Japan temple housing freedom fighter`s items damaged

The Buddhist temple Dalin in the Japanese city of Kurihara, Miyagi Prefecture, where the ancestral template and monument of Korean independence fighter Ahn Jung-geun is kept, has suffered major damage from the massive earthquake.

The temple’s abbot Taiken Saito told The Dong-A Ilbo Thursday over the phone, “The temple building and graves have been broken following the country`s biggest earthquake on record. The ancestral template of Ahn also fell but fortunately wasn’t broken. It is now kept clean and safe.”

Ahn’s memorial monument was undamaged because it was buried 2 meters into the ground.

The two relics were kept at the temple by Japanese soldier Toshichi Chiba, who was a prison officer at Lushun Prison in China when Ahn was imprisoned there after assassinating Hirobumi Ito. Impressed by Ahn’s personality, Chiba returned to his hometown of Kurihara and kept the calligraphy he received from Ahn.

After Ahn’s execution, Chiba`s family left his calligraphy and ancestral template at the temple. The temple holds an annual memorial service every year on Ahn’s birthday of Sept. 2.

Though Ahn’s keepsakes remain safe, the temple was severely damaged. Saito said, “I’ve heard that Korea is helping Japan recover from the quake. I deeply appreciate this and will do my best to help our country recover from the disaster."

jmpark@donga.com realist@donga.com