Residents of a southwestern Japanese island have welcomed back a Buddhist statue that was stolen from a local temple and found in South Korea.
The statue arrived at Kannonji Temple on Tsushima Island in Nagasaki Prefecture on Monday for the first time since it was taken in 2012.
The statue became the subject of a legal dispute after it was found at Busuksa Temple in central South Korea.
The temple claimed ownership of the religious artifact, but the country's Supreme Court ruled that it belonged to Kannonji.
The statue was handed over to Kannonji officials on Saturday after a service at Busuksa Temple.
About 30 Kannonji members and regional government officials attended a closed-door service to mark the return of the statue.
Priest Tanaka Setsuryo said he is relieved that the statue has come home and that it must find peace at last.
Tsushima Museum, the statue's new home, will hold a special exhibition of the artifact from Friday.
The statue arrived at Kannonji Temple on Tsushima Island in Nagasaki Prefecture on Monday for the first time since it was taken in 2012.
The statue became the subject of a legal dispute after it was found at Busuksa Temple in central South Korea.
The temple claimed ownership of the religious artifact, but the country's Supreme Court ruled that it belonged to Kannonji.
The statue was handed over to Kannonji officials on Saturday after a service at Busuksa Temple.
About 30 Kannonji members and regional government officials attended a closed-door service to mark the return of the statue.
Priest Tanaka Setsuryo said he is relieved that the statue has come home and that it must find peace at last.
Tsushima Museum, the statue's new home, will hold a special exhibition of the artifact from Friday.
Similar Readings (5 items)
South Korean temple to return Buddhist statue stolen in Japan 'after service'
Buddhist statue returned from S.Korea put on display in southwestern Japan
S.Korean court: Stolen statue belongs to Japanese temple
Japanese priest demands return of stolen statue in S.Korea court
City assembly in Nagasaki calls on South Korea to return stolen Buddhist statue
Summary
Buddhist statue returned to Kannonji Temple on Tsushima Island, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan after being stolen in 2012 and found in South Korea. The statue was the subject of a legal dispute but was ruled to belong to Kannonji by the Supreme Court. The statue was handed over after a service at
Statistics
159
Words1
Read CountDetails
ID: 68c7fc75-a39f-48fe-98b3-a10ffd45ab59
Category ID: nhk
URL: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20250512_14/
Date: May 12, 2025
Created: 2025/05/13 07:00
Updated: 2025/12/08 04:14
Last Read: 2025/05/13 16:02