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What is the original Japanese saying meaning, "It's always the darkest under the lighthouse"? (reference)

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Note that lighthouse is not an appropriate translation for 灯台 here. – Dono Jun 12 '12 at 14:12
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You omitted the most important part of the question from the title! Please include the sentence itself in the title. – Tsuyoshi Ito Jun 12 '12 at 14:17
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@missingfaktor 灯台 in this case refers a type of old-style room lighting that is made of wood and resembles a candlestick. They were primarily in use from Heian through Edo period. You place a rod in the stand, dampen it with oils, and let it burn. Depending on the design, there are several prominent types: 菊灯台, 切灯台, 糞層灯台, 長檠, and 短檠. – Dono Jun 12 '12 at 14:43
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@missingfaktor: Unfortunately, the tag [typo] has been used to refer to something different from typos, despite its name. Please see the meta post which I linked to in my previous comment. If you have a suggestion for a better name, please post it in the meta thread! – Tsuyoshi Ito Jun 12 '12 at 14:54
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@Dono: Can you post it as an answer? Although it does not answer the original question being asked, I think that it deserves to be an answer because it explains an important supplemental information about the answer. – Tsuyoshi Ito Jun 12 '12 at 14:58
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2 Answers

up vote 5 down vote accepted

It's probably 灯{とう}台{だい}下{もと}暗{くら}し, meaning we tend to overlook what is right under our nose.

http://kotowaza-allguide.com/to/toudaimotokurashi.html

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Thank you for the answer. Much appreciated! – missingfaktor Jun 12 '12 at 15:20
up vote 6 down vote

I agree with the accepted answer. However, to supplement it, I would like to note that "lighthouse"--a rather modern concept--is not an acceptable translation for this saying. Rather, 灯台 in this case refers a type of old-style room lighting that is made of wood and resembles a candlestick. They were primarily in use from Heian through Edo period. You place a rod in the stand, dampen it with oils, and let it burn. Depending on the design, there are several prominent types: 菊灯台, 切灯台, 糞層灯台, 長檠, and 短檠.

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Thank you for the answer. Much appreciated! – missingfaktor Jun 12 '12 at 15:21
I remember a bar hostess saying that (the accepted answer) and when I didn't get it, she drew a picture of a lighthouse. I was the guest of a fairly well-to-do 社長 and the bar was high-end so I too accept the answer. – medmal Jul 18 '12 at 6:10

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