5 Best Japanese Table Lamps: Materials & Styles Explained

Interested in creating a relaxing space with a Japanese touch? Japanese table lamps, with their calming ambiance and beautiful designs, can add warmth to your room. Let's introduce the charm of various types of table lamps that utilize traditional materials and techniques. Find the perfect Japanese lamp for your room.

 

Japanese Table Lamps Ideal for Creating a Relaxing Space

To create an ideal room for relaxing both mind and body, it's important to establish a soothing atmosphere, interior design with calm colors and designs, and lighting that isn't too bright using indirect illumination. If you're considering a table lamp as the first step towards gradually creating a relaxing atmosphere, rather than changing the entire interior at once, we recommend a handmade Japanese lamp.

Japanese craftsmanship is rooted in the aesthetic concept of "wabi-sabi," characterized by simple and refined designs and warm natural materials. Wabi-sabi is a uniquely Japanese concept that embraces imperfection, finding beauty in age, stillness, and even broken things. Since nature is constantly changing and imperfect, it is considered the source of beauty in the wabi-sabi aesthetic, and the creation of objects using natural materials has been considered important. Additionally, modesty and simplicity are also seen as aspects of beauty, so simple designs that eliminate excess and retain essence were favored.

Japanese lamps also incorporate this wabi-sabi aesthetic, featuring simple and unadorned designs. The simple and sophisticated designs made using natural materials such as washi paper, bamboo, and wood, combined with the warm, soft light, create an atmosphere of tranquility and relaxation in the space, making them ideal as bedside lamps or reading lights. In particular, small lamps like table lamps have the advantage of being economical and easy to incorporate without the need to drastically change the existing interior.

Moreover, by utilizing the convenience of table lamps and positioning them effectively according to the occasion, you can create an even more attractive room. For example, Japan has an aesthetic sense called "In Praise of Shadows," where beauty is found in deliberately creating shadows rather than illuminating everything brightly. Following this, by placing a table lamp in the corner of a room, the difference in light intensity can create depth and a soft atmosphere in the space. In this way, table lamps can bring various expressions to spaces by changing their position according to the scene. Let's learn about the characteristics and charm of Japanese table lamps filled with the wabi-sabi aesthetic and choose the perfect one to create your relaxing space.

 

Materials Used in Japanese Table Lamps

Here, we'll introduce three representative materials used in Japanese table lamps. As explained above, Japan has a long tradition of crafting objects from natural materials. These materials offer a warm atmosphere and excellent practicality, and they are also excellent from the perspective of sustainability, a recent global trend. Let's get to know the characteristics of each material used in Japanese lamps and choose the one that suits your interior.

Washi Paper

Washi paper is the most popular material for Japanese lamps. It was adopted in the Edo period in Japan as a windbreak for candles and came to be used as a material for lamps such as lanterns. The characteristic of washi paper in lamps is its warm and soft light. The light transmittance of washi paper is generally around 40-50%, so it adjusts the amount of light to be neither too bright nor too dark. Also, washi paper is made of intertwined plant fibers, and these fibers have the property of diffusing light, creating a warm and soft glow.

Bamboo

Bamboo is a plant that has been used in manufacturing as an excellent material not only in Japan but also worldwide where it is distributed. The characteristics of bamboo as a material are its toughness, combining strength and flexibility, and its easily adaptable color tone. For example, in lanterns, bamboo is thinly split and shaved to create something like a natural wire, which is used for the frame. And as for the color tone, which is an important element in interiors, the light brown color of processed bamboo is characterized by its easy adaptability to other colors. Even when you want to add a touch of Japanese atmosphere as a focal point, you can enjoy it without spoiling the atmosphere of your current interior.

Wood

The excellence of wood as an interior material is widely recognized worldwide, but in Japan, cedar and cypress have been particularly favored. "Andon" lamps, which are diverse and used for both indoor and outdoor lighting, used cedar and cypress wood for their frames, covers, and bases. Wood has many advantages, such as giving a calm impression, a relaxing effect due to its scent and color, and a warm texture.

Types of Japanese Table Lamps

Let's introduce two representative styles of Japanese table lamps. Both use traditional Japanese techniques, but we will categorize them into modern design table lamps that give a sophisticated impression and table lamps that allow you to feel a stronger Japanese atmosphere.

Modern Japanese Paper Table Lamps 

For those who want to incorporate more modern Japanese lamp designs, we recommend washi paper lamps inspired by lanterns. This lamp design is represented by the "Akari series," which is called a sculpture of light, created by the artist Isamu Noguchi, who was also a sculptor, based on the Gifu lantern, a traditional Japanese craft.

These are characterized by the fusion of traditional techniques that produce high-quality lanterns and highly artistic designs. While you can feel the Japanese aesthetic from the natural materials and simplicity, they also have high affinity with modern interiors and are easy to incorporate.Even when not lit, you can enjoy the beautiful color and texture of washi paper, and when lit, the soft light gives the room a healing atmosphere.

Traditional Andon Japanese Lamps 

 For those who want to incorporate a Japanese atmosphere into their room as an accent, we recommend lamps inspired by andon. These generally have lampshades made of a wooden frame and washi paper.

The combination of wood and washi paper was seen in the old Japanese lamp style called "andon," which developed after the Edo period and was widely used until gas lamps and electric lights became widespread. This combination of materials is also used in shoji, the sliding doors of Japanese-style rooms, and can express a more traditional Japanese atmosphere.

 

Modern Japanese Paper Lamps

Here are three carefully selected modern Japanese washi paper table lamps. The selection is based on three elements: made in Japan, high quality, and design.

Akari - Isamu Noguchi

 This is the most famous washi paper lamp, created by the sculptor Isamu Noguchi based on the Gifu lantern. With approximately 200 different designs, it is attractive for its artistic form and design that is easy to incorporate into modern interiors. Gifu lanterns use Mino washi paper, which boasts a history of over 1300 years, and high-quality bamboo that has been produced in the Gifu region since ancient times.

Japanese Paper Table Lamp "TORCHIN BELL" 

"TORCHIN" is a portable table lamp inspired by the Yame lantern from Yame City, Fukuoka Prefecture, the birthplace of Japanese lanterns second only to Gifu. The "Ichijo Rasen-shiki" technique of winding a single bamboo stick to create the lantern frame is a representative technique of Yame lanterns, and this technique is also used in TORCHIN.

It features a simple design, high functionality with rechargeable batteries and three levels of brightness adjustment, and a wooden handle that combines portability and stability. It is a convenient lamp that allows you to change the brightness according to the room or usage scene.

Japanese Origami Paper Table Lamp - maru 

The Origami paper table lamp is not inspired by lanterns but is a modern washi paper lamp created through a completely new approach. It is characterized by its frameless design made entirely of washi paper, inspired by origami, and the beautiful shadows created by the folds in the paper. This was achieved through the high level of skill of Kyoto's tategu-shi (craftsmen who create and repair movable partitions inside Japanese buildings) and the functional and artistic design created by the "Origami Program" at the University of Tsukuba in Japan. While there are many lantern-type washi paper lamps, this Origami paper lamp is a very unique lamp that is unlike any other.

 

Traditional Japanese Lamps

Let me introduce two table lamps based on the shape of traditional Japanese andon lanterns. Like the Modern Japanese paper lamps, these were also carefully selected based on three elements: made in Japan, high quality, and design.

andon – 011

This is an andon lamp created as a modern light while preserving the traditional andon manufacturing techniques and style. The finest handmade Mino washi paper, also used in Gifu lanterns, is used for the washi paper material. Cedar is used for the wood, and it is a carefully crafted Japanese lamp assembled without using any metal fittings or petroleum-based adhesives.

Japanese Kumiko Lantern "Asanoha" - Small

 This is a Japanese table lamp decorated with a technique called "kumiko," which creates intricate geometric patterns without using a single nail. The art form of kumiko-zaiku has a long history and was also used in the decoration of Horyuji Temple, the world's oldest wooden building. It is a very precise traditional technique where an error of 0.1mm in a wood piece can determine the success or failure of the work. It is a gem that allows you to appreciate the artistry of kumiko even when it is not lit. Also, "Akita cedar," a high-quality wood, is used for the material, allowing you to enjoy its wonderful fragrance.

 

Japanese lamps, imbued with the wabi-sabi aesthetic, will help you create the relaxing space you desire. The warmth of natural materials and the soft light create a calming atmosphere, soothing you from the day's fatigue. Why not spend a relaxing time with a Japanese table lamp?