![[Photo News] Korea gears up to celebrate Buddha's birthday](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwimg.heraldcorp.com%2Fnews%2Fcms%2F2025%2F05%2F04%2Fnews-a.v1.20250504.03c783301ff34caba2f38e1354e79294_T1.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
[Photo News] Korea gears up to celebrate Buddha's birthday
Lotus lanterns are hung around Jogyesa, the main temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, which is situated in central Seoul.
On Sunday, children participated in a "Buddha bathing" ritual, traditionally held on the eve of Buddha's birthday. One can pay his or her respect to Buddha and celebrate his birth by bathing a statue of baby Buddha.
Calligraphy artist Kim Dong-wook performed a ceremony to celebrate Buddha's birthday at a beach in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province. Kim drew a swastika, a Buddhist symbol of good fortune, along with the message "by the power of Buddha."
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Korea Herald
27-06-2025
- Korea Herald
Over 260 Japanese national treasures featured at special exhibitions in Osaka, Nara, Kyoto
OSAKA (Japan News/ANN) -- With the occasion of the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo, art galleries and museums throughout the Kansai region held special exhibitions, displaying Japan's finest pieces and putting new spins on them, with three museums in Osaka, Nara and Kyoto recently exhibiting national treasures. More than 260 national treasures, or about 30 percent of all the national treasures in the country excluding structures, were displayed, providing a rare opportunity to view a large number of masterpieces. 135 national treasures in Osaka The largest number of national treasures -- 135 items -- were displayed at the National Treasures of Japan exhibition at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts. The exhibition featured treasures that are representative of Japanese art history and mentioned in school textbooks, such as "Deep Vessel with Flame-Style Pottery" from the Jomon period, which was excavated in Tokamachi, Niigata prefecture, and the seated Ganjin Wajo statue, a masterpiece sculpture of the highly ranked monk owned by Toshodaiji temple in Nara. The paintings of birds and flowers on fusuma room partitions by Kano Eitoku, a painter of the Azuchi-Momoyama period (late 16th century), were ink wash paintings and part of a series of paintings at Jukoin temple in Kyoto. Eitoku used ink lines of varying sizes to depict a huge old plum tree twisting and turning, creating a spring scene full of life on the four fusuma partitions displayed at the museum. A variety of treasures, including writings and swords, were exhibited with national treasures that have been repaired with financial assistance from the Tsumugu Project, a joint undertaking by the Cultural Affairs Agency, Imperial Household Agency and The Yomiuri Shimbun. They included "Bound Fan Papers with the 'Lotus Sutra'" from Shitennoji temple in Osaka, which depicts the lives of nobles and commoners and is a copy of the Lotus Sutra, and the "Fugen Bosatsu (Samantabhadra)" owned by the Tokyo National Museum, a work considered one of the greatest masterpieces of Buddhist painting. The Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts reopened in March after undergoing a major renovation, in which work was done to lower the display stands and reduce reflections on the glass cases. "We have taken great care to make the works easier to view," said museum director Sakae Naito. The exhibition didn't have a specific theme; instead, it was meant to provide visitors with an opportunity to enjoy the richness of Japanese art more freely in a better environment. Eitoku's masterpiece "Chinese Lions," which is owned by the Museum of the Imperial Collections, Sannomaru Shozokan, and the dogu figurine known as "Jomon Venus" excavated in Chino, Nagano prefecture, were displayed. Ogata Korin's masterpiece "Irises" of the Nezu Museum in Tokyo was also exhibited. Nara exhibition on Buddhist, Shinto art The Nara National Museum in Nara, which specializes in Buddhist art, held an exhibition titled "Oh! Kokuho: Resplendent Treasures of Devotion and Heritage," focusing on Buddhist and Shinto art. The exhibition, held to celebrate the museum's 130th anniversary, featured about 140 artworks, including 112 national treasures. Exhibits included "Standing Kannon Bosatsu (Sk. Avalokitesvara; also known as Kudara Kannon)" from Horyuji temple in Nara prefecture, which was created during the Asuka period (592-710) and is one of Japan's earliest wooden sculptures, and "Seated Dainichi Nyorai" by Unkei, which is owned by Enjoji temple in Nara. Buddhist statues mainly from the Kansai region and those as far as from Tokyo and Hiroshima prefecture were also displayed. The dignified expression and posture of the finely sculpted "Seated Bosatsu with One Leg Pendant" from Hobodai-in Gantokuji temple in Kyoto created a tense atmosphere. The exhibition also displayed "Seven-Pronged Sword" of Isonokami Jingu shrine in Nara prefecture, an iron sword from the Kofun period with six branch blades, as well as Buddhist paintings and sumi ink writings, allowing visitors to trace how different religions gained acceptance by people and how they have changed. "Seated Bodhisattva with One Leg Pendant" from Chuguji temple in Nara prefecture and other artworks were also exhibited. Kyoto exhibition on cultural exchange The Kyoto National Museum's special exhibition "Japan, an Artistic Melting Pot" shed light on cross-cultural exchanges and Japanese art. The exhibition traced this history with about 200 artworks, including 19 national treasures and 53 important cultural properties. Among them was "Wind God and Thunder God Screens" by Tawaraya Sotatsu, a national treasure owned by Kenninji temple in Kyoto. World expositions can be viewed as an example of cross-cultural exchange. The Meiji government compiled the first Western-style history of Japanese art, consisting of works it wanted to show to the world, to coincide with Japan's participation in the Expo 1900 Paris. This exhibition displayed some of the works listed in the book, including the dotaku bell-shaped bronze, an important cultural property that was excavated in Yasu, Shiga prefecture. Exhibits also included the ukiyo-e woodblock print by Katsushika Hokusai "Under the Wave off Kanagawa" from the series "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji," which is also popular in the West, as well as Buddhist statues, landscape drawings, paintings of flowers and birds, which indicate Japan's exchanges with East Asia, and ceramics.
Korea Herald
24-06-2025
- Korea Herald
Long-lost royal shrine returned after century in Japan
Korean government completes transfer of Gwanwoldang Shrine from Japanese Buddhist temple Gwanwoldang Shrine, thought to be a Joseon-era royal building taken to Japan during the country's coloninal rule of Korea in the early 20th century, has been returned to Korea. The Korea Heritage Services said Tuesday that it has received the parts of the wooden building from the Kotoku-in Buddhist Temple a day before, in accordance with the agreement between the two parties. The building was disassembled for shipping, and the parts are currently stored at the Korea Foundation for the Traditional Architecture and Technology for the time being. This is the second attempt from the Korean side to bring back the building, after an ultimately unsuccessful bid by the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism in 2010. It also marks the first time an entire Korean building has been returned to the country from abroad. Experts will repair and reassemble the building in the near future, while the KHS and the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation will carry out research to determine its original name, location and the individuals honored at what is believed to be a royal shrine of the Joseon era (1392-1910). Royal shrine lost in 1920s Research conducted by Korea has found that Gwanwoldang's size and structure suggest it was a royal shrine of a "Daegun level," a title given to the son of the king and queen, which means it had higher authority than most buildings with the same purpose. The design suggests it was built in the the late Joseon Dynasty, and the pattern and pigment suggest it was repainted in the late 18th century or 19th century. The structure and roof tiles are consistent with those found in royal buildings of the Joseon Dynasty, although no records directly related to its construction have been found so far. It is likely to had originally stood in Seoul and some experts suggest it may have been located within Gyeongbokgung Palace, the main palace for Joseon kings, though this claim has not yet to be confirmed. Records from the Kotoku-in Temple show that it was originally in "a Joseon palace" and donated there in 1924 Sugino Kisuke, the founder of Yamaichi Securities that went bankrupt in 1999. It is believed that Chosen Shokusan Bank — a financial organization founded by the colonial government in Korea — gave it to Sugino. It was reported that the attempt to return Gwanwoldang in 2010 was agreed upon by Buddhist sects in the two countries, but drew complaints from some groups in Japan. With Buddhists and many scholars in Japan saying it is appropriate to transfer the building back to Korea, the KHS and the related officials conducted the latest operation away from the public's eyes. Sato Takao, the chief monk of the Kotoku-in, told the KHS that he "deeply agreed" that it would be best for Gwanwoldang to be returned to Korea for it to be preserved in the best way possible. He expressed his wishes for the building's original building to be restored in the appropriate spot in Korea, while preserving its past 100-year history in the Japanese temple.
Korea Herald
23-06-2025
- Korea Herald
Social minorities deserve equal acceptance, respect, says Jogye Order leader
The Ven. Jinwoo calls for LGBTQ+ and disabled people to be recognized as part of the community As society advances, social minorities often face greater challenges and hardships than the majority, said a top Buddhist leader, calling for more respect for human life and fairness for those who are marginalized. "There are many types of workers in society, such as foreign workers and delivery workers, who are the backbone of today's society. They are considered essential because everyday services would halt without them," said the Ven. Jinwoo, president of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, during a special Buddhist ceremony held Sunday at Bongeunsa to mark his 1,000th day in office. "However, despite their crucial role, they often face poor working conditions, including low pay, long hours and little job security. Now, making a piece of bread has become more important than human life, and profit matters more than human life and dignity," the leader of the largest Buddhist sect in Korea added, referring to a string of deaths at a bakery factory in recent years. Jinwoo said that although cities may seem richer on the outside, hidden places like alleyways have become spaces where loneliness is growing, urging greater awareness and empathy for these unseen struggles. Those in the LGBTQ+ community and people with disabilities should be recognized as part of the greater community, he continued. He stressed that they deserve acceptance, respect and support like everyone else. "Buddhism is a religion that respects all walks of life and accepts every being without judgment. ... In that vein, we must not turn our backs on sexual minorities, who often suffer the most from hate and discrimination," the Ven. Jinwoo noted. "The true Buddhist way — the path of the bodhisattva — is to show compassion for those suffering and to have the courage to stand up and speak out for them," he added. Among those attending the ceremony was Yi Ho-rim, an activist with Solidarity for LGBT Human Rights of Korea, who expressed hope that Buddhism would continue to help build a society of dignity and equality for all. "Korean society still struggles to accept sexual minorities, so many can't express their identities openly at home, school or work. Since Buddhism was the first religion to support the Anti-Discrimination Act, I hope it keeps advocating for the law and helps create a society where everyone can live with dignity and equality," she said following the service.
