Kyoto lantern maker (Kyoto) Shun Kojima

Kojima Shoten, founded in the late 18th century, is one of the few remaining lantern makers to carry out all lantern-making processes, from splitting the bamboo used to make the lanterns’ ribs to painting pictures on the washi paper, by hand. Known for its lanterns large and small, Kojima Shoten makes the huge lantern outside Kyoto’s Minamiza kabuki theater and supplies lanterns to most of Japan’s Shinto shrines.
Shun Kojima, tenth-generation lantern maker, works to create new lantern products using traditional techniques. He has expanded modern-day uses for traditional lanterns by supplying them to art installations. His company created the large lantern hanging from the ceiling at Happo-en’s “Waza Department 2016* ” Japanese-style club floor.