Japan the Art of Living. Amy Sylvester Katoh

      A standing Akari light casts a soft glow on a tansu and fish sculpture.

      An oversized fan made of was hi and bamboo welcomes visitors with its atmospheric light.

      Used only three or four times in its entire three-hundred-year history, this entrance to a traditional Japanese house was built to welcome an exalted teacher or lord. The series of glowing lights leads the eye to an inner room graced by a tsuitate mounted with a Clifton Karhu woodblock print.

      Andon are ingenious wood-and-paper creations originally designed for candlelight. Construction of the portable lamps varied, depending on how the candle or oil plate was fixed. Repapering the lanterns with oldwashi or woodblock prints produces interesting effects.

      In the artful corner of kitchen central, an old porcelain sake keg sheds light on note pads used for planning the day's activities. Okame-san (round-faced, smiling woman, the ideal of feminine good nature) gives her silent blessing.

      At the entrance of A.B. Clarke's house, an unusually shaped kabekake an don (bamboo and washi walllamp) sends a mellow glow over a basket of flowers and a cho dansu (shopkeeper's chest for accounting), a mark of status during the Edo period.

      A wide-brimmed shade over a converted blue and white vase provides light and atmosphere at the same time.

      In this aristocratic entrance, the diffused light picks up subtle gold highlights in the elegant screen within and invites you to venture inside.

      An early Showa-era ceiling light casts a glow over a "demon queller" scroll and other paintings, making the staircase a fascinating place to linger.

      A reading andon sheds a soft light on its surroundings.

      Far from wasting space, stairs can celebrate space, as shown here in the Hoksbergen house. Baskets on stair rungs are both handy and attractive. Baskets on the landing add interest too. The large one boasts a huge collection of corks from wine bottles. The simple washi lantern gently illuminates the soft blues, whites, and pinks of the tsutsugaki quilt cover, which bears the auspicious motifs of crane and turtle, bamboo, pine, and plum.

      MARRIAGE OF LIGHT AND SPACE

      The gentle glow of an andon sends light in different directions, illuminating a nineteenth-century naga dansu (long, top-opening chest), a frolicking rabbit tsutsugaki quilt cover, and massive beams overhead. Willow branches studded with pink and white rice balls are decorations for the new year.

      A multifaceted, nineteenth-century andon stands over a carved wooden cat.

      Suspended on an old piece of bamboo, a stencil-dyed, indigo yogi (padded sleeping kimono) hangs ready for use during cold Karuizawa winters.

      An auspicious Mt. Fuji-shaped candelabrum, probably from a shrine, sits on a disguised heater. Beside it is a hexagonal andon with an arm to raise or lower the candles for lighting. At night, the flickering candles transform the room.

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      Traditional Furniture

      The beauty of traditional furniture is enhanced when used in dramatic new ways. Here, a pair of Rinpa screens provides the background for two carved fish swimming in the glossy surface of a tansu.