Tsushima Buddha statue caught up in friction between Japan and South Korea: could it now be a catalyst for friendship? 3D data of statue to be provided to South Korea

According to Kyodo News and other media outlets on the 24th, the "Seated Kannon Bodhisattva" statue, which was stolen from Kannonji Temple in Tsushima City, Nagasaki Prefecture, and returned from South Korea last month, has been 3D modeled after the statue.
It was learned that the temple is making arrangements to provide the measured data of the Buddha statue to the South Korean side. Kyodo News reported this, citing a person involved.
In response to the return of the statue, the Buseoksa Temple in Seosan, South Korea, had requested cooperation from the Japanese side to conduct a 3D scan of the statue in order to create a replica in the future.
The Yonhap News Agency reported that the negotiations were at a standstill. The statue, a designated tangible cultural property of Nagasaki Prefecture that was in the possession of Kannonji Temple, was stolen by a group of Korean thieves in October 2012 and sold to the Korean
The statue was brought to the country. In 2013, the thieves were arrested by the Korean police and the statue was confiscated, but the Korean temple of Buseok claimed that the statue was "looted by Japanese pirates in the Middle Ages."
In 2017, a Korean court ruled that the statue was in fact owned by Usekiji Temple.
The Japanese side rebelled against this ruling, which was one of the factors that led to the deterioration of Japan-Korea relations. However, in the second instance ruling in February 2023, the Daejeon High Court overturned the first instance ruling and recognized the ownership of Kannonji Temple.
The high court ruled that, "It is possible to acknowledge that Ukisekisa produced the statue in 1330, and there is also evidence that it was plundered and illegally taken away by Japanese pirates," but added, "The statue was not produced in the Ukisekisa temple at the time, and there is no evidence that it was plundered or taken away illegally."
"It cannot be proven that Ishidera is the same religious organization as the current Ukiseki-ji Temple," he said.
" was established, and it was recognized that the current ownership belongs to Kannonji Temple. Fusekiji Temple appealed to the Supreme Court (Daichou), but in October 2023, the Supreme Court dismissed the case of Fusekiji Temple and granted the right to the ownership of the statue.
The Supreme Court ruled that the ownership of the statue belongs to Kannonji Temple. While the Supreme Court recognized that the "Seju Buseoksa Temple," which created the statue in the 14th century, is the same as the current Buseoksa Temple, it also recognized that the "prescription of acquisition" under the Civil Code had been established.
This issue, which has been one of the causes of the deterioration of Japan-Korea relations along with the former forced labor lawsuit issue, was expected to move forward with the process of returning the Buddha statue to Japan following the Supreme Court ruling, but
For some time after that, no significant movement towards the return of the statue was seen. However, in June last year, Ukishiji Temple announced its intention to return the statue to Kannonji Temple after holding a 100-day memorial service to pray for the statue's peace.
The memorial service was held from January 25th of this year. The final memorial service was held at Ukishiji Temple on the 10th of last month, and the head priest Enushi said, "I hope to continue to have friendly relations with Tsushima and to promote the value of cultural assets through exchange exhibitions (of Buddhist statues) and other events."
"I want to discuss ways to utilize the value of the statue and make it a model for the world," he said in his speech. The statue was handed over to Japan and returned to Tsushima City on the 12th for the first time in about 12 and a half years. The statue was then displayed at the Tsushima Museum in the city.
The statue was open to the public from the 16th of the month to the 15th of this month, and many people came to see it. This issue, which once caused friction in Japan-Korea relations, has finally been resolved, but now the statue has sparked friendship.
According to a report by Kyodo News and other media on the 24th, Kannonji Temple is in the process of providing 3D measured data of the Buddha statue to the Korean side.
In preparation for the return of the statue, two replicas were made. One will be used for research purposes, and the other was requested to cooperate with Japan in undergoing a 3D scan to recreate its original appearance.
In April, Yonhap News reported that the head priest of the temple, Enyu, said, "In the big picture, we would like the Japanese side to cooperate so that the value of the Buddha statues, which are a global cultural heritage, can be utilized to the fullest extent possible."
According to Kyodo News, Kannonji Temple was struggling to decide whether to comply with the request due to budgetary issues, but the president of an Osaka company that handles 3D measurements and is a former member of Tsushima City said that they would compile the data free of charge.
The president said he was unaware of the Korean request and that the proposal was for the preservation of cultural properties, but the former head priest of Kannonji Temple, Setsuko Tanaka, welcomed the proposal, calling it a godsend.
"The talks have progressed to the point where we can utilize the data," the report said. The measurement is scheduled to take place on the 27th of this month. According to NHK, former head priest Tanaka said, "I have told the followers of the Korean temple that I have made a connection with that it is not a replica, but
I hope that people will feel close to Buddha even if they are not there."