Former Chief Priest of Nagasaki Temple Relieved after Seeing Recovered Stolen Buddha Statue at South Korea Temple

The Yomiuri Shimbun

2:00 JST, February 1, 2025

TSUSHIMA, Nagasaki — A former chief priest of a temple in Tsushima, Nagasaki Prefecture, from which a Buddha statue was stolen and taken to South Korea, said he was “relieved” about seeing the statue again at a press conference on Sunday in the city.

Sekko Tanaka, 78, visited South Korea to go through the statue’s handover procedure to Kannonji temple in Tsushima. The statue, Kanzeon Bosatsu Zazo (seated Bodhisattva statue), is a designated cultural asset of the prefecture.

“I thought what an admirable face [the statue] had,” Tanaka said, about when he saw the statue for the first time in a long time. “This is all thanks to the people in both Japan and South Korea who tirelessly worked for the statue’s return.”

Tanaka visited Buseoksa Temple, which had claimed ownership of the statue, where a 100-day service is in process. The statue will be on loan to the temple until May 11. Tanaka said the return of the statue to Tsushima is expected to follow, and he will visit the temple again to collect the statue.

About relations with Buseoksa Temple, Tanaka said, “There are proposals that we should hold a large-scale service together once the statue returns to Tsushima and everything gets resettled. I hope we can remain good friends for a long time, putting all vengeful feelings behind.”