LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers will newly display the Japanese stone lantern originally gifted to the organization in 1965 in a more prominent location on the Top Deck of Dodger Stadium. Fans will be able to visit and photograph the lantern starting on Opening Day at the stadium, March 28, against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The eight-foot tall, 3,921-pound Kasuga-style stone lantern was presented to the Dodgers organization by Japanese sports columnist Sotaro Suzuki, who is also a member of the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame. Suzuki, who worked with team president Walter O’Malley on the Brooklyn Dodgers’ 1956 Goodwill Tour to Japan, wanted to give the Dodgers and O’Malley a gift for inviting him and his wife, Toku, as guests to the Grand Opening ceremony of Dodger Stadium on April 9, 1962.

Three years removed from his trip to Dodger Stadium, Suzuki contacted the Shimizugumi Stone Works Company to build the lantern, which was sculpted in Okazaki City. The lantern was then shipped to Los Angeles in six sections in the winter of 1965.

“The Los Angeles Dodgers are extremely excited to display a remarkable monument from our past that showcases our long-term relationship with Japan and Japanese baseball,” Dodger President and CEO Stan Kasten said. “Now that we are making the lantern more visible and more accessible, our fans will have a wonderful opportunity to connect with this part of our history on a personal level.”

The Dodgers have a longstanding legacy with Japanese baseball, from goodwill exchanges to a history of Japan-born baseball stars ranging from 1995 National League Rookie of the Year winner Hideo Nomo to the two newest signees, Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. During the past seven decades, the Dodgers and representatives of Japanese baseball have participated in Spring Training clinics, international tours and global events such as the Olympic Games and the World Baseball Classic.