Akari 1N, Table LanternPre order items Traditional Japanese paper lantern designed by Isamu Noguchi. 'Akari' means 'Light' in Japanese, and alludes to both physical lightness and illumination. Isamu Noguchi has had a life time of experimentation and a successful, multi disciplinary art practice. He designed the first Akari lamp in 1951, after learning about traditional paper lanterns in Gifu, Japan. In his quest for creating a sculpture of light that was was experienced