In 2013, the lantern, once located east of West Basin Drive on Independence Avenue, was relocated to the Japanese Stone Lantern Plaza at the Tidal Basin. A gift from the mayor of Tokyo to the city of Washington, it commemorates the 100th anniversary of Commodore Matthew Perry’s mission and stands as a symbol of the enduring relationship between Japan and the United States. The lantern’s origins, however, reach back to 17th-century Tokyo. It was originally carved for the funeral of Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu and placed at the Toeizan Kan’eiji Temple, where he was laid to rest. For 300 years, it remained there—a quiet presence through generations—before beginning its journey to a new home across the Pacific.