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Returned Buddhist statue on public display

A 14th-century Buddhist statue recently returned to Japan from South Korea is displayed to the public at a museum on Tsushima Island in Nagasaki Prefecture on May 16, 2025. Stolen from the island's Kannonji temple in 2012, the statue was returned on May 12, 2025, after South Korea's Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that the temple is its rightful owner.

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Stolen Buddhist statue returned to Japan

TSUSHIMA, Japan, May 12 Kyodo - A 14th-century Buddhist statue of the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva sits at Kannon Temple on Tsushima Island in Nagasaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on May 12, 2025. The statue, stolen in October 2012 and taken to South Korea, was returned to the temple the same day. (Kyodo)

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Devotees Pray at Buddha Temple - India

Buddhist Monk covers a statue of Buddha with an umbrella on a rainy day, while Devotees offer prayers to Buddha on the occasion of Buddha Purnima in a Buddha Temple at Agartala in Tripura, India on May 12, 2025. Photo by Abhisek Saha/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

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[Breaking News]Stolen Buddhist statue returned to Japan

TSUSHIMA, Japan, May 12 Kyodo - A 14th-century Buddhist statue of the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva sits at Kannon Temple on Tsushima Island in Nagasaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on May 12, 2025. The statue, stolen in October 2012 and taken to South Korea, was returned to the temple the same day. (Kyodo)

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Stolen Buddhist statue returned to Japan

A box containing the statue of the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, a 14th-century Buddhist statue, is unloaded from a truck as it arrives at Kannon Temple on Tsushima Island in Nagasaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on May 12, 2025. The statue, stolen in October 2012 and taken to South Korea, was returned to the temple.

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Stolen Buddhist statue returned to Japan

A box containing the statue of the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, a 14th-century Buddhist statue, is carried into Kannon Temple on Tsushima Island in Nagasaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on May 12, 2025. The statue, stolen in October 2012 and taken to South Korea, was returned to the temple.

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Stolen Buddhist statue returned to Japan

A truck carries a 14th-century Buddhist statue of the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva upon its arrival on Tsushima Island in Nagasaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan, in the early hours of May 12, 2025. The statue, stolen in October 2012 and taken to South Korea, was being returned to Kannon Temple on Tsushima.

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Stolen Buddhist statue returned to Japan

A 14th-century Buddhist statue of the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva sits at Kannon Temple on Tsushima Island in Nagasaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on May 12, 2025. The statue, stolen in October 2012 and taken to South Korea, was returned to the temple the same day.

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Stolen Buddhist statue returned to Japan

A 14th-century Buddhist statue of the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva sits at Kannon Temple on Tsushima Island in Nagasaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on May 12, 2025. The statue, stolen in October 2012 and taken to South Korea, was returned to the temple the same day.

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Stolen Buddhist statue returned to Japan

A 14th-century Buddhist statue of the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva sits at Kannon Temple on Tsushima Island in Nagasaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on May 12, 2025. The statue, stolen in October 2012 and taken to South Korea, was returned to the temple the same day.

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Stolen Buddhist statue returned to Japan

A 14th-century Buddhist statue of the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva sits at Kannon Temple on Tsushima Island in Nagasaki Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on May 12, 2025. The statue, stolen in October 2012 and taken to South Korea, was returned to the temple the same day.

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Buddhist statues at Yakushi-ji get dust-down for New Year

A Buddhist monk dusts down a statue at World Heritage-listed Yakushi-ji temple in Nara, western Japan, on Dec. 29, 2024, in an annual event to prepare for New Year.

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Buddhist statues at Yakushi-ji get dust-down for New Year

A Buddhist monk dusts down a statue at World Heritage-listed Yakushi-ji temple in Nara, western Japan, on Dec. 29, 2024, in an annual event to prepare for New Year.

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A Buddhist Cultural Park in Sanya

SANYA, CHINA - DECEMBER 30, 2020 - (FILE) A giant Guanyin statue is seen over the sea at Nanshan Temple in Sanya, Hainan province, China, December 30, 2020. Nanshan Temple covers an area of 400 mu, imitation of Tang wind, built Renwang Hall, Daxiongbao Hall, east and west hall, bell and drum tower, wheel collection, Dharma Hall, Guanyin courtyard, sad field courtyard.

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A Buddhist Cultural Park in Sanya

SANYA, CHINA - DECEMBER 30, 2020 - (FILE) A giant Guanyin statue is seen over the sea at Nanshan Temple in Sanya, Hainan province, China, December 30, 2020. Nanshan Temple covers an area of 400 mu, imitation of Tang wind, built Renwang Hall, Daxiongbao Hall, east and west hall, bell and drum tower, wheel collection, Dharma Hall, Guanyin courtyard, sad field courtyard.

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A Buddhist Cultural Park in Sanya

SANYA, CHINA - DECEMBER 30, 2020 - (FILE)A giant Guanyin statue is seen over the sea at Nanshan Temple in Sanya, Hainan province, China, December 30, 2020. Nanshan Temple covers an area of 400 mu, imitation of Tang wind, built Renwang Hall, Daxiongbao Hall, east and west hall, bell and drum tower, wheel collection, Dharma Hall, Guanyin courtyard, sad field courtyard.

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CHINA-SICHUAN-CULTURAL RELICS-PROTECTOR (CN)

(230430) -- CHENGDU, April 30, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Wu Zhongfu (1st, L) introduces a statue to tourists in the Wofo Yard in Anyue County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, April 3, 2023. Wu Zhongfu, 73-year-old, has been protecting and conserving the Buddhist statues and stone carvings of Buddhist scriptures from Tang Dynasty (618-907) for 41 years in the Wofo (meaning sleeping Buddha) Yard of Anyue County in Sichuan Province. After becoming a voluntary conservator for cultural relics in 1982, Wu Zhongfu's main job had been patrolled the cultural relics and kept the environment clean. In 2006, he became an official conservator. As more and more people decided to leave the county and seek job opportunities from other places, Wu Zhongfu has once wavered yet decided to stay despite the meager salary. "Standing in front of these statues, I could scarcely bear the thought of leaving them behind," he said. Now, this elderly conservator is still healthy. He said that he would always look after these national treas

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Giant Buddhist statue temporarily pink

Photo taken on Sept. 25, 2023, shows a 100-meter Buddhist statue temporarily colored pale pink amid renovation work in Sendai in the northeastern Japan prefecture of Miyagi.

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Giant Buddhist statue temporarily pink

Photo taken on Sept. 25, 2023, shows a 100-meter Buddhist statue temporarily colored pale pink amid renovation work in Sendai in the northeastern Japan prefecture of Miyagi.

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Giant Buddhist statue temporarily pink

Photo taken on Sept. 25, 2023, shows a 100-meter Buddhist statue temporarily colored pale pink amid renovation work in Sendai in the northeastern Japan prefecture of Miyagi.

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Giant Buddhist statue temporarily pink

A 100-meter Buddhist statue in Sendai in the northeastern Japan prefecture of Miyagi is temporarily colored pale pink on Sept. 25, 2023, amid renovation work.

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CHINA-SICHUAN-CULTURAL RELICS-PROTECTOR (CN)

(230430) -- CHENGDU, April 30, 2023 (Xinhua) -- Wu Zhongfu (1st, L) introduces a statue to tourists in the Wofo Yard in Anyue County, southwest China's Sichuan Province, April 3, 2023. Wu Zhongfu, 73-year-old, has been protecting and conserving the Buddhist statues and stone carvings of Buddhist scriptures from Tang Dynasty (618-907) for 41 years in the Wofo (meaning sleeping Buddha) Yard of Anyue County in Sichuan Province. After becoming a voluntary conservator for cultural relics in 1982, Wu Zhongfu's main job had been patrolled the cultural relics and kept the environment clean. In 2006, he became an official conservator. As more and more people decided to leave the county and seek job opportunities from other places, Wu Zhongfu has once wavered yet decided to stay despite the meager salary. "Standing in front of these statues, I could scarcely bear the thought of leaving them behind," he said. Now, this elderly conservator is still healthy. He said that he would always look after these national treas

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Buddhist community in Bangladesh celebrates Maghi Purnima

STORY: Buddhist community in Bangladesh celebrates Maghi Purnima DATELINE: Feb. 6, 2023 LENGTH: 00:01:49 LOCATION: Dhaka CATEGORY: CULTURE SHOTLIST: 1. various of Buddhist monks and devotees praying at a temple on the occasion of the Buddhist "Maghi Purnima" festival in Dhaka 2. various of devotees lighting candles at a temple on the occasion of the Buddhist "Maghi Purnima" festival in Dhaka 3. various of Gautama Buddha statue in Buddhist temple in Dhaka 4. various of devotees 5. various of Gautama Buddha statue STORYLINE: Bangladesh's Buddhist community celebrated Maghi Purnima on Sunday. This festival is commemorated on the night of the full moon in the month of Magh, the 10th month in the Bengali calendar during the winter season, through remembering Gautama Buddha and the announcement of his impending death. As one of the biggest religious festivals of the Buddhist community, the festival's daylong celebration started with the lighting of lamps and hoisting of national and religious flags atop

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Sri Lanka bomb attacks

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, April 23 Kyodo - A woman prays in front of a Buddhist statue on a street in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on April 23, 2019, two days after deadly bomb attacks in the country's largest city.

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Statues back to Kyoto Buddhist temple after 7 decades

KYOTO, Japan - A standing statue of Bishamonten (front), or Vaisravana, the chief of the Four Heavenly Kings and an important figure in Buddhism, and a sitting statue of Chugan Engetsu, a prominent Japanese poet in the 14th century, are shown on Jan. 7, 2015, at a temple in Kyoto, western Japan, after being returned for the first time in about 70 years following their repair at the Kyoto National Museum.

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Statues back to Kyoto Buddhist temple after 7 decades

KYOTO, Japan - A monk points to a standing statue of Bishamonten (front), or Vaisravana, the chief of the Four Heavenly Kings and an important figure in Buddhism, and a sitting statue of Chugan Engetsu, a prominent Japanese poet in the 14th century, at the Reigenin sub-temple of Kenninji in Kyoto, western Japan, on Jan. 7, 2015. They were returned for the first time in about 70 years after being repaired at the Kyoto National Museum.

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Temple offers reward for clues to stolen Buddha image

FUKUOKA, Japan - A statue of Yakushi Nyorai or medicine Buddha is shown in this file photo taken in December 2009. Supporters of Myoryuzan Yakushido, a Buddhist temple in Nakama, Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan, announced a decision on Dec. 24, 2014, to pay a cash reward of 2 million yen for key information leading to the discovery of the statue stolen in 2010.

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Dust off Todaiji's 'Kongorikishi' statue

NARA, Japan - Workers brush the dust off a statue of Agyo, one of the two wooden "Kongorikishi" statues at Todaiji, a Buddhist temple in Nara, western Japan, on Oct. 16, 2014, before major repair work. The statues were made by a group of sculptors, including Unkei and Kaikei, in 1203.

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Temple guardian statue to undergo 1st repair in 20 years

NARA, Japan - Buddhist priests stand in front of the "Kongo Rikishi Agyo" wooden guardian statue at Todai-ji temple in the ancient capital of Nara in western Japan on Oct. 6, 2014, before the famous sculpture is subjected to the first repair in about 20 years.

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Paper-made statue of Buddhist figure repaired at Japan temple

NARA, Japan - A paper statue of the bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, believed to date from the 18th century, is shown after repair work to the press at the Gangoji Institute for Research of Cultural Property at Gango-ji temple in Nara, western Japan, on Aug. 19, 2014. Paper statues are said to have been affordable even to ordinary people.

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Great Buddha cleaned

NARA, Japan - Buddhist monks clear away dust from the Great Buddha statue on Aug. 7, 2014, in the Daibutsuden Hall at Todaiji Temple in the western Japan city of Nara.

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Great Buddha cleaned

NARA, Japan - Buddhist monks clear away dust from the Great Buddha statue on Aug. 7, 2014, in the Daibutsuden Hall at Todaiji Temple in the western Japan city of Nara.

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Ceramic replica of Buddhist saint Kukai's wooden statue

OTSU, Japan - Otsuka Ohmi Ceramics Co. introduces a replica of the wooden statue of renowned monk Kukai (774-835), founder of the Shingon ("True Word") school of Buddhism, in Koga, Shiga Prefecture, western Japan, on July 24, 20014. The replica was created using the latest 3D technology and a traditional ceramic technique.

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Buddhist monk with jizo deity statue

SENDAI, Japan - Toshiaki Uda, the head priest of Buddhist temple Seiunji in Koshu, Yamanashi Prefecture, shows a palm-sized wooden jizo deity in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, on Jan. 12, 2012. Monks and a Buddhist icon craftsman have launched a project to deliver 1,000 compact jizo deity statues to areas affected by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

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Bhutan king, queen carve Buddhist statue

KYOTO, Japan - Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck (L) and Queen Jetsun Pema (C) carve a Buddhist statue at the Gallery of Kyoto Traditional Arts & Crafts in Kyoto, western Japan, on Nov. 19, 2011. The statue is being made using pine wood from Rikuzentakata in Iwate Prefecture, one of the areas hit hard by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan, and about 3,000 people have so far contributed to the carving.

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Bhutan king, queen carve Buddhist statue

KYOTO, Japan - Bhutan's King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck (L) and Queen Jetsun Pema (C) carve a Buddhist statue at the Gallery of Kyoto Traditional Arts & Crafts in Kyoto, western Japan, on Nov. 19, 2011. The statue is being made using pine wood from Rikuzentakata in Iwate Prefecture, one of the areas hit hard by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan, and about 3,000 people have so far contributed to the carving.

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Nara's Todaiji temple opens museum

NARA, Japan - Photo shows a Buddha statue in the museum of the Todaiji Buddhist temple in Nara, western Japan on Oct. 10, 2011. The museum opened the same day to exhibit the temple's treasures.

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Nara's Todaiji temple opens museum

NARA, Japan - Photo shows a Buddha statue in the museum of the Todaiji Buddhist temple in Nara, western Japan on Oct. 10, 2011. The museum opened the same day to exhibit the temple's treasures.

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Disaster-hit Ishinomaki in March and June

ISHINOMAKI, Japan - Combined photo shows an area ravaged by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, on March 24, 2011 (top frame), nearly two weeks after the disaster, and the same spot on June 4, 2011 (bottom frame). The debris has been cleared away and a stone statue of a Buddhist deity called Jizo wears a hood in the bottom picture.

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Buddhist deity statue in rubble

ISHINOMAKI, Japan - A stone statue of the Buddhist deity called Jizo sits among debris in the quake and tsunami-hit Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, on April 21, 2011.

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Buddhist statue modeled after Hakuho

KUMAMOTO, Japan - Mongolian grand sumo champion Hakuho poses in front of a Buddhist statue of heavenly king ''Komokuten'' at Rengein Tanjoji, a temple in the city of Tamana in Kumamoto prefecture, on Nov. 3, 2010.

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Nara's Toshodaiji temple opens Golden Hall

NARA, Japan - Photo shows the Rushanabutsu zazo in the Kondo (Golden Hall) of the Buddhist temple Toshodaiji in Nara on Nov. 3, 2010. The statue was shown to public for the first time since the hall was presumably built in the eighth century.

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Post-quake life in China's Qinghai Province

QINGHAI PROVINCE, China - A priest rests beside a damaged Buddhist statue in quake-hit Jieguzhen in Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in western China's Qinghai Province on April 20, 2010.

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Post-quake life in China's Qinghai Province

QINGHAI PROVINCE, China - A man sits beside a damaged Buddhist statue in quake-hit Jieguzhen in Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in western China's Qinghai Province on April 20, 2010.

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Corporate manager arrested for stealing Buddhist statue

KYOTO, Japan - This photo shows more than 20 Buddhist statues confiscated by police from the house of corporate manager Itsuo Abe, 59, of Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture. The Kyoto prefectural police arrested Abe on suspicion of stealing a wooden statue of a multiheaded deity, which was created in the early Edo period (1603-1868), from a Kyoto temple in January.

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Buddha statue auctioned in New York on display at Tokyo museum

TOKYO, Japan - Visitors marvel at a 12th century wooden Buddha statue that fetched a record price for a work of Buddhist art at a New York auction on display at the Tokyo National Museum in Taito Ward on June 10. The exhibition will run through Sept. 21. The Japanese Buddhist organization Shinnyo-En bought the statue for $12.8 million at the auction.

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Buddhist statues at Nara temple get New Year's dust-off

NARA, Japan - - The three Buddhist statues at the Golden Pavilion of the Yakushiji temple in Nara get a New Year's dust-off in a cleaning ceremony attended by 500 visitors on Dec. 29. The photo shows the two bodhisattva statues, Nikko on the left and Gakko on the right, being carefully cleansed by Buddhist priests. The sitting Tathagata statue in the center shines after cleansing. Nikko and Gakko will be exhibited at the Tokyo National Museum in March next year for a four-month period. The three Buddhist statues are designated national treasures.

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Japan-funded museum of Buddha statues opens near Angkor Wat

SIEM REAP, Cambodia - Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni (2nd R) and Yoshiaki Ishizawa, president of Sophia University in Tokyo, marvel at a Buddhist statue on exhibition at a newly built museum of Buddhist statues adjacent to Angkor Wat on Nov. 2. The Preah Norodom Sihanouk-Angkor Museum, built at a cost of more than U.S. $1 million with financial help from Japanese retailer Aeon Corp., exhibits 274 Buddhist statues excavated from the Banteay Kdei Temple in the northern province of Siem Reap in 2001 by the Sophia University Angkor International Mission.

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Visitors to Thai pavilion celebrate Songkran festival

NAGAKUTE, Japan - Visitors to the Thai pavilion at the 2005 World Exposition at Nagakute, Aichi Prefecture, splash water on a Buddhist statue in celebration of the New Year Songkran festival on April 13.

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New 'Jizo Bosatsu' statue almost completed

KYOTO, Japan - A new 'Jizo Bosatsu,' (an image of a Buddhist saint), is almost complete. The original centuries-old wooden statue was destroyed in a suspected arson attack at the main hall of the Jakko-in Temple in Kyoto on May 9. The 2.6-meter wooden statue, housed in the main hall, had been designated by the state as an important cultural treasure. The new statue is 42 centimeters tall.