A Rash of Buddhist Statue Thefts in Kyoto

On January 31, a monk discovered that a wooden seated statue of the Eleven-Headed Kannon (Jūichimen Kannon) had been stolen from the abbot’s quarters at Kenninji temple in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, which was reported to the Higashiyama Police Station. In September 2008, a statue of Eleven-Headed Kannon (Jūichimen Kannon) was stolen from Ninnaji temple, and in October of the same year, a statue of Bishamonten was stolen from Bishamondō temple in Yamashina Ward. There had been a spite of thefts at temples in Kyoto. It was suggested that one contributing factor might be the high price at which a statue of wooden seated Dainichi Nyorai, attributed to the Kamakura-period sculptor Unkei, was sold at an auction in New York in March 2008. (Japanese)