‘Japanese Lantern’ in Boston, Massachusetts

The Boston Public Garden is a beautiful park offering peaceful walking paths and iconic swan boats. The garden is filled with statues and sculptures, including a unique and historically significant Japanese Lantern. This lantern was gifted to the city in 1905 by Bunkio Matsuki, a Japanese art dealer in Boston. Matsuki, influenced by antiquarian Edward S. Morse, brought the lantern from Japan. The lantern originated around 1587 and was made for Daimyō Toyotomi Hideyoshi, originally standing in the now-defunct Moyoma Garden. The iron lantern, with its detailed carvings, is approximately 10.5 feet tall. Its age makes it possibly the oldest sculpture in Boston, predating the city's founding. The lantern underwent restoration in 1993, and was placed on a new stone base. This historic lantern is a worthwhile sight for anyone visiting the Boston Public Garden.