Kyo Ishi Kogeihin

One mason, every step

Kyo stonework is mostly made for gardens: lanterns, water basins, millstones, tiered pagodas and carvings. A single mason handles every step. Since the Momoyama period, when the tea ceremony flourished, the stone lantern has been an essential star of the Japanese garden. It is made in Kyoto, Uji, Kameoka, Muko and Yawata in Kyoto.

Four stages

• Raw stone such as Shirakawa granite is worked into blocks.
• Each piece is shaped.
• It is carved by traditional methods.
• It is finished, and placed so it harmonises with the garden around it.

Temples, palaces and tea

Stone craft in Kyoto grew with Buddhism from the late Nara period, and with the capital's move to Heian, stonework was made for the palace. Fine granite came from Shirakawa at the foot of Mt Hiei, a village where everyone once worked stone. From the Momoyama to early Edo periods, castle building, garden making and above all tea culture shaped the craft: tea masters placed copies of old lanterns, water basins and pagodas in their gardens to express wabi and sabi.