Goryeo Buddha Statue Returned After 647 Years Leaves Buseoksa, Arrives on Tsushima Island, Japan

After Buddhist Ceremony at Temple, Statue to Be Moved to Tsushima Museum
Legal Battle Over Ownership Ends with Return to Japan

The Goryeo Buddha statue (Gilt-bronze Seated Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva), which was looted by Japanese pirates and smuggled back into Korea after 647 years, has finally arrived on Tsushima Island, Japan, following a lengthy legal battle. The temple Kannonji on Tsushima Island received the statue after a ceremonial handover held at Buseoksa Temple in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, Korea, on May 10 and transported it to Japan.

According to Kyodo News on May 12, Kannonji plans to first move the statue to their temple on Tsushima Island in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, where a Buddhist ceremony will be held, and then transfer it to the Tsushima Museum for secure storage.

Goryeo Buddha Statue Returned to Japan. Photo by Yonhap News

This statue, believed to have been looted by Japanese pirates in the past, had been kept at Kannonji for about 500 years until October 2012, when it was stolen by thieves and smuggled into Korea. After a prolonged legal dispute over its ownership between Buseoksa and Kannonji, the statue was ultimately returned to the Japanese side.

Buseoksa had claimed ownership of the statue on the grounds that it was originally a cultural asset looted by Japanese pirates and later stolen by a Korean theft ring. However, in October 2023, the Supreme Court of Korea recognized Kannonji’s ownership of the statue based on the principle of “acquisitive prescription,” which grants ownership if an item has been possessed without dispute for a certain period.

Subsequently, Buseoksa requested to hold a 100-day Buddhist ritual for the statue before sending it to Japan. Kannonji accepted this request, so the statue was enshrined at Buseoksa for over three months before being handed over to Kannonji.

On May 10, Buseoksa held a ceremonial handover to return the Goryeo Buddha statue to Tsushima, Japan. The statue stands 50.5 cm tall and weighs 38.6 kg, characterized by its gentle expression and soft smile. During the recent 100-day period at Buseoksa, the statue was open to the public, and it is reported that approximately 40,000 people from across the country visited to see it.