Art: MUTED CANDLELIGHT

The delicate art of Japanese lantern-making, in which the ladies opposite are engaged, owes its worldwide popularity to Emperor Hirohito’s grandfather. In 1878, the artisan city of Gifu presented Emperor Meiji with a particularly beautiful lantern; he was so deeply moved that he resolved to encourage the trade, and by the turn of the century lanterns had become one of Japan’s most famed exports.

The lanterns that shone in the dim dawn of Japanese history were globefish—gutted, puffed, dried, and filled with live fireflies. The lanterns that pleased Hirohito’s grandfather, and have been a delight ever since, are more complex. They are designed to transform candlelight into globes of muted color. Each one requires up to 120 bamboo strips, no thicker than toothpicks, which are bound together with silk threads to make a collapsible frame. The frame is covered with eight sections of silk or oiled paper, painted with traditional figures. Gluing the shell to the frame is the hardest part of the job and is done mainly in the spring when temperature and humidity are just right. One skilled artisan, working fast, can produce two fine silk lanterns in a day.

The Japanese use their lanterns for funeral processions, nighttime strolls, and advertising displays. Abroad, their soft colored light turns many a garden party into a festival.