Bakedoro, Ghost Lantern
This bronze lantern was donated to Nikko Futarasan Shrine in 1292 by Kanuma Katsutsuna, a prominent local samurai. A flame was lit in the upper box of the lantern to illuminate the shrine grounds after dark. It is said that the flames inside the lantern looked just like a ghost at night, resulting in its interesting name.
Until the end of the Edo period (1603–1867), samurai guarded the grounds of Nikko Futarasan Shrine through the night. Mistaking the flame for an apparition, the samurai attacked the lantern with their katana swords, and there are approximately seventy small cuts on the lantern.