The Bodhisattva and the Shrine: Cultural Repatriation and Diplomacy in Japan-South Korea Relations
A 2023 court decision, which overturned a previous ruling in favor of Buseok Temple, stated that Kannon Temple had gained legal ownership of the statue through adverse possession. The judgment sparked backlash among Koreans who viewed it as rewarding historical theft.
The international movement in favor of returning stolen cultural heritage is gaining momentum. While the pace of restitution remains uneven, governments, museums, and even private actors are increasingly responding. However, the return of looted artifacts is not just about righting historical wrongs; it is also a measure of cultural diplomacy and soft power. In this emerging landscape, the choices made by states and nonstate actors reveal what kind of long-term global values they seek to project.
While many of the most widely known cases of stolen art persist in Europe, unresolved colonial histories and collective traumas continue to shape relations in East Asia through significant historical objects, such as the contested Bodhisattva statue, which is now housed at the Tsushima Museum.
But not all repatriations have followed this uncertain path. South Korea recently welcomed back Gwanwoldang, a Joseon-era royal shrine building, which had stood in Japan for the last century. Choi Eung-chon, head of the Korean Heritage Service, praised the development as 'an exemplary case that actualizes the values of mutual respect and empathy through cultural heritage.'
He added, 'We hope it will become a symbol of cultural solidarity and future-oriented cooperation between Korea and Japan.'
The shrine was transported to Japan in 1924, during Japan's colonial rule over the Korean Peninsula. Though bilateral talks to give the shrine back to South Korea began in 2010, the handover gathered momentum once Japanese archaeologist and ethnologist Sato Takao stepped in with his full support after becoming chief priest of Kotoku-in Temple, where the shrine had been moved in the 1930s. Despite facing pressure from right-wing Japanese nationalists, Sato advocated for the return of Gwanwoldang throughout negotiations, citing both the shrine's historical origins and preservation benefits. He also personally financed the meticulous dismantling and transport of the structure. According to Sato, 'It is a global trend to return cultural heritage taken out during the imperialist era. What matters is the mindset.'
Such examples of progressive leadership remain rare in the realm of repatriation, even while countries and communities increasingly demand accountability that goes beyond symbolic gestures. Museums and governments often refuse the repatriation of artifacts, for reasons ranging from conservation to 'universal' platforming, and legal ownership. By contrast, Sato's proactive repatriation demonstrates how nonstate actors can swiftly facilitate relationships and soft power through ethical choices that lay the groundwork for lasting diplomatic bridges and regional trust.
Recovering such objects – whether seized, purchased, or gifted – typically relies on political will and legal channels, often straining diplomatic efforts during years of stalled negotiations. This can discourage diplomatic relations on other fronts, as potential allies become locked into avoidable ethical stalemates. With East Asia already heavy with colonial histories and implications, repatriation is a relatively accessible – if largely neglected – tool for geopolitical strategy.
The case of the Bodhisattva statue exemplifies a fractured moment in Japan-South Korea relations, marked by theft on both sides as well as international norms that sidestep deeper issues of colonialism and imperialism. While ongoing battles for artifacts continue under comparable constraints throughout the world, Japan and South Korea also share heritage diplomacy successes that can serve as a model for such disputes. The Gwanwoldang shrine – currently in storage in Paju, South Korea and awaiting restoration – is an example of how artifacts of significance can not only be given back with mutual dignity and even admiration between actors, but how they can fuel further exchanges that would have been unlikely beforehand.
During the official ceremony at the National Palace Museum in Seoul, Sato announced to the audience, 'We will discuss ways to raise a 100-million yen fund to support academic exchanges on Korean and Japanese cultural heritage and donate it to the Overseas Material Cultural Heritage Foundation. It took 24 years to completely return the Gwanwoldang to Korea. I'm proud to finish something important.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Mainichi
8 hours ago
- The Mainichi
Hiroshima marks 80 years since atomic bombing as aging survivors worry about growing nuke threat
HIROSHIMA (AP) -- Hiroshima on Wednesday marked the 80th anniversary of the U.S. atomic bombing of the western Japanese city, with many aging survivors expressing frustration about the growing support of global leaders for nuclear weapons as a deterrence. With the number of survivors rapidly declining and their average age now exceeding 86, the anniversary is considered the last milestone event for many of them. "There will be nobody left to pass on this sad and painful experience in 10 years or 20 years," Minoru Suzuto, a 94-year-old survivor, said after he kneeled down to pray at the cenotaph. "That's why I want to share (my story) as much as I can." The bombing of Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945, destroyed the city and killed 140,000 people. A second bomb dropped three days later on Nagasaki killed 70,000. Japan surrendered on Aug. 15, ending World War II and Japan's nearly half-century of aggression in Asia. Mayor says world should have learned from tragedy Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui warned against a growing acceptance of military buildups and of using nuclear weapons for national security during Russia's war in Ukraine and conflicts in the Mideast, with the United States and Russia possessing most of the world's nuclear warheads. "These developments flagrantly disregard the lessons the international community should have learned from the tragedies of history," he said. "They threaten to topple the peacebuilding frameworks so many have worked so hard to construct." He urged younger generations to recognize that such "misguided policies" could cause "utterly inhumane" consequences for their future. "We don't have much time left, while we face a greater nuclear threat than ever," said Nihon Hidankyo, a Japanese grassroots organization of survivors that won the Nobel Peace Prize last year for its pursuit of nuclear abolishment. "Our biggest challenge now is to change, even just a little, nuclear weapons states that give us the cold shoulder," the organization said in its statement. Prayers, tributes and hope About 55,000 people, including representatives from a record 120 countries and regions, including Russia and Belarus, attended the ceremony. A minute of silence was held while a peace bell rang out at 8:15 a.m., the time when a U.S. B-29 dropped the bomb on the city. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, the city's mayor and other officials laid flowers at the cenotaph. Dozens of white doves, a symbol of peace, were released after the mayor's speech. Hours before the official ceremony, as the sun rose over Hiroshima, survivors and their families started paying tribute to the victims at the Peace Memorial Park, near the hypocenter of the nuclear blast 80 years ago. Kazuo Miyoshi, a 74-year-old retiree, came to honor his grandfather and two cousins who died in the bombing and prayed that the "mistake" will never be repeated. "We do not need nuclear weapons," Miyoshi said. "There is hope," U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said in a statement read by Izumi Nakamitsu, U.N. Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, noting Nihon Hidankyo's Nobel Peace Prize and countries' re-commitment to a nuclear free world in "the Pact for the Future" adopted last year. Guterres stressed the importance to carry forward the survivors' testimony and message of peace and added: "Remembering the past is about protecting and building peace today and in the future." Near Hiroshima's iconic Atomic Bomb Dome under high security, more than 200 protesters gathered, holding posters and flags carrying messages such as "No Nuke, Stop War" and "Free Gaza! No more genocide" while chanting slogans. Local police said two people were arrested in separate cases, each on suspicion of assaulting a security guard. Survivors want nuclear abolishment, not deterrence Wednesday's anniversary comes at a time when possession of nuclear weapons for deterrence is increasingly supported by the international community, including Japan. Some survivors said they were disappointed by President Donald Trump's recent remark justifying Washington's attack on Iran in June by comparing it to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the mild response from the Japanese government. "It's ridiculous," said Kosei Mito, a 79-year-old former high school teacher who was exposed to radiation while he was still in his mother's womb. "I don't think we can get rid of nuclear weapons as long as it was justified by the assailant." In the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV said Tuesday that he was praying that the 80th anniversary of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima "will serve as a call to the international community to renew its commitment to pursuing peace for our own human family." Japan seeks US nuclear protection Japan's government has rejected the survivors' request to sign the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons or attend its meetings as observers because it is under the protection of the U.S. nuclear umbrella. Matsui, the city's mayor, in his speech Wednesday, urged Japan's government to sign and ratify the nuclear weapons ban treaty, a request also made by several groups of survivors in their meeting with Ishiba after the ceremony. Ishiba, in a speech, reiterated his government's pledge to work toward a world without nuclear weapons, but did not mention the treaty and again indicated his government's support for nuclear weapons possession for deterrence. At a news conference later Wednesday, Ishiba justified Japan's reliance on U.S. nuclear deterrence, saying Japan, which follows a non-nuclear principle, is surrounded by neighbors that possess nuclear weapons. The stance, he said, does not contradict Japan's pursuit of a nuclear-free world. Past prime ministers have stressed Japan's status as the world's only country to have suffered nuclear attacks and have said Japan is determined to pursue peace, but survivors say it's a hollow promise. The Japanese government has only paid compensation to war veterans and their families, even though survivors have sought redress for civilian victims. They have also sought acknowledgment by the U.S. government of its responsibility for the civilian deaths.
The Mainichi
a day ago
- The Mainichi
Hiroshima author honors grandfather through illustrated war tale
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The painful war experiences relayed by his grandfather left an indelible mark on a young Shinsaku Nagata. It inspired the now 35-year-old emerging illustrative author to publish "Akaihi" (Red Day), his first work focused on war, ahead of the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. It is one of more than 30 titles he has created since his 2016 debut. "The most important thing was to share with my readers the shock I felt when I heard my grandfather's story as a vulnerable child," Nagata said, referring to the U.S. air raids on his hometown of Kure -- a former naval port in Hiroshima Prefecture -- and the atomic bombing of the prefectural capital Hiroshima. The 96-page work of fiction is based on his grandfather's stories and intended for readers of all ages. The work is two to three times longer than a typical book of this type. The story largely comes from what Nagata's grandfather told him when he was 9 or 10 years old, while working on a "peace education" school assignment. His grandfather died a few years later. Nagata vividly remembers the account of his grandfather surviving the Kure attacks, only to nearly die of hunger and fatigue on the way to home to Shimane. His grandfather underscored his story with hand gestures to better communicate the harrowing experience. Kure is now a popular tourist destination known for its scenic views of the Seto Inland Sea. During the war, however, it served as a key base for the Imperial Japanese Navy, making it a target of U.S. attacks starting in March 1945. According to the city government, a barrage of heavy bombings of the town center between July 1 and 2 of that year killed 1,869 civilians. The main character in Red Day, Ryuichi, is modeled on Nagata's grandfather. Ryuichi worked as a schoolteacher in rural Shimane Prefecture before being assigned to a military factory in Kure. Ryuichi lost a friend he had grown close to in Kure -- someone who had tried to help him during the massive July air raid. The book also portrays the world's first wartime use of an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on Aug. 6, 1945. Despite being impacted themselves, Ryuichi and other young survivors of the Kure attacks were sent to Hiroshima, more than 20 kilometers away, to assist rescue efforts in the days following the nuclear attack. Nagata said his grandfather never shared what he witnessed in the devastated city after the bombing. Though his grandfather was never officially recognized as an atomic bomb victim, Nagata considers himself a third-generation survivor, called hibakusha in Japanese. "I belong to a generation that still had the chance to hear firsthand accounts from grandparents and others," he said. "After crafting this book, I realized I'm in a meaningful position to pass down war memories." Nagata hopes that readers not particularly interested in war themes will pick up the book, which he illustrated in just over two weeks. The book, published by Choubunsha Publishing Co., known for "Hadashi no Gen" (Barefoot Gen), an iconic Japanese comic depicting the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima, was released this month. (By Satoshi Iizuka)
Japan Today
a day ago
- Japan Today
'Unspeakable horror': The attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
The first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima by the U.S. bomber Enola Gay, nicknamed "Little Boy." Japan this week marks 80 years since the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II. The first on August 6, 1945 killed around 140,000 people in Hiroshima and three days later another 74,000 perished in Nagasaki. Here are some facts about the devastating attacks: The bombs The first atomic bomb was dropped on the western city of Hiroshima by the U.S. bomber Enola Gay, nicknamed "Little Boy". It detonated about 600 meters from the ground, with a force equivalent to 15,000 tons of TNT. Tens of thousands died instantly, while others succumbed to injuries or illness in the weeks, months and years that followed. Three days later the U.S. dropped a second bomb, dubbed "Fat Man", on the southern city of Nagasaki. The attacks remain the only time atomic bombs have been used in wartime. The attacks In Hiroshima, the first thing people noticed was an "intense ball of fire", according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Temperatures near the blast reached an estimated 7,000 degrees Celsius (12,632 degrees Fahrenheit), which incinerated everything within a radius of about three kilometers. "I remember the charred bodies of little children lying around the hypocenter area like black rocks," Koichi Wada, a witness who was 18 at the time of the Nagasaki attack, has said of the bombing. ICRC experts say there were cases of temporary or permanent blindness due to the intense flash of light, and subsequent related damage such as cataracts. A whirlwind of heat generated also ignited thousands of fires that ravaged large parts of the mostly wooden city. A firestorm that consumed all available oxygen caused more deaths by suffocation. It has been estimated that burn- and fire-related casualties accounted for more than half of the immediate deaths in Hiroshima. The explosion generated an enormous shock wave that blew people through the air. Others were crushed to death inside collapsed buildings or injured or killed by flying debris. Radiation effects Radiation sickness was reported in the aftermath by many who survived the initial blasts and firestorms. Acute symptoms included vomiting, headaches, nausea, diarrhea, hemorrhaging and hair loss, with radiation sickness fatal for many within a few weeks or months. Survivors, known as hibakusha, also experienced longer-term effects including elevated risks of thyroid cancer and leukemia, and both Hiroshima and Nagasaki have seen elevated cancer rates. Of 50,000 radiation victims from both cities studied by the Japanese-U.S. Radiation Effects Research Foundation, about 100 died of leukemia and 850 suffered from radiation-induced cancers. The group found no evidence however of a "significant increase" in serious birth defects among survivors' children. The aftermath The twin bombings dealt the final blow to imperial Japan, which surrendered on August 15, 1945, bringing an end to World War II. Historians have debated whether the bombings ultimately saved lives by bringing an end to the conflict and averting a ground invasion. But those calculations meant little to survivors, many of whom battled decades of physical and psychological trauma, as well as the stigma that sometimes came with being a hibakusha. Despite their suffering, many survivors were shunned -- in particular for marriage -- because of prejudice over radiation exposure. Survivors and their supporters have become some of the loudest and most powerful voices opposing nuclear weapons, including meeting world leaders to press their case. Last year, the Japanese anti-nuclear group Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots movement of hibakusha, won the Nobel Peace Prize. In 2019, Pope Francis met several hibakusha in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, decrying the "unspeakable horror" and calling for the abolition of nuclear weapons. In 2016, Barack Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Hiroshima. He offered no apology for the attack, but embraced survivors and called for a world free of nuclear weapons. Russia is one of around 100 countries expected to attend this year's memorial in Nagasaki, the first time Moscow has been invited to commemorations in the city since the start of the war with Ukraine. © 2025 AFP
