By DAISUKE SHIMIZU/ Staff Writer
April 5, 2023 at 18:54 JST
NAGANO--A man was arrested on suspicion of stealing a sacred statue at the Zenkoji temple here, which has been revered for more than 300 years and earned a three-star recommendation from the Michelin Guide.
A thief was caught on a security camera taking the wooden seated statue of Binzuru, a disciple of Buddha, in a bag on the morning of April 5, a source said.
The suspect was arrested in Matsumoto, also in Nagano Prefecture, before noon and the statue was recovered, police said.
Worshippers believe that the statue can help cure their diseases if they rub it on the same parts as their affected areas. The statue’s eyes and nose, among other parts, have become worn thin as the faithful stroked them over generations.
The statue sits inside the main hall of the Zenkoji temple. At a ritual held in the temple compound on the evening of Jan. 6, the statue, placed on its base, is taken around in the hope for good health during the new year.
A peek through the music industry’s curtain at the producers who harnessed social media to help their idols go global.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
