[Traditional performing arts] Odawara lanterns as a symbol of local pride

"Odawara Lanterns" gained popularity in Odawara, a post town on the Tokaido road. A huge Odawara lantern hangs inside Odawara Station, a terminal station currently used by five railway companies. This time, we interviewed Inoue Atsuhisa, chairman of the Odawara Lantern Making Volunteer Association, which provides making instruction to elementary school students and tourists in the city. We will focus on this traditional item that remains a familiar presence to the locals even today.

A soft light illuminating the city

The nursery rhyme "Ozaru no Kagoya" (Monkey's Basket) has been used as the platform departure melody at Odawara Station since November 2014. Many people will find the song familiar, with its light-hearted rhythm of "Odawara jōchin drabagete."

Odawara lanterns are said to have been invented in the middle of the Edo period by a lantern craftsman named Jinzaemon for travelers crossing Hakone. Odawara lanterns have three distinctive features known as "Santoku," with the top and bottom covers made from sacred wood from Daiyuzan Saijoji Temple, which act as talismans to ward off evil spirits on the journey. When folded, they fit easily in a pocket and are easy to carry. The flat bamboo ribs allow a wide adhesive surface to the washi paper, making them less likely to peel off and resistant to rain and fog, which earned them a reputation. In recent years, they have become an essential item for decorating festival venues in the city, in addition to being used as handicrafts for celebrations and gifts.

The power of volunteers to support the future

The Odawara Lantern Making Volunteer Association is now in its 35th year. The Odawara Lantern Festival and Odawara Lantern Light Art Fair, community events held every autumn at Odawara Castle Park, are supported by the volunteers' activities.

-First of all, please tell us how you got started.

Inoue : Our activities began with lantern making, which was one of the highlights of the "Light Festival at Omojo Oasis" planned and run by the Odawara Hakone Chamber of Commerce and Industry Youth Division at the time, which marked the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Odawara City as a city. At the time, we learned that Chairman Kuramochi of the Odawara Lantern Preservation Society had invented a kit for making lanterns and was holding classes on how to make them, so we explained our plan to have elementary school students make lanterns and exhibit the children's Odawara lanterns at the event. We received their full cooperation.

After that, due to the success of the event, it was decided to continue the project. From the following year, the Odawara City Tourism Association and the Odawara Hakone Chamber of Commerce and Industry Youth Division jointly provided production instruction at elementary schools, but there were limitations to the activities during the day on weekdays. Therefore, they recruited local citizens and formed a volunteer group. From the 10th year, the event has been carried out by three parties: the Tourism Association, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Youth Division, and the Odawara Lantern Production Volunteer Association.

- Who are the current members and what are your activities?

The Inoue group has 80 members, about half male and half female. Most of them are retired, but there are also company employees, housewives, and university students who joined as high school students.

The core of our activities is providing instruction on how to make handmade lanterns for fifth and sixth graders at all 25 schools in the city. Every year in June and July, 10 to 20 members visit each school. The crafts, which are done in the gymnasium, take about an hour and a half, but the children enjoy them without getting bored. We also strive to get the children interested in this traditional culture of Odawara.

-It's wonderful that you're so rooted in the community.

Thank you, Inoue . Approximately 1,600 handmade lanterns made by children from all elementary schools in the city will be exhibited at the Honmaru Square in Odawara Castle Ruins Park for about a month as part of the Odawara Lantern Light Art Fair. It is beautiful not only during the day, but also when lit up at night, so it is recommended. I hope you will come and see the works that each person has drawn on washi paper.

-Is there anything you feel while doing this activity?

Inoue: I feel that Odawara lanterns have been deeply engraved in people's hearts because of the continuation of the project . I myself have been involved in the project for 42 years. We have supported the production of approximately 65,000 lanterns by school children, and if we include tourists and various groups, we believe that the number exceeds 100,000. Many families have two generations of parents and children who have participated in the lantern-making experience.

People in Odawara cite Odawara Castle, pickled plums, kamaboko, and other local specialties, but Odawara lanterns are also a proud product known throughout the country. We hope to continue our activities to foster local pride as a symbol of our children's hometown, Odawara.

If you want to know more about Odawara lanterns

The Odawara Lantern Making Volunteer Association offers a lantern making experience on the second and fourth Sunday of every month. Parents and children can participate, and it is popular with tourists. It is a chance to get up close and personal with Odawara lanterns, which are also part of the "Japan Heritage (Hakone Hachiri)" recognized by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. Why not try making your own lantern in Odawara while thinking back to ancient times?

Text by Mai Shimura (editor/writer)

Odawara Lantern Making Volunteer Association
For inquiries, please contact Odawara City Tourism Association (TEL: 0465-20-4192)
Odawara Lantern Making Experience: Click here