Edo Hand-Painted Lantern Making Experience: Experience traditional techniques from a 112-year-old company

This plan allows you to experience Edo hand-painted lantern making, where you write characters on mini lanterns at “Namidabashi Oshimaya Chochin-ten” in Minamisenju, Tokyo. It’s the essence of lantern-making techniques accumulated over 111 years since its founding. You’ll experience the joy of writing bold and powerful characters, like those seen in shrines, temples, and traditional performing arts stages.

[You can challenge yourself to make a one-of-a-kind mini lantern under the guidance of Kenichiro Murata, the 4th generation master]

Experience hand-painted lantern making, where you write the traditional calligraphic style “Kagomoji” on a lantern, specifically Edo characters on a mini lantern with a total height of about 25cm. There are two types of lantern shapes to choose from: a soft, spherical egg shape, and a slim, stylish narrow type. Imagine the lantern displayed in your home and choose a light shape that blends into your lifestyle. It begins with tracing the craftsman’s draft of the characters on the lantern with black paint. Once traced with black paint, a lantern with white-outlined characters appears. Imagine a lantern with vibrant characters emerging, and fill in the inside of the outlines with your favorite color. There are 10 colors to choose from. As the characters are dyed in a color that perfectly matches your current feelings, a natural sense of excitement is sure to well up. After drying the paint that has been thoroughly applied to every corner, fold it small and make creases to complete your Edo hand-painted lantern. If you light an LED light inside, gentle yet powerful characters will emerge. The souvenir is a red lantern of “Tokyo” hand-painted by a craftsman. When you display the two lanterns side by side someday, please remember the time you touched the soft light in Tokyo.