Latest news with #SekkoTanaka
Yomiuri Shimbun
19-07-2025
- General
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Nagasaki: 3D Image Data of Buddhist Statue to Be Provided to South Korean Temple; For Creation of Replica of Original
TSUSHIMA, Nagasaki — A temple in Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture, earlier this month provided a South Korean temple with 3D image data of a Buddhist statue, of which both claim ownership, so that a replica can be made of it. The statue, Kanzeon Bosatsu Zazo (Seated statue of the Bodhisattva Kannon), was returned to Tsushima earlier this year, having been stolen from Kannonji temple and brought to South Korea in 2012. South Korea's Buseoksa temple had claimed ownership of the statue, which it said had been plundered by Japanese pirates in the 14th century. Sekko Tanaka, 78, a former chief priest of Kannonji temple, said he was asked by Buseoksa temple and its worshipers, as well as the mayor of the city where the temple is located, to have the statue measured during exchanges over its return. Since the statue is now stored at Tsushima Museum, there have also been calls from Kannonji's parishioners to create a replica and place it at the temple, so the 3D data is expected to be used for that as well. 'I hope the replica will be treasured at Buseoksa,' Tanaka said.
Indian Express
12-05-2025
- General
- Indian Express
A Buddhist statue stolen from a Japanese temple nearly 13 years ago is returned from South Korea
A 14th-century Korean Buddhist statue stolen from a Japanese temple nearly 13 years ago was returned on Monday, following a years-long legal battle between Japan and South Korea over its ownership that had further strained sensitive ties between the two Asian neighbours. Dozens of temple members and local residents standing by the roadside applauded to welcome the statue as a truck carrying a wooden container with it arrived at Kannonji, a temple on Japan's western island of Tsushima. The statue is expected to be kept at a local museum following a ceremony at the temple later in the day. The gilt bronze statue Bodhisattva — a female goddess of mercy — is depicted in a sitting position and measures about 50 centimetres (20 inches) in height. It has been designated a cultural asset of the region and was one of two statues stolen in 2012 from Kannonji by thieves who were looking to sell them in South Korea. The South Korean government had returned the other statue to the Japanese temple soon after the authorities recovered it from the thieves, who were arrested and charged. But the Bodhisattva became trapped in a legal dispute after Buseoksa, a South Korean temple in the western coastal city of Seosan, filed a lawsuit, claiming it as the rightful owner. South Korea's Supreme Court in 2023 ruled in favour of the Japanese temple, ordering the South Korean temple to return the statue. After all the paperwork was completed in January, the statue remained on a 100-day loan to the South Korean temple for a farewell exhibit. Sekko Tanaka, a former head monk at Kannonji, told reporters that the handover ceremony at the South Korean temple on Saturday was 'truly amicable and we shook hands.' 'A calm after a storm,' he said, adding that he felt relieved to see the dispute resolved while he is still alive. Tanaka said he hoped South Koreans would visit Tsushima and discover its centuries-old cultural ties with Korea, though there will now be higher security around the statue. Japan and South Korea have long had disputes over Japanese atrocities during its 1910–1945 colonisation of the Korean Peninsula, though their ties have improved due to shared concern over regional security.
Hamilton Spectator
12-05-2025
- General
- Hamilton Spectator
A Buddhist statue stolen from a Japanese temple nearly 13 years ago is returned from South Korea
TOKYO (AP) — A 14th century Korean Buddhist statue stolen from a Japanese temple nearly 13 years ago was returned on Monday, following a yearslong legal battle between Japan and South Korea over its ownership that had further strained sensitive ties between the two Asian neighbors. Dozens of temple members and local residents standing by the roadside applauded to welcome the statue as a truck carrying a wooden container with it arrived at Kannonji, a temple on Japan's western island of Tsushima. The statue is expected to be kept at a local museum following a ceremony at the temple later in the day. The gilt bronze statue Bodhisatva — a female goddess of mercy — is depicted in a sitting position and measures about 50 centimeters (20 inches) in height. It has been designated a cultural asset of the region and was one of two statues stolen in 2012 from Kannonji by thieves who were looking to sell them in South Korea. The South Korean government had returned the other statue to the Japanese temple soon after the authorities recovered it from the thieves, who were arrested and charged. But the Bodhisatva got trapped in legal dispute after Buseoksa, a South Korean temple in the western coastal city of Seosan, filed a lawsuit, claiming it as the rightful owner. South Korea's Supreme Court in 2023 ruled in favor of the Japanese temple, ordering the South Korean temple to return the statue. After all the paperwork was completed in January, the statue remained on a 100-day loan to the South Korean temple for a farewell exhibit. Sekko Tanaka, a former head monk at Kannonji, told reporters that the handover ceremony at the South Korean temple on Saturday was 'truly amicable and we shook hands.' 'A calm after a storm,' he said, adding that he felt relieved to see the dispute resolved while he is still alive. Tanaka said he hoped South Koreans would visit Tsushima and discover its centuries-old cultural ties with Korea, though there will now be higher security around the statue. Japan and South Korea have long had disputes over Japanese atrocities during its 1910-1945 colonization of the Korean Peninsula, though their ties improved due to shared concern over regional security.
