There is something about Asia and the Orient that really captures the Western imagination. The promise of the East has a timeless allure and mystique that seems to transcend time and place. Maybe it is the way so much of the architecture and decor is influenced by spiritual traditions such as Buddhism that gives all [...]
While the traditional image most of us hold of a Japanese Stone Lantern might be crisp clean lines of a well carved and well proportioned lantern, a more rustic look can also be extremely beautiful. After all, traditionally, only the richest people would be able to afford to pay a master stone mason to create [...]
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden are home to a lovely Torii and beautiful pond and Japanese Stone Lantern on their aptly named Japanese Hill and Pond Garden. In fact, Japanesa Hill-and-Pond-Garden is one of the oldest Japanese styled gardens outside of Japan and was in fact the first of such styled gardens to be created in [...]
Monte Palace in Madiera, Portugal dates back to the 18th century when a stunning estate was built. Through the years, the property has gone through several changes of owner, until it was bought by Rodrigues Berardo who set up the Berardo Foundation and turned the estate into the Monte Palace Tropical Garden. The gardens host [...]
Japanese Stone Lanterns or Ishidoro were first used in Japan around the 6th century AD. This would have been somewhere in the Asuka Period which saw not only artistic changes but also social and political changes in Japan caused in part by the introduction of Buddhism. The early stone lanterns in Japan were often used [...]