[Traditional Performing Arts] Odawara Lanterns as a Symbol of Local Love

Odawara lanterns are popular in Odawara, a post town on the Tokaido road. A huge Odawara lantern hangs within the grounds of Odawara Station, a terminal station currently served by five railway companies. In this article, we interview Inoue Atsuhisa, chairman of the Odawara Lantern Making Volunteer Association, which provides crafting instruction to elementary school students and tourists in the city. We take a look at this traditional item that remains a familiar presence to local residents today.

A soft light illuminating the city

The children's song "Ozaru no Kagoya" has been used as the platform melody for trains leaving Odawara Station since November 2014. Many people will find the song familiar, with its light-hearted rhythm, "Odawara Jochin Hangate."

Odawara lanterns are said to have been invented in the mid-Edo period by a lantern craftsman named Jinzaemon for travelers crossing Hakone. Odawara lanterns have three distinctive features known as "sanku" (three virtues), with the top and bottom lids (mageshi) made from sacred wood from Daiyuzan Saijoji Temple, which serves as a talisman against evil spirits on the journey. When folded, they fit easily into a pocket and are easy to carry. The flat bamboo ribs provide a wide adhesive surface for the washi paper, making them less likely to peel off and resistant to rain and fog, earning them a reputation. In recent years, they have become an essential craft item for celebrations and gifts, as well as decorating festival venues in the city.

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 Ruins Park, are supported by the volunteers' efforts.

-First of all, please tell us how it all started.

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

Following 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 limits to what could be done during the day on weekdays. So they started recruiting local citizens and formed a volunteer group. From the 10th year, the event has been run by three parties: the Tourism Association, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Youth Division, and the Odawara Lantern Production Volunteer Group.

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

The Inoue group currently has 80 members, with about half male and half female. Most 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 to fifth and sixth graders from all 25 schools in the city. Every year in June and July, 10 to 20 members visit each school. The craft project, which takes place in the gymnasium, takes about an hour and a half, but the children enjoy it without getting bored. We also strive to get them interested in this as a traditional part of Odawara culture.

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

Thank you, Inoue . Approximately 1,600 handmade lanterns made by students from all elementary schools in the city will be exhibited for about a month at the Odawara Lantern Light Art Fair in the Honmaru Square of Odawara Castle Ruins Park. They are beautiful not only during the day but also when lit up at night, so we highly recommend them. We hope you will come and see the works of art each student has created on washi paper.

-Is there anything you feel while doing this activity?

Inoue: I feel that Odawara lanterns have become deeply engraved in people's hearts because they have continued to be made. It has been 42 years since I first became involved in the business. We have supported the production of approximately 65,000 lanterns by school children, and if you 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, and kamaboko as local specialties, but Odawara lanterns are also a proud product known throughout the country. We hope to continue our activities to foster love for our hometown, Odawara, as a symbol of our town, our children's hometown.

If you want to know more about Odawara lanterns

The Odawara Lantern Making Volunteer Association holds lantern making experiences on the second and fourth Sunday of every month. Parents and children can participate, and the event is popular with tourists. This is a chance to get up close and personal with Odawara lanterns, which are also part of the "Japan Heritage (Hakone Hachiri)" certified by the Agency for Cultural Affairs. Why not try making your own lantern in Odawara while reminiscing about 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