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Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. applaud
    • ex. Everyone applauded when the teacher announced the top student of the class.
  2. an asset
    • ex. This old house is a valuable asset because it's in a great location.
  3. a dispute
    • ex. The workers had a dispute with the manager about their pay.
  4. rightful
    • ex. The lost dog was returned to its rightful owner.
  5. in favor of (someone/something)
    • ex. Most students were in favor of having a longer lunch break.

Article

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A Buddhist statue from the 14th century was finally returned to Japan last May. The statue, known as the Bodhisattva, was stolen from Kannonji Temple 13 years ago. It arrived back at the temple on Tsushima Island, in western Japan, in May. As the truck carrying the statue arrived, many temple members and local people applauded to welcome it back.

The Bodhisattva is about 50 centimeters tall. It is made of bronze mixed with gold. It is a special cultural asset for Tsushima Island. In 2012, two statues were stolen from the Kannonji Temple. Thieves took the statues to South Korea to sell them there. While the South Korean government quickly returned the other statue, the Bodhisattva became the subject of a legal dispute with Buseoksa, a South Korean temple. The temple claimed that it was the rightful owner of the Bodhisattva.

In 2023, South Korea’s Supreme Court decided in favor of Japan and said that the statue must be returned. After the statue was returned, former head monk Sekko Tanaka encouraged South Koreans to visit Tsushima to see the statue again.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

The Bodhisattva Statue

  • The Bodhisattva was returned to Tsushima Island recently. Would you travel there to see this cultural asset? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • The Bodhisattva statue was stolen 13 years ago. What do you think should be done to the thieves who stole this cultural asset? Discuss.
  • Thieves took the statues to South Korea to sell them there. What would you do if someone tried to sell a stolen item to you? Discuss.

Special Cultural Asset

  • What item in your city/town do you consider a cultural asset (ex. an old building, a statue)? Discuss.
  • The Bodhisattva is a cultural asset stolen from its temple. In your opinion, what can people do to protect their country’s cultural assets (ex. use security cameras to protect them)? Discuss.
  • If you found a very old and valuable object, what would you do with it? Discuss.