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| ▲ This image, provided by the Korea Heritage Service, shows Gwanwoldang in Kotoku-in, a Buddhist temple in Kamakura, Japan, before it was disassembled. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, April 20 (Yonhap) -- The legacy of "Gwanwoldang," a historic structure returned to Korea from Japan after about a century during which it had been taken abroad in the Japanese colonial period, will be carried on by young researchers.
The Korea Heritage Service said Monday it has signed a donation agreement with Kotoku-in Temple, Korea National University of Cultural Heritage and the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation to promote academic exchanges on cultural heritage between Korea and Japan.
Under the agreement, the agency will operate a fund based on a 100 million yen donation from Kotoku-in. The fund will support emerging researchers studying Korean and Japanese cultural heritage, as well as publications, translations and related symposiums.
An official from the agency said the principal will be preserved while projects are funded through interest income, calling it “an investment for future generations beyond simple academic support.”
"Gwanwoldang" is believed to be a structure associated with the Joseon royal family. The building, with three bays in the front and two on the side, follows the architectural style of late Joseon royal shrines.
Scholars believe it was moved to Tokyo during the colonial period and later relocated to Kamakura, where Kotoku-in is located.
According to the temple, the structure was donated in 1924 by Japanese businessman Sugino Kisei, who had kept it at his Tokyo residence.
The building had been used as a prayer hall behind the temple’s iconic Great Buddha of Kamakura, a Japanese national treasure.
Sato Takao, head priest of Kotoku-in and a professor of ethnology and archaeology at Keio University, had long believed the structure should be returned to Korea. Last year, he transferred all its components without conditions and personally covered the costs of dismantling and transport.
During a visit to Korea last year, Sato said the return was “a natural step” for fostering friendly ties between the two countries and expressed his intention to support academic exchange through a dedicated fund.
The Korea Heritage Service awarded him a presidential citation late last year.
The components of "Gwanwoldang" are currently stored at a facility of the Traditional Korean Architecture Repair Technology Foundation in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, where research is underway on the building’s origins, function and original location.
Heritage agency head Heo Min said the return marks a meaningful example of international cooperation through cultural heritage, adding that restoration efforts and the academic fund will help build a sustainable framework for bilateral cooperation.
Sato also expressed hope that the return would further expand academic exchange and cooperation in cultural heritage between the two countries and that its significance would be carried on by future generations.
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