About Gifu Chochin
Gifu Chochin are traditional lanterns produced in Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture, using Nagara River washi paper and bamboo. Around the mid-Edo period, lantern production began utilizing Gifu's abundant bamboo and washi paper, developing into a major production area for Obon lanterns. Thin bamboo strips are wound in a spiral frame, covered with thin Mino washi paper, onto which painters add flowers, landscapes, and family crests. The soft, fantastical light through the washi paper is a summer seasonal feature in Japan, and Gifu ships nationwide as a major domestic producer of Obon lanterns.
Techniques & Materials
Craft terms are shown in the original Japanese — these are proper names with no standard English equivalents.
Techniques
Materials
Where to see & buy
Workshop names are in Japanese; links go to their official sites.
- 岐阜提灯（産地にご確認ください）