You have a lovely Japanese garden at home, but you somewhat feels like it still needs a bit of spicing up. Aside from landscaping and putting up statues, how about adding a few Japanese lanterns to light the pathway? Japanese paper lanterns add a Zen feeling to your garden, and even to your home interior with its beautiful colors and soft light.

The Japanese Lantern’s Unique Structure

A Japanese lantern is different from other types of lanterns in terms of its appearance. This lantern is made from a porous and semi-translucent porous paper, sometimes made with silk. It has designs on it that express something about the Japanese culture, although it sometimes appears plain. Inside, there’s a small electrical bulb with a small wattage. The lanterns are hung either outside or inside.

Japanese lanterns and Chinese lanterns aren’t very different from each other, as they both have the same oriental look to them. You can buy these lovely decorations from different oriental stores, but if you’re feeling pretty artistic, you can make them yourself with just a few materials found around the house. Here’s what to do.

What You’ll Need:

• Tissue paper or rice paper
• Wire (must be flexible, but strong enough)
• Soldering iron
• Wire clippers
• Light source (an electric bulb or a small candle will do)
• Paper glue
• Paintbrushes and paint
• Lantern form reference

Procedure:

1. Decide on a lantern shape first. Japanese lanterns come in different shapes, depending on their design. The shape is formed with wire, so unless you’re skilled at making wire shapes, you have to use a guide. For a roundish lantern, use a bowl or a ball. If you prefer a polygonal lantern, use wooden dowels to mount a desired shape.



2. Create the shape for your lantern by forming the wire around the bottom end once. Make sure you leave some free wire at the end. How much depends on your lantern’s size, but if you want, you can leave at least half as much as it would take to encircle the bottom of the frame 1 1/2 times. Keep wrapping around the frame in a spiral, until you get to the top. When you’re done, use wire clippers
3. Shape a base with the help of the extra wire you left at the bottom. Bend your wire at a 90 degree angle, beginning from where you started wrapping. A short distance away, make another 90 degree bend. This length is the base’s height. Shape the wire in a mirror image of the bottom of the lantern’s shape. If you want to reinforce the base, use extra wires connecting the bottom and top.
4. Create an identical base at the top, leaving some extra wire. There must be a piece that crosses directly from one side of the base going to another. This is where the light will be hanging. Bend a piece of wire creating an arc that attaches to this. This will be the mount for the hook.
5. Check the frame if it’s stable enough. If you notice weak parts, reinforce it by adding straight wire pieces that connects the two bases. Make sure you solder them in place, if they are touching another piece of wire. (Learn how to solder)
6. Once the frame is finish, you can now cut paper panels. For a polygonal frame, the paper must be roughly rectangular. For a round frame, decide how many paper panels you need to use and what shape it will be. For example, using 10 panels means the top will be 1/10 the top base’s diameter, the middle 1/10 of the middle and the bottom part 1/10 the bottom’s diameter. Make sure you cut the patterns a bit larger in all direction, so they overlap. If you’re not sure that the calculations are right, hold up the lantern to check.
7. Use paper glue to attach the first panel to the wire frame. Carefully wrap the top edge around the top base’s edge, then glue the paper to itself. Stretch the paper taut, then continue to glue the paper around the wires all the way to the panel’s bottom. Once this is done, wrap the paper again around the edge of the base, then let dry completely.



8. Continue gluing the remaining panels, gluing one edge to the neighboring panel. Each panel must be dry before you add in another one.
9. Wait for the glue to dry thoroughly, then decorate the lantern. Using paintbrushes and paint, draw characters on the sides. This step is optional.
10. Add the light source. A battery powered light is all right if you prefer not to have wires showing. Hang a bulb by fixing it to the top base then running the wire along whatever the lantern is suspended from. A simple candle is also all right, but make sure it doesn’t touch the lantern’s sides, or you’ll cause a fire hazard.
11. Hang the lanterns on posts or on a string along the pathway.

Beautiful, homemade Japanese lanterns will definitely add a delightful look to your Japanese-inspired garden. Get your art materials out and start making these lovely creations. If you want to know more about Japan where Japanese lanterns originate, read Japan - Your destination to the rising sun.

Watch The Video

Vintage Japanese Lantern Models - Miniature Tachi-Gata