Japan considers lending statue of famed Chinese Zen master to China

It's noteworthy that the statue will be exhibited at Wanfu Tenple in Fujian, the original temple where Yinyuan Longqi flourished as a high priest, as if it were his homecoming.

Yinyuan Longqi (1592-1673)　came to Japan after the fall of the Ming Dynasty in China and was warmly welcomed by Zen-hungry Japanese adherents. His wooden statue, apparently carved in Japan, is an artistic masterpiece, I think. So, the statue is not like Greek, Egyptian and African artifacts exhibited at museums in Paris and London.

Iam surprised Japan would consider this.

The statue has the human hair of the deceased monk and Japan probably doesn't want it anyway.

I doubt Japan wants to be continually reminded of how much influence China has had on Japanese culture.

And i seriously doubt if they do actually send it that it would be returned anyway.

A trojan horse perhaps ?

"I do not think on the back of this Britain will be lending Greece the Elgin Marbles. Wonder why?"

The Marbles were made in Greece. They were in Greece prior to removal.

This statue was made in Japan. With a Chinese man's beard, yet made in Japan.

It belongs to Japan.

And Japan only.

Huge difference.

Japan must learn to believe in peace with China.

I am still laughing at that statement

Nor should Japan let former U.S. Sec’y of State Mike Pompeo handle the protocol & accountability for such an asset. - Not-so-good at record keeping, it seems.

*- @itsonlyrocknroll 8:49pm: “…best attach a serious length of elastic. Or you'll never see that again” -*

Excuse my sense of humor, best attach a serious length of elastic.

Or you'll never see that again.

A pointless gesture that will achieve nothing, will change the direction of the CCP not at all, or in any way change the indoctrinated mindset of the ordinary people. All it will achieve is a propaganda victory for the Chinese Government.

It will never come back

Kiss this thing goodbye forever if it is sent to China. The Japanese embassy in Beijing, pushing for this, are crazy to even consider it.

Paranoid nonsense. In pretty much every city and town in China there are 1 or 2 or 3000 year-old monuments of people far more important in the 5000 years of Chinese civilization.

This would be nothing more han the article says: a goodwill gesture.

Good! Bolster the relationship with the chinese, but play them against the US for maximum profits.

For those who say that Japan will not get the statue back I say this. Japan can make China sign an agreement that shows like Panda's on loan around the world this statue always remains the property of Japan and upon request must be returned. Failure to do so invalidates any agreement for Japan to return Panda's currently on loan and would automatically make them Japanese assets.

China either gets a statue but lose a number of panda's allowing Japan to breed and loan their own, or they give the statue back after the loan period without issue.

Does anyone seriously believe that this show of generosity will achieve a breakthrough? I'm willing to bet that soon afterwards some Japanese politician will once again blurt out something tone-deaf (maybe even on purpose), and instead of improving relations will deteriorate even further.

It is a Japanese statue of a Chinese priest,it has nothing whatsoever in common with the Elgin marbles or the statue belonging to the Miho Museum. Why do people think that the Chinese would fail to return it to Japan? Is it just ignorance or racism?

Let the monks handle diplomacy. The officially atheist Communist Party of China (CPC) has adopted religion for diplomatic purposes: Buddhism’s central tenets of non-violence, peace and tolerance make it a rich source of potential soft power.

The Miho Museum, a major new antiquities museum near Kyoto, Japan, has acknowledged for the first time back in 2001 what many archaeologists have long alleged: that one of its masterpieces, a rare Buddhist statue from China, is one that was stolen from Shandong Province, China, in 1994.

At a news conference at the museum on Monday, Miho administrators signed an agreement with Chinese cultural officials that returns ownership of the statue, an exquisite 47 1/2-inch stone carving of a standing Buddhist figure, known as a bodhisattva, to the Chinese government without payment.

The Miho has declined to say how much it paid for the Buddhist statue, which dates to the sixth century, but museum and Chinese officials have estimated the value of the limestone carving to be about 100 million yen, or about $830,000.

As part of the agreement, the Chinese government stated publicly that it believed the Japanese museum had bought the statue in good faith on the open market and had not acted improperly. China also agreed to lend the statue to the Miho without charge until 2007, when an exhibition of Buddhist art and other works from Shandong is to be held at the museum to foster cultural collaboration between the two countries.

Sims, Calvin. (2001, April 18). Japanese Agree A Stolen Statue Will Be Sent Back to China. The New York Times.

*https://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/18/arts/japanese-agree-a-stolen-statue-will-be-sent-back-to-china.html

I love it how when Chinese and Japanese try to get along, many outsiders, including some people here have a massive hissy fit. There are certain countries which benefit from infighting in Asia. Stirring the pot.

@pukey. You are absolutely correct. The amount of downvotes for anyone saying anything remotely positive about China says it all.

Ingen served as chief priest at Wanfu Temple before leaving China. After arriving in Japan in 1645, he founded the Obaku sect of Zen Buddhism and is known for having brought to the country a kind of bean called "Ingen-mame."

A "kind of bean" called Ingen mame? Really? A perfunctory Google or dictionary search would have shed light on the fact that it's the common green (string) bean.

...alleged human rights abuses... ?!!!

He came to Japan in 1654 and died here in 1673, so as the statue was created in 1663 (9 years after he arrived in Japan), that would make the case for its Japanese origin providence relatively simple.

So, it is not like a relic, or similar, that mysteriously disappeared from another country, and whose origin and method of acquisition are murky. That makes Japanese ownership clear, so is probably the reason it is considered OK for lending out.

China might confiscate it for any kind of made up reason. Send them a high quality replica instead.

It is foolish to think that it could bring peace. Maybe the wealthy elites who attended private schools may think so, but the general masses in China would wish nothing more than a total war asap based on their nationalistic education.

They'll give back a counterfeit copy

It’d be great f everyone could get along Pukey. No one is stirring the pot. These are legitimate concerns and questions. Are we all coming to the table with good will? Ask yourself that too.

I love it how when Chinese and Japanese try to get along, many outsiders, including some people here have a massive hissy fit. There are certain countries which benefit from infighting in Asia. Stirring the pot.

Besides the bean, Ingen introduced a number of things to Japan, such as art, medicine, architecture, music, history, literature, printing, green tea and Buddhist cuisine, according to the temple. He strongly influenced the culture of the Edo Era (1603-1868).

Although goodwill is what we all seek, this may just well just play into CCP propaganda that China is the center of the universe and all good things are Chinese. Hence the right to claim everything under the Eastern sun. So when they claim that Okinawa,and then Japan, are actually a part of China ( after all the art, medicine, architecture, music, history, literature, printing, green tea and Buddhist cuisine are Chinese anyway ) it’ll be check mate.

Either that or it is a pure gesture of good will on both sides, but you have to consider it all. How far can the gesture go towards building peace ( rather than subjugation ) is perhaps a good research question?

Why not? Buddhism came to Japan via China. You have to start building peace somewhere.

The Monks are 100% fools if they allow this.

The temple said it would positively consider lending the statue if Japan's Foreign Ministry makes every effort to have the artifact returned from China.

Haha..no fools these Monks.

Kiss this thing goodbye forever if it is sent to China. The Japanese embassy in Beijing, pushing for this, are crazy to even consider it.

Will never get it back!