Existing comment:
Friendship
Washington DC's cherry blossom trees symbolize the enduring friendship between the United States and Japan.
Like a tree, friendship needs delicate care when young, and maintenance over the years. Once the roots are strong, a friendship can grow, survive storms, and bloom for years.
The stone lantern was a gift from the city of Tokyo in 1954, less than a decade after World War II. The lantern originally stood in Ueno Park, and was a gift of tribute to the Shogun from the lord of Hizen (present-day Nagasaki) in 1651.
US-Japan relations began in 1853 when Commodore Matthew C. Perry's "black ships" delivered a letter from President Fillmore to Emperor Komei.
The two nations signed treaties of peace in 1854 and 1858.
The first Japanese ambassadors met President Buchanan at the White House in 1860, ratifying the 1858 Treaty of Amity and Commerce, and officially opening five Japanese ports, including Yokohama, to American vessels. |