Japan returns Joseon-era royal shrine in effort with Korea
by Korea JoongAng Daily
Gwanwoldang, a royal shrine from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), inside Kotoku-in, a Buddhist temple in Kamakura, Japan [KOREA HERITAGE SERVICE]
A royal shrine from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), believed to have been removed from Korea nearly a century ago during Japan’s colonial rule, has returned home.
Known as Gwanwoldang, the wooden structure was officially transferred to Korea through a bilateral cultural collaboration marking the 60th anniversary of normalized diplomatic ties between the two countries.
The Korea Heritage Service, together with the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation, announced Tuesday that they had reached an agreement with the shrine's previous owner, Kotoku-in, a Buddhist temple in Kamakura, Japan, to formally receive the disassembled components of the shrine, which had been preserved in Japan.
The dismantled structure has been sent to Korea for preservation and restoration. It marks the first time an entire Korean building located overseas has been repatriated.
Gwanwoldang, a single-story wooden building with a gabled roof, features the distinctive style of a late-Joseon royal shrine. It contains three kan, or bays, across the front and two along the side. The structure is believed to have originally stood in the Seoul area and may have been used for royal ancestral rites. Historical records suggest that it was gifted by Korea's Chosun Industrial Bank in 1924, when Korea was colonized by Japan, to Kisei Sugino, the founding president of Yamaichi Securities of Japan.
The disassembled components of Gwanwoldang are stored at the Korea Foundation for the Traditional Architecture and Technology in Paju, Gyeonggi. [KOREA FOUNDATION FOR THE TRADITIONAL ARCHITECTURE AND TECHNOLOGY]
Gwanwoldang, a royal shrine from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), believed to have been removed from Korea nearly a century ago during Japan’s colonial rule, is being dismantled in Japan's Kotoku-in, a Buddhist temple in Kamakura, Japan, to be returned back to Korea. [KOREA HERITAGE SERVICE]
The building was later moved to Tokyo before Sugino donated it in the 1930s to Kotoku-in, located in Kamakura, where it remained until recently. At the temple, Gwanwoldang was repurposed as a prayer hall housing a statue of the Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva of compassion.
Studies conducted in Korea revealed that the shrine’s architectural features correspond to those of high-ranking royal shrines dedicated to grand princes with elaborate decorative elements typically found in palace architecture.
The Korea Heritage Association said it was Takao Sato, the chief of Kotoku-in, who prompted the return of the royal shrine.
According to Korean officials, Sato contacted Korean authorities, leading to years of joint efforts between Korean experts and the Japanese temple, including detailed documentation of the shrine’s decorative painting, conservation treatments and architectural measurements.
It was also Sato who covered the cost of dismantling and transporting the shrine to Korea, further underscoring his commitment to the joint preservation effort.
“Ever since I became chief of the temple in 2002, I felt it would be right to return the structure, knowing it came from Korea,” he said during a press briefing. “But at times when Korea-Japan relations were strained, the process was inevitably delayed.”
Sato, who is also a professor of ethnology and archaeology at Keio University and a nephew of a former ambassador to the United Nations, said his interest in the legacy of colonial-era cultural assets grew out of his academic work and family background.
“In 2010, when a false media report circulated about the shrine being returned, I even received threats from Japanese right-wing groups,” he said. “Though Gwanwoldang is not stolen cultural heritage, I don't think it should be separated from its historical context. As a monk, I believe that a structure built to honor the deceased should be returned to a place that reflects its original meaning.”
The disassembled components of Gwanwoldang are now being kept at the Korea Foundation for the Traditional Architecture and Technology in Paju, Gyeonggi. There, restoration work on the shrine structures will be carried out by local experts specializing in traditional Korean architecture.
Takao Sato, chief of Kotoku-in, the Japanese temple in Kamakura, Japan, second from left, poses for a photograph with his wife, left, Choi Eung-chon, head of the Korea Heritage Service, second from right, and Kim Jung-hee, head of the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation, at the National Palace Museum of Korea in central Seoul, on June 24. [KOREA HERITAGE SERVICE]
Scanned 3-D images of Gwanwoldang, a royal shrine from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) [KOREA HERITAGE SERVICE]
Upon receiving the structure, Choi Eung-chon, head of the Korea Heritage Service, said, "This is a meaningful result of long-term dialogue and cooperation between Korea and Japan.”
“This is a model case of mutual respect and shared values achieved through cultural heritage,” he added.
Reference Written by YIM SEUNG-HYE [yim.seunghye@joonang.co.kr] Provided by Korea JoongAng Daily
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