Remarks as Prepared for Delivery for
The Honorable Dirk Kempthorne,
Secretary of the Interior
Japanese Lantern Lighting Ceremony
Washington, D.C.
April 8, 2007
More than 400 years ago, the great Japanese poet Matuso Basho, wrote a haiku celebrating the beauty of cherry blossoms and their power to capture our imaginations.
Samazama noKoto omoidasu
Sakura kana
Myriads of things past
Are brought to my mind
These cherry blossoms!
Ninety-five years have passed since First Lady Helen Taft and the Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese Ambassador, planted the first two cherry trees on the northern bank of the Tidal Basin. Fifty three years have passed since Sadao Iguchi (Sah-da-oh E-gooch-ee], the Japanese Ambassador to the United States presented this Japanese Stone Lantern to the city of Washington.
These beautiful trees bring to mind much that has passed during that time and much that we can be thankful for.
- The great and enduring friendship between the people of the United States and the people of Japan.
- The vision and perseverance of people both in Japan and America who understood that these beautiful trees could stand as a symbol of the bond between our peoples.
- The wonderful gift of Mayor Osaki, a true man of peace. The presence of his daughter with us today.
- The artistry of the Japanese sculptors who made this stone lantern more than 100 years before the birth United States of America.
- The millions of people from nations all over the world who have come to this spot to enjoy the beauty of these trees. Sitting here on a spring day, we might hear dozens of languages. These cherry blossoms are not just for us. They are for the people of the world.
In honor of these myriad of things past that we celebrate --and in anticipation of a future that blossoms with friendship and partnership -- I would like to offer a haiku to commemorate the lighting of the stone lantern.
Ancient lantern fireLight shining on white blossoms
Speak friendship and peace