very often used.The colors can be very different - gray, white, black, dark brown. In order to prevent lawns from clogging, fine gravel and sand are placed in small areas of the garden, however, it should be borne in mind that such areas must be reliably protected from the wind. For this, you can use brick curbs or stones.
Another integral part of such a creation is stone lanterns, they traditionally act as the decoration and pride of the Japanese garden. In most cases, they are placed on the edge of a stream or other body of water, where there is a turn in a path or bridge. In the group where there are large stones, such stone lanterns are often the main elements, a tree can be placed behind them, it will look very attractive. Lanterns can be made not only of stone, but also of wood or pumice.
The stone towers of the pagoda are also a traditional decoration of any Japanese garden; such structures most often consist of several tiers (the number of tiers must be odd) with quadrangular plates (but there may be six- and octagonal plates). If you plan to build a small garden, then it is quite possible to limit yourself to a five-tiered tower. Such towers are located near bridges, reservoirs, water streams, in front of large trees or not far from decorative stones.
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Tsukubai and "dry stream"
When equipping a Japanese garden with your own hands, do not forget about the tsukubai (this is a stone bowl filled with water, made in the form of a barrel, the height of this bowl should not exceed 30 cm, but in some cases the height can reach 60 cm). In Japan, it is customary to wash in such a bowl with your hands before starting the tea ceremony, which is one of the elements of Japanese culture. In most cases, tsukubai are placed in a small area that is located in the center of the garden, next to a hedge or stone wall. It will look very impressive if you install a stone lantern near such a bowl.
When planning a Japanese garden, you should decide on the style direction, the choice of flowers and shrubs also depends on this.
Looks very nice "", which is a mountain stream of small stones, but it can look like a calm surface of water. In this regard, it all depends on how to lay the stones, and their sizes matter.
It is impossible to imagine a Japanese garden without a pond, and special attention should be paid to the design of its banks. Real masterpieces can be created on a smooth surface of water, this is achieved thanks to the reflectivity of water. As for the water level in the pond, it must be equal to the shore, and the shape of the pond must be made incorrect. You can use small islands covered with trees and all kinds of vegetation, you can include a stone tower in such a composition.
The Japanese garden can be decorated with bridges, which look very picturesque and stylish, they pass under dry or water streams. If a garden with a natural landscape is being made, then rough wooden planks are preferable for bridges, but flat stone slabs can also be used. If there are stone compositions in the garden, then the bridge, which is made of an unhewn stone slab, looks very impressive.
Do you want to decorate your garden with original lanterns? What if you borrow them from the Japanese style? Neat, compact, they can be very interesting to fit into the design.
In Japan, such lanterns were previously installed to illuminate paths leading to temples. Now they can be seen almost everywhere. And, of course, what is a Japanese garden without them? Here they play the role of a kind of beacons indicating the way to the tea pavilion.
There are several types of Japanese lanterns, differing in shape and height.
Some of the tallest are called tachi-gata. In Japanese gardens, they are installed in the central part of the path. There they play the role of the main figure. Lanterns are elongated, in appearance they resemble columns, their height is from 1.5 to 3 m.
“Ikekomi-gata” - also in the form of columns, but smaller. They are used to decorate the banks of reservoirs or streams. They do not have a wide base; they (like pillars) are buried in the ground.
Oki-gata are the smallest lanterns. Their place is along paths, among plants and in small courtyards.
Yukimi-gata (snow) are the most popular. They are installed near reservoirs and waterfalls. They are called snowy because of the rather wide roof on which snow lingers. The light coming from under the roof is reflected in the water and makes the path to the tea pavilion especially picturesque and mesmerizing.
Sometimes these flashlights are "placed" on a high curved leg, which allows them to be as close as possible to the surface of the reservoir and thus increases the effect of light reflection.
Can you make Japanese lanterns yourself? Of course, although this is not an easy matter. I have two kinds of lanterns in my garden: tachi-gata (120 cm high) and yukimi-gata (50 cm high).
Classically they are made of metal and stone. If you choose the latter option, it is better to use a soft stone such as sandstone. But personally, I chose a simpler method and used a structure close to natural stone ... a gas silicate block.
It is easy to process, it can be sawed with an ordinary saw, and any shape can be given using a metal blade.
The block is easy to sand with both coarse and fine sandpaper. Then, when the flashlight is ready, it must be covered with cement-glue mortar, so that the gas silicate does not absorb moisture and does not fall apart.
And after that, you can choose the color of acrylic paint and paint the flashlight in the natural color of the stone. Please note: it is natural, because colored lanterns do not exist in a Japanese garden!
Japanese stone lanterns were first used in ancient temples and shrines, where they kept a votive fire. The purpose of such lanterns was not to illuminate space, but to protect the fire from environmental influences, since the sacred fire symbolized Buddha, knowledge and enlightenment. Only much later, in the sixteenth century, they began to be used for a practical purpose, to illuminate the territory of private gardens, teahouses and rooms for religious purposes. From classic to modern, Stone Forest's lanterns have borrowed this centuries-old tradition.
Designers have been carving traditional Japanese lanterns and original stone lamps of their own design from granite for 20 years. If you are looking for interesting decor for garden traditional Japanese style, or want a more modern yard decoration and to complement your landscape, the top quality Stone Forest lanterns are the perfect solution.
Traditional Japanese lanterns are manufactured to strict antique specifications. During the day it is an elegant decoration for decorating the garden, and in the evening, with a candle inside, the lantern performs the function garden lighting playing lights, pointing the way to a tea gazebo, pond or house. The range includes all main types of lanterns.
Tachi-gata (translated from Japanese - "pedestal") - the definition already contains the purpose of such lamps. They are used to illuminate the place in the garden, where the owner talks to the most honored guests. Tachi-gata is distinguished from other types of lanterns by its high height - from 1.5 to 3 m, so they look organically in gardens that occupy a vast territory.
Ikekomi-gata - there is a legend according to which this flashlight is positioned so that a ray of sunlight falling on it is necessarily directed to the ground. Therefore, usually areas of the yard and garden that are open to the sun are chosen for the installation of ikkomi-gata lanterns.
Yukimi-gata -in translation "seemingly covered with snow." The highlight of these stone lanterns are square or round roofs that keep the fire inside from snow. Often, the windows of the lantern are covered with frosted glass, which gives a soft glow to the rays of the sun that hit the lantern and candles in the evening.
Oki-gatadiffer in their small size. Such miniature stone lanterns will look great in a garden or courtyard of a small house, near paths, flower beds and flower beds.
The company can also cut any pattern and create any Japanese lantern as you request. You can get acquainted with the products in more detail on the StoneForest website.
