Kapaa Japanese Lantern

The 15-foot cast concrete lantern was constructed in 1915 by Kaua‘i’s first generation Japanese immigrants. As a tribute to their homeland, the lantern commemorates the 1912 coronation of Emperor Taisho. An inscription reads: Great Japan Emperor ascension to the throne, coronation, and commemoration lantern During WW II, as anti-Japanese sentiment grew on Kaua‘i, the lantern was buried in 1943. Almost three decades later, the lantern was unearthed in 1972 when county workers responded to a complaint about a protruding metal rod in Kapa‘a Beach Park. When no group was ready to assume the costs for the monument’s repair, it was reburied. In 1987, it was uncovered again and re-erected through a community effort led by Mayor Tony Kunimura, the Kaua‘i Historical Society and others. For the next 20 years, the lantern stood supported by heavy I-beam braces. In 2008, with an award from the Kaua‘i County/ HUD Community Development Block Grant Program, the lantern was finally restored through the efforts of the leadership Kaua‘i Lantern Restoration Committee and the Kapa‘a Business Association. Restoring the lantern to its original beauty celebrates Kapa‘a’s unique history and multi-cultural heritage.