In 1975, Tim Barrett, now emeritus director and paper specialist at the University of Iowa Center for the Book, traveled to Japan to begin Fulbright research on hand papermaking techniques. It was during his two-year fellowship that he found himself fascinated by small lanterns known as Odawara chochin, “the equivalent of a personal flashlight,” dating back to the late 18th to early 20th centuries. Barrett is an enthusiastic collector of these lanterns, which were named for their origin in the town of Odawara, an important stop on the road between Tokyo and Kyoto. The lanterns in the exhibit will eventually join the paper specimens, slides, videos, and other items in the Tim Barrett Collection at the UI Libraries. Below, Barrett casts light on what drew him to these unique items.
This exhibit is on display for the Fall 2024 semester in the Special Collections and Archives reading room. Learn more about these lanterns by attending Barrett’s curator talk at 3:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024.
An imaginative “obsession”
“Over the last few years I have become mildly obsessed with collecting and restoring [Japanese pocket lanterns], bringing them back to life, and imagining their original owners.
Several things have drawn me down this rabbit hole. In general, I am touched by the quality of the artisanal workmanship and the materials evident in these utilitarian objects that were part of their owners’ daily lives. During their restoration, I imagine the comfort and joy their light gave, keeping darkness at bay, and how they must have been reassuring, almost spiritual, company for anyone walking alone in the darkness. Finally, there is an undeniable tension between the highly flammable components and the precious light they gave.”
Illuminating the path
“To appreciate the importance of these lanterns, one has first to imagine near total darkness. Darkness, as on a path in a deep forest on a moonless night. Dark, dark. This is not easy for us to do in modern times. Because we are surrounded by sources of light at night, we are unfamiliar with the experience of true darkness.
In Japan, electric lighting didn’t arrive until the late 19th or early 20th century. Oil lamps, torches, fires, and candles provided limited sources of light for those in the immediate vicinity and also gave those at a distance a helpful sense of direction.”
A sense of what it must have been like in the dark, and how important paper lanterns were, is evident from these early 20th century Japanese prints.
Tim Barrett
Building a collection
“Most of the lanterns in the exhibit were found on Japanese auction sites or online antique shops. The purchase prices varied from $20 to $150 depending on workmanship, rarity, and condition. Lanterns with their original paper and bamboo ‘fire bags’ intact were generally at the higher end of the price range. Because the paper and bamboo caught fire so easily, most lanterns today consist of only the remaining top and bottom pieces, usually made of copper or brass.”
GALLERY
Odawara Chochin Reference
Tsuyoshi Harada, Japanese Studies Librarian, and I have searched and thus far found only one book that specifically addresses Odawara Chochin. Published by the “Odawara Chochin Preservation Society” in 1977, the book documents the history, production, use, literature, artwork, and memories associated with Odawara Chochin. In Japanese. No complete English translation is known. It is available to check out from the UI Libraries Japanese Collection.