Conditional return of Tsushima Buddha statue agreed... Former head priest of Kannonji Temple “We’ve been deceived for 10 years” I might get fooled again...”
It has been reported that the Korean temple of Buseoksa, which has claimed ownership of a Buddhist statue stolen from Kannonji Temple in Tsushima City, Nagasaki Prefecture and brought to Korea, has indicated that it will not oppose its return to Japan. The statue was stolen by a Korean thief group in October 2012, and the South Korean Supreme Court upheld a ruling in October last year granting ownership to Kannon Temple. However, Ukishiji Temple has set “conditions,” such as holding a “100-day memorial service” for the statue before it is returned. The Kannonji side, which has been plagued by the unreasonable response of the South Korean side, is seeking the backing of a prominent Japanese politician in negotiating with the South Korean side. “I can only half believe it. I’ve been fooled for 10 years. We may be deceived again.” On the 25th, Tanaka Setsuko, former head priest of Kannonji Temple, spoke cautiously about Ukisekiji Temple’s intention not to oppose the return. The statue is a Seated Kannon Bodhisattva, a tangible cultural property designated by Nagasaki Prefecture. The temple was recovered from a thief in South Korea in 2013, but Buseoksa Temple claims ownership, claiming that it was plundered by Japanese pirates hundreds of years ago. They filed a lawsuit in South Korea seeking their extradition to the temple, but lost the case in the Supreme Court on October 26, 2011. However, the statue has since remained in storage at the National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage in Daejeon, South Korea, and there have been no signs of any movement toward its return. According to Japanese and Korean sources, the reason why Usokji Temple indicated it would not oppose the return was because of an attempt by Korean political circles to mediate. The move comes just before the 60th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Japan and South Korea next year, and is believed to have been initiated by a key figure in South Korea’s conservative ruling party, the People Power Party. Meanwhile, Ukishiji Temple is requesting that a memorial service to pray for the safety of the Buddha statue be held at the temple. It is possible that the content of the “promise” may have changed after the statue was transported to Ukishi Temple and the memorial service was completed. In negotiating with Ukisekiji Temple, Kannonji Temple is also seeking the mediation of a Japanese politician with knowledge of Japan-Korea relations through connections in Korean political circles. Regarding the conditions for the memorial service set by Ukishiji Temple, Tanaka was confused, saying, “Even if they appeal to the feelings of Kannon now…”, and added, “The Buddha statue was not returned even after the Korean judicial decision was made. If there are any influential politicians (at Ukishiji Temple), I would like them to promise to return the temple to Japanese politicians of equal rank. If not, they may be abandoned,” he said. On the 26th, the Tsushima City Council will pass a resolution strongly urging South Korean government officials to return the statue as soon as possible, stating that the statue is “Tsushima City property and a source of emotional support for its citizens.” The resolution will be sent to the South Korean ambassador to Japan and others. (Okuhara Shinpei) Sankei Shimbun 2024/9/25 13:32 ※Related thread Korean temple does not oppose return of Tsushima Buddha statue stolen 12 years ago…Condition conveyed to Japan that a memorial service to pray for the statue’s peace be held in Korea before the return [9/24] [Bird★] Korean temple agrees to return Tsushima Buddha statue = Internet backlash “We just stole back what was stolen” “Give us back Tsushima instead” [9/26] [Bird★].
Thieves are still thieving in Korea. Truly a country with which we should not have diplomatic relations! Japan and Korea are determined to go ahead with the deal.
He obviously knows what’s going on. If you listen to what he says, you’ll be deceived. He’ll definitely do something in the next 100 days. He might “destroy the Buddha statues placed there by heartless tourists” or he might try to “persuade” the head priest.
>The statue has since been kept at the National Cultural Heritage Research Institute in Daejeon, South Korea.
There will be a memorial service for 100 days, so it should be transferred to Ukisok Temple during that time, right? They’d probably do something about the statue being destroyed in a fire. The head priest brought out a miniature Buddha statue and told us to just make do with it.
We should just trade Takeshima and the Buddha statue to the Korean goblins. Since you’re supposed to be a developed country, you should be considerate and humane, you kimchi natives.
In negotiating with Ukisekiji Temple, Kannonji Temple is also seeking the mediation of a Japanese politician with knowledge of Japan-Korea relations through connections in Korean political circles. There’s no need to negotiate with Korean temples. All we have to do is get the Korean government to go through the return procedures and return it.
If a powerful politician says one word, the law will not be enforced and will come to a halt. Won’t there be criticism from the Korean media? Foreign companies will decide that it is impossible to do business in Korea.
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