In February 1935, the Japanese people presented a stone lantern as a memorial gift to the tomb of Thomas Alva Edison to express their enduring appreciation for the service he had done for the welfare of mankind. The lantern is an exact reproduction of Yunoki, one of Japan’s national treasures, which stands in the shrine of Nara City and dates to the Heiancho Period from 794 to 1192 A.D.; it is considered the oldest and most excellent type among the many stone lanterns found in Japan.