You do not see bonbori lighting very often these days unless you stay at a ryokan. The Botan no
Hana is bonbori lighting crafted with a sashimono framework using Japanese cedar and covered by
handmade Japanese paper from the Mino region. Today, most traditional bonbori lighting is made
in Kyoto using Japanese cedar. The Japanese began using bonbori as pendant lighting around the
Taisho and early Showa periods when andon lamps using candles and canola oil disappeared and
electricity came into widespread use. Despite the lighting’s relatively short history, the ambience
created by bonbori radiates a nostalgic Japanese atmosphere and distinct character, projecting an
extraordinary presence. This Botan no Hana was carefully assembled by sashimono carpenters in
Nagoya with washi paper handcrafted by artisans in the Mino region.
In the new modern space beyond the traditional ambience, we wanted to express a modern presence
with the design and soft lighting from Japanese paper. What makes this bonbori lighting different
from others is the thin Japanese cedar frame. While the width of the frame for common bonbori is 7
to 8 mm, we thinned the frame to 5 mm in width. Since the thinner frame made it difficult to maintain
the shape, we searched for the ideal relationship between width and depth for cedar materials and
thinned the frame to the utmost limit. Another challenge was that when covering the 5 mm wide
cedar frame with washi paper on both sides, the paper runs off the edge without covering precisely
because the area of adhesion of the washi is only 2.5 to 3 mm, which is thinner than the frame. An
artisan spends three to four hours covering the bonbori with Japanese paper. This task of precisely
covering the inside of a curved frame with washi paper truly requires patience.
For the overall shape, we wanted to preserve the gentle, circular shape of traditional bonbori lighting
while maintaining a modern ambience without strong Japanese elements. Our goal was to instill
Japanese and fresh modern elements into the ambience with a light filtered through Japanese
paper. For the cedar frame, we created a line of curved wood to appear as if the shoulders were
slightly lifted, adding a modern element to the standard shape. Even with additional elements,
we remained particular about the basic materials and assembly to secure the essential overall
impression of bonbori lighting. This bonbori lighting is built with the thinnest Japanese cedar frame
in history. We think that the slender cedar material gives the lighting a delicate atmosphere across
the board. This Botan no Hana is an ensemble of the sashimono carpenter’s sophisticated skills and
spirit to take on new challenges along with the beauty of washi paper crafted through genuine works
by artisans from the Mino region.