POTD 2018/100. The Gift of Friendship

This 3,800 pound, 17th century Japanese Pagoda arrived in the nation's capital in 1957 as a gift from Mayor Ryozo Hiranuma of Yokohama, Japan. Its parts packed in five shipping crates with no assembly instructions, the pagoda required the staff of the Library of Congress to determine how to reconstruct it accurately. Former District of Columbia Commissioner Renah Camalier arranged for its placement here among the flowering cherry trees Japan donated in 1912.

On April 18, 1958, the pagoda was dedicated in continuing recognition of the centennial of the peaceful relations established between the United States and Japan at Yokohama on March 31, 1854, as a special gift from Japan to the United States. That landmark event also honored by a Washington Monument commemorative stone, the United States Navy Memorial bronze bas-relief, and the Japanese Lantern across the Tidal Basin.

Pagodas originated in India as stupas, or burial tombs, which represented birth, creation, and the center of the universe. Buddhism transformed the stupa into the more spiritual pagoda found atop mountains or along ancient roads as a symbol of reverence for natural elements. Consider how this pagoda remains symbolic of a Japanese garden, which traditionally emphasizes balance among the elements of water, stone, and vegetation.

1/800 sec at f/16, ISO 1600
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens at 168mm

I hope you enjoy today's J.W. Remington Photographics' Photo of the Day for April 10, 2018!

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