Japanese Lantern on the Tidal Basin
Japanese Lantern Plaza Restoration
In 2013, the Trust for the National Mall managed the construction of the Japanese Stone Lantern Plaza on the Tidal Basin. The project, which began in April 2013, was completed in August 2013 and unveiled in a ceremony in November with Japanese Ambassador Kenichiro Sasae.
The plaza is part of the Trust for the National Mall’s continued efforts to reduce the environmental footprint on America’s Front Yard by protecting the nearby cherry trees from soil erosion and compaction while making the lantern more accessible to visitors.
Presented to the city of Washington on March 30, 1954, this stone lantern symbolizes and stands as a gesture of everlasting peace and friendship. A representation of the concept of healed wounds, the lantern acknowledges the peaceful union and friendship between the Japan and the United States.
Carved in 1651, it stood for over 300 years on the grounds of the Toeizan Kan’eiji Temple in the ancient city of Edo, present - day Tokyo, in Ueno Park, a place famous for its cherry blossoms. Its mate stands there to this day. The granite lantern, older than the United States itself, stands eight and a half feet tall and weighs two tons (4,000 pounds). It resembles the lanterns that were introduced to Japan from China along with Buddhism. These lanterns initially adorned temple grounds and were later used decoratively in Japanese gardens. As the oldest free-standing, man-made stone structure standing outdoors in Washington D.C., the lantern takes its place among the many natural and cultural treasures on the National Mall.
The stone lantern continued the gift giving cycle that began in 1912 with Japan’s donation of cherry trees. Every year at the start of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, the lantern is lit to commemorate the annual celebration and kick off the three weeks of events surrounding the iconic cherry blossoms.
Formerly located on Independence Avenue east of West Basin Drive, the Trust for the National Mall moved to lantern to its current location on the northwestern edge of the Tidal Basin in 2013 to improve the accessibility and sustainability of the area. The landscape enhancements to the Japanese lantern and the adjacent memorial stone on the Tidal Basin was conceived last year as part of the Japan-U.S. Cherry Blossom Centennial celebration and was designed by Kurisu International, a landscape design-build firm dedicated to creating restorative garden environments.
Its new location gives it more prominence and allows visitors to learn about site's historical significance and be reminded of the importance of the friendship between Japan and the United States.
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Japanese stone lantern PLAZA DESIGN
Initiated by former Japanese ambassador to the United States, Ichiro Fujisaki, the vision to create a permanent landscape to complement this lantern and unify other historical markers in the area was developed by Hoichi Kurisu and Kurisu International, Inc. in cooperation with the United States National Park Service.
As the lantern was originally placed alone in a large expanse of open lawn, design priorities included creating a sense of place, ADA compliant pathways and plaza meeting low-maintenance requirements and the preservation and protection of existing cherry trees.
Why Is there a Japanese LanterN at the Tidal Basin in D.C.?
Washington Post, By William Neff
“No crowd will gather for the traditional lighting of the 17-century stone lantern on the Tidal Basin this year, because Washington’s annual Cherry Blossom Festival will be online. But the flame is far from the most interesting part of this unusual symbol of Japanese history and culture…”
Japanese Stone Lantern HISTORY
Originally offered by the Japanese in November 1921, a photograph was sent of the proposed lantern with a written proposal. The Commission of Fine Arts reviewed the photograph and proposal and suggested a smaller decorative lantern instead. Unfortunately, Japanese-American relations were then strained by confrontational meetings that occurred during the Washington Naval Conference, and the Japanese postponed the offer indefinitely. Further preempted by World War II, this stone lantern was finally dedicated on March 30, 1954.