KOREAN TEMPLE ADVENTURES Buseok Temple holds onto disputed statue before its return to Japan
The Gilt-bronze Seated Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva statue is on display at Buseok Temple in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, Feb. 5. Courtesy of Joseph Bengivenni .
By Dale Quarrington
It’s not often that two nations’ tumultuous past can be summed up in one single object, but such is the case for Japan and Korea and the Gilt-bronze Seated Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva statue of Buseok Temple in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province.
Originally, the statue was enshrined at Buseok Temple in 1330, before being housed at Kannon Temple in Tsushima, Japan. The statue stands 50.5 centimeters in height and weighs 38.6 kilograms.
There is considerable dispute as to how this statue of Avalokitesvara (Bodhisattva of Compassion) ended up in Japan. The Japanese claim that it was a gift to the monk who founded Kannon Temple when he traveled to the Korean Peninsula in 1527. Buseok Temple, on the other hand, claims that the statue was looted in 1378 by Japanese pirates.
Buseok Temple in Seosan, which shouldn't be confused with the more famous Buseok Temple in Yeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, was established in 677 by the famed monk Uisang (625-702). Little is known about the temple's history except that it was rebuilt during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).
Buseok Temple in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, Aug. 3, 2024 / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington
According to the foundation legend of Seosan’s Buseok Temple, Master Uisang was studying in Tang China when he met a young woman named Lady Seonmyo. She fell in love with the great monk, who remained devoted to his studies. When it came time for him to return to Korea, she threw herself off a cliff and into the sea before turning into a dragon and guarding Uisang on his way home. Out of gratitude for the protection, he founded a temple in the dragon's honor.
A dragon painting from the borrowed temple legend of Buseok Temple / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington
Buseok Temple was originally built by Yu Geum-heon, a Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392) official who retreated to his hometown after the deposition of King Goyang and the foundation of the Joseon Dynasty. After his death, a monk named Jeokgam converted the residence into a temple.
The view from Buseok Temple in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, Aug. 3, 2024. Courtesy of Dale Quarrington
In October 2012, the Avalokitesvara statue was stolen from Kannon Temple by Korean thieves who had also stolen an eighth century standing Buddha statue from Kaijin Shrine. Both were stolen on the same day with the intent of selling them. The thieves were arrested on their return to Korea and were prosecuted in 2013.
The Korean government confiscated both statues and returned the standing Buddha statue to Japan. Buseok Temple filed a temporary injunction on the transfer of the Avalokitesvara, preventing the Korean government from returning it.
The Gilt-bronze Seated Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva Statue is on display in a shrine hall at Buseok Temple in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, Feb. 5. Courtesy of Joseph Bengivenni
Between 2016 to 2023, there were several court filings over whether the statue ultimately belonged in Korea or Japan. In 2016, Buseok Temple filed a legal action against the Korean government to gain possession of the statue. In 2017, the Daejeon District Court ruled in favor of the temple, citing the documents found inside the statue as evidence that the Japanese had stolen the statue. The Korean prosecution appealed the results and sought an injunction to suspend the ruling.
In February 2023, the Daejeon High Court overturned the lower court’s ruling, stating that Kannon Temple had acquired the statue legally. Under civil law, a person or entity may acquire ownership of property even if it didn't originally belong to them, as long as they possess it "peacefully and openly" for at least 20 years.
The courts also stated that it was difficult to clearly establish that the Buseok Temple of the Goryeo period was the same entity as the current Buseok Temple, while Kannon Temple became a legal entity in 1953, and had clear, full posession of the statue since then.
The Gilt-bronze Seated Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva statue is on display at Buseok Temple in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, Feb. 5. Courtesy of Joseph Bengivenni
At the start of this year, it was decided that the statue would be returned to Kannon Temple in Japan. However, before it returns, it will be on display at Buseok Temple from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day until Buddha’s Birthday on May 5.
Dale Quarrington has visited over 500 temples throughout the Korean Peninsula and published four books on Korean Buddhism. He runs the website Dale's Korean Temple Adventures.