In Japan, “Mawari-Doro” (Turning Lantern) are traditionally used in Buddhist ceremonies in August to commemorate our ancestors. Many turning items come from Tibetan Buddhism, which represent the philosophy of re-incarnation. We have modified these religious lanterns for your casual enjoyment.

When people see a Magic Lamp for the first time, they often think it has a small motor running to make the cylinder spin.

Actually, the lamp works with a much simpler mechanism. The heat of the bulb creates a hot air current that rises upward.

The hot air then goes through the vent of the cylinder. The vent is designed to convert the hot air current to horizontal pushing power.

As the cylinder spins, the image on the cylinder projects on to the rice paper screen, making the images almost come alive! It is so simple!