National Treasures & Important Cultural Properties
of National Institutes for Cultural Heritage, Japan

This is an iron Tsuri-Toro (hanging lantern) that was handed down to the Nyoho-ji temple in Fukushima. The roof and legs are shaped like Kudzu leaves with small heart shaped openwork called Inome Sukashi. There are two single swing doors for a Hibukuro (fire box). One of the openings has openwork with a diagonal lattice design in a checkered pattern and the other has a net design of the same pattern. A technique known as Monyo-sukashi (a pattern is cut away in relief leaving some of the original material as background) is applied to the remaining four walls around the Hibukuro and each has openwork with Tachibana (mandarin orange) patterns, Cherry and Katabami (Oxalis) patterns, pine, bamboo and plum patterns, and magaki (bamboo fence) and chrysanthemum patterns on Omodaka (Japanese crests of water plantain). The transom, the upper part of the Hibukuro, also has openwork. The following Chinese phrases are inscribed on the Transom. “奥州会津稲荷之庄如法寺之御堂之金”, “燈爐之寄進大旦那鍛冶渡邊孫兵衛” “長吉作内□取持猪野弥五良房宗金之” “旦那永禄七年甲子五月十七日奉懸之也” and “當住寺頼真之御代鍍旦那長治太良衛門通□（両）” and another Chinese phrase (“奉執金剛神大槻形部少輔与定”) is also inscribed on the Hojyu (sacred gem) placed on the top of the roof. According to this inscription, this Tsuri-Toro was dedicated to Shukongojin and enshrined in the Nyoho-ji temple in 1564.