Buddhist altar light
A light placed on a Buddhist altar. This is the original, literal meaning, but the word is now rare and mostly encountered in historical or religious contexts.
I once saw a Buddhist altar light at an old temple.
flashlight-like lantern with a freely rotating candle
Abbreviation of 龕灯提灯 (がんどうちょうちん). A portable lantern with a gimbal-mounted candle that always points the light forward, used historically. Now a historical term; modern equivalents are flashlights.
See also: 強盗提灯
In period dramas, there are scenes where a samurai walking at night holds a gimbal lantern.
A general paper lantern. がんどう is a specific type of lantern with a gimbal mechanism, often used as a portable light.
Historical kanji spelling; 龕 is a rare character. The word is now usually written in kana.
Variant with 燈 (old form of 灯). Rare and mostly historical.
The word がんどう is derived from 龕灯 (がんどう), literally 'niche lamp', referring to a lamp placed in a Buddhist altar niche. The second sense comes from the abbreviation of 龕灯提灯 (がんどうちょうちん), a lantern with a gimbal mechanism that keeps the candle upright, named after its resemblance to the altar light.