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Peace Dividend

A World War II relic hidden in a Boston park

rosePhoto: M. Servison

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onfiscated by the Japanese government as scrap metal near the end of World War II, a 325-year-old ceremonial bell from a Japanese religious shrine survived the war intact and was taken home to Boston as a souvenir by sailors on the USS Boston. The bell was cast in 1675 and dedicated to the Buddhist god of children and good luck. Asked if they wanted it returned, Japanese diplomats replied it should remain as a gesture of world peace in Boston. You can find the Japanese Peace Bell hidden in the Kelleher Rose Garden (above) in the Fens.

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The rose garden in the Fens was designed by landscape architect Arthur Shurcliff in 1930 and is named for James P. Kelleher, a former city superintendent of horticulture. It was restored in 2008 by the Emerald Necklace Conservancy.