Rows of lanterns are common to light a pathway (sandō) leading towards a Buddhist temple or Shinto shrine like these along the waterfront at Miyajima. The Japanese word for a platform lamp is dai-dōrō. When it is made from stone, it is called ishi-dōrō and a pedestal version is tachidōrō. Their shape symbolizes the five elements of Buddhist cosmology. The onion-shaped top (hōju) represents kū meaning spirit, void or the afterlife.
