The Yamaga Lantern Craft Museum, 灯籠民芸館, introduces the history and culture of the traditional craft of paper lantern making. This rare and extraodinarily delicate paperwork has been passed down since ancient times and is unique to the Yamaga area.
The museum is situated in the old bank just a couple of minutes walk down the hill from the Yachiyoza theatre, the bank was constructed in 1926 and now designated as a registered tangible cultural asset.
The legend of the origin of the Yamaga lanterns states that Emperor Keiko, the twelfth emperor of Japan, came to Kyushu, he travelled up the Kikuchi River however heavy fog engulfed him and his entourage and the villagers of Yamaga carrying torches guided them to safety.
The villagers later dedicated a shrine to the Emperor naming it the Omiya Shrine, it became the custom to make offerings of torches every year at the shrine during the Obon period of mid August.
The torches were replaced by paper lanterns during the Muromachi period (1336–1573) , The original lantern design was based on the metal lanterns of the Muromachi period, however competition among lantern makers has lead to increasingly complex and intricate designs. The lanterns now often take the shape of large and very accurate reproductions of famous shrines, castles and temples, they take several months to complete and use only Japanese washi paper and a sparing amount of glue.
The making of the lanterns is a highly ritualised process passed down from master to apprentice, becoming a fully-fledged lantern maker takes 10 years or more. Lantern makers attend a purification ritual at Omiya shrine in April and then commence lantern making. When lanterns are completed they are placed on special stands, concealed by curtains. The lanterns are finally placed on special stands that line the streets and displayed on the eve of the festival.
The gold and silver lanterns that adorn the heads of the dancers are also constructed each year by the craftsmen, each one takes 3 days to complete and weighs only 50g. At the museum you can see many different lanterns displayed, watch a video of how the lanterns are constructed. Try on a paper lantern headdress for yourself and watch a mastercraftsman at work.
You can also try your hand at assembling your own miniature paper lantern under the guidance of a craftsman. The activity can be booked up to a day in advance and takes between 1 and 2 hours, the cost is 3,000 yen including all materials.
If you would like to book this activity or put a visit to the Yamaga Lantern Museum into your custom tour please contact Explore Kumamoto.
Opening Hours:
May to November 09:00 to 20:00
December to April 09:00 to 18:00
Closed Dec 29 to Jan 1
Entrance fee:
Adults 210 Yen
Children (age 6 to 15) 100 Yen
Getting There
Buses run to Yamaga from Kumamoto City Main Bus Station run by Kyushu Sanko, the bus will take around an hour, get off at Yamaga Onsen and walk up the slope, you’ll see the Lantern Museum on your left. The Yachiyoza Theatre is further up on your right.
By car take Route 3 to the North, Yamaga is about 30km from Kumamoto City. There are several small paid carparks nearby the museum.
Travel Tip
Get the combination ticket for Yachiyoza and the Yamaga Lantern Museum and save money.