Japan eyes loaning China a monk statue to mark ties, after years of panda diplomacy

Yinyuan Longqi founded the Obaku sect of Zen Buddhism in 1645 after travelling to Japan, where a statue of him incorporating hair from his head and beard was later crafted

Japan’s proposal to loan the artefact to a Chinese temple comes ahead of the nations’ 50th anniversary of ties, but observers are mixed about its impact amid recent diplomatic tensions

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A wooden statue of Zen master Yinyuan Longqi, known as Ingen in Japan. Photo: Courtesy of Obaku-san Manpuku-ji in Kyoto Prefecture/Kyodo

Published: 8:30pm, 2 Nov 2021Updated: 10:28pm, 2 Nov 2021

Japan is looking to loan a 358-year-old statue of a renowned Chinese Zen master to a temple in China as a symbolic gesture of goodwill, as the two nations prepare to mark 50 years of the normalisation of diplomatic relations in 2022.

Under the proposed plan, the wooden statue of Yinyuan Longqi (1592-1673), known as Ingen in Japan, will be temporarily transferred from the Obaku-san Manpukuji Temple in Kyoto Prefecture to Wanfu Temple in China’s Fujian Province.

Yinyuan Longqi was the chief priest of Wanfu Temple before travelling to Japan, where he established the Obaku sect of Zen Buddhism in 1645. The 1.6-metre tall statue was crafted in 1663 and incorporated hair from his head and beard.

The Obaku-san Manpukuji Temple in Kyoto, Japan. Photo: Instagram

The move comes at a time when the two nations have been at odds over several issues, including the Diaoyu Islands, or Senkakus, in the East China Sea. Japan has also expressed concern over Taiwan and China’s activities in Xinjiang.

The Japanese embassy in Beijing has termed the loan as a “homecoming” of Yinyuan Longqi, who introduced a variety of bean to Japan known as the Ingen-mame. He is also credited with bringing elements of Chinese art, medicine, architecture, music, literature, printing, green tea and Buddhist cuisine to Japan.