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last mo.

Joseon-Era Gwanwoldang Shrine Returns to Korea After Century in Japan

The shrine’s components now reside in Paju under expert supervision pending restoration

Image
This image, provided by the Korea Heritage Service, shows Gwanwoldang in Kotoku-in, a Buddhist temple in Kamakura, Japan, after it was partly disassembled. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
Takao Sato, chief priest of Kotoku-in, a Buddhist temple in Kamakura, Japan; Choi Eung-chon, head of the Korea Heritage Service (KHS); and Kim Jung-hee, head of the Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation, (from L to R) sign an agreement on the donation of Gwanwoldang, a building believed to be a royal shrine from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), at the National Palace Museum of Korea in Seoul on June 23, 2025, in this photo provided by the KHS. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Overview

  • The Korea Heritage Service and Overseas Korean Cultural Heritage Foundation received disassembled parts of the three-bay wooden structure on June 24 under a June 23 agreement with Kamakura’s Kotoku-in temple
  • Originally transferred to Japan in 1924 by the colonial-era Joseon Siksan Bank and donated to Kotoku-in in the 1930s, Gwanwoldang was found to have later modifications that specialists will now study
  • This marks the first time an entire Korean building located overseas has been repatriated, surpassing earlier returns that involved only palace stone fragments
  • Kotoku-in chief priest Takao Sato initiated the return, personally funding the dismantling and transport of the shrine’s components to Korea
  • Experts at the Korea Foundation for Traditional Architecture and Technology will restore the shrine and investigate its original site and the royal figures it honoured