![]() Like traditional Japanese architecture’s curved roof edge corners, Honju is created to dispel evil spirits and protect the rest of the lantern. The round knob at the top of the lantern, referred to as Honju, is shaped like a Buddhist holy relic. A century after Commodore Matthew Perry convinced Japan to reopen international trade and end the Sakoku policy, the Japanese commemorated the resumption of Japanese foreign interaction by sending this Japanese lantern to the United States. Carved in 1651, the lantern stood for over 300 years on the grounds of the Iemitsu family’s shrine in what today is Ueno Park in Tokyo. The most famous ordinance in history, signed by Tokugawa Iemitsu, was the Sakoku policy (鎖国), which aimed at developing the domestic economy of Japan while shutting its borders to foreigners and halting foreign trade. The lantern was originally carved to commemorate Tokugawa Iemitsu (徳川家光1604-1651), the third shōgun (将軍) of the mighty Tokugawa clan as well as one of the iron-fisted military leaders who ruled the Japanese islands in the centuries before the 1868 Meiji Restoration (明治維新) elevated the emperor from a ceremonial titleholder to actual power. It was originally established by Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川家康) and for 265 years established a political system under the strict control of the shogunate and divided the people of the country into four hierarchical classes – samurai, peasants, craftsmen, and merchants. Stern, and Gordon Evans, President of International House. In January 1989, Akihito ascended to the throne and served as emperor until 2019.The Edo Shogunate (江戸幕府), also called Tokugawa Shogunate (徳川幕府) was the last military ruling shogunate in Japanese history (1603-1868). The dedication ceremony in Sakura Park took place on Octoand was attended by Crown Prince Akihito and Princess Michiko, as well as 1,500 onlookers. On October 9, 1987, Prince Akihito and Princess Michiko participated in a rededication of the lantern attended by Mayor Edward I. Another Japanese toro may be seen locally in the pond at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. This unique park monument is a traditional Japanese stone lantern in the style known as kasuga-toro and includes a stylized lotus flower at the base of the capital, reliefs of imaginary animals, and a capstone with six volutes. The style originated in the province of Kasuga this particular example was built and carved by skilled Japanese artisans in 1930. Its total height is more than 14 feet, and it weighs close to seven tons. During the Momoyama period (1573–1615), the sculptural form was adapted for decorative use in tea gardens or roji. The size and proportion varied depending on its placement in the garden, and a number of diverse styles evolved. Over time, their function as a housing for oil or candles gave way to a decorative purpose. Typically made of granite or syenite, the Japanese stone lantern, or ishi toro, was traditionally used for illumination at Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. ![]() Today, both landscape and monument represent the enduring and flowering exchange between the American and Japanese people. The Japanese lantern stands in Sakura Park, which derives its name from the Japanese word for cherry tree. In 1912, NYC Parks received a consignment of two thousand cherry trees from Japan, many of which were planted here and in Riverside Park. The land for this park and neighboring International House were donated by the Rockefeller family in the 1920s. The engraved inscription, long ago worn away, read, “Presented by the citizens of the Metropolis of Tokyo to the citizens of the City of New York in celebration of the Tokyo-New York sister-city affiliation inaugurated on February 29, 1960.” This monument was a gift of international friendship from the city of Tokyo.
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