How to Make a Japanese Lamp

Japanese summers are characterized by the Toro Nagashi festival, or the festival of floating lanterns. The festival is meant to honor the departed, and people typically inscribe the lanterns with messages and names for deceased loved ones. The Blick Art Materials website recommends making paper lanterns at home in conjunction with a lesson on Japanese culture. One of the best qualities of this craft is that paper lanterns can be made as intricately or as simplistically as possible, making it an ideal project for students of all ages.

Instructions

1

Roll one sheet of paper to form a large cylinder shape. Mark with a pencil the edge where the paper will be held together, but do not glue into place. Unroll the paper.

2

Take an additional piece of paper and fold a flap 1/2 inch from the edge. Fold the paper in half and crease it tightly. Open the paper so that the crease faces down. Fold both ends of the paper to the middle crease. Stand the paper upright and form a rectangle shape using the folds. When satisfied with the shape, flatten the paper.

3

Trace designs on the flat lamps with a pencil. Determine if the lantern will be used in or out of the water. For floating lamps, color in the designs with permanent markers or waterproof India Inks. Indoor lanterns and those that will not be used in the water may be painted with watercolors. Lay lantern paper flat to dry.

4

Cut a piece of Yupo paper measuring 4 1/2 inches by 6 inches. Fold a -inch crease around all four sides of the square and pinch the corners together. This will be used as a base for a floating lamp.

5

Wipe glue along the pencil-marked edge of the cylinder lantern and press the edges together to secure the lantern shape. Wipe glue along the 1/2-inch crease on the rectangular lamp and secure it to the opposite side to create the rectangular shape. Allow glue to dry.

6

Place a battery-operated tea light or floating candle on top of the floating lamp base. Place the rectangular lamp over the tea light and secure to the base with tape.

7

Fill a glass bowl three-quarters of the way full with sand and secure a battery-operated tea light in the center. Place the cylinder lantern over the tea light. The sand secures the lamp in place for outdoor use. For indoor use, lamps may be placed directly over tea lights without a secure base.