The excitement was palpable when the Buddha’s head from the north wall of Cave 8 at the Tianlongshan Grottoes was finally returned home after a hundred years, For many, it marked a moment of cultural restoration and national pride.
However, for most people, Tianlongshan Grottoes might sound unfamiliar. Hang Kan, dean of the Yungang Institute of Shanxi University, shed light on the grottoes’ tragic past. He explained that a hundred years ago, the Tianlongshan Grottoes were extensively looted. The primary culprit behind this theft? Yamanaka Sadjiro, a notorious Japanese antique dealer.
The main Buddha head on the north wall of Cave 8 of Tianlongshan Grottoes is reproduced from the WeChat public account of the State Administration of Cultural Heritage/photographed by Luo Zheng
The Splendor and Pillage of Tianlongshan Grottoes
Located on Tianlong Mountain, 36 kilometers southwest of Taiyuan City in Shanxi, the Tianlongshan Grottoes are a marvel of ancient Chinese art. There are 25 grottoes spread across the east and west peaks, housing more than 500 statues, 1,144 reliefs, caissons, and murals. These artworks, created during the Eastern Wei, Northern Qi, Sui, and Tang dynasties, are considered on par with the renowned Yungang and Longmen Grottoes.
In 1917, Japanese archaeologist Sekino Tadashi of the University of Tokyo discovered these grottoes during an inspection in North China. His inspection report, filled with photographs, brought the Tianlongshan Grottoes to international attention. Unfortunately, it also caught the eye of cultural relic dealers like Yamanaka Sadjiro, who saw an opportunity for immense profit.
Buddha statues in Tianlongshan Grottoes
Yamanaka Sadjiro’s Exploits
Yamanaka Sadjiro, the owner of the Yamanaka Chamber of Commerce, was captivated by the grottoes’ exquisite art. In his book “Tenryu Mountain Buddha Statues,” Yamanaka wrote:
“In the eleventh year of Taisho (1922), when I first saw photos of Tianlong Mountain, I was deeply attracted by the grottoes and statues there. Today, two years later, I finally traveled thousands of miles to Tianlong Mountain. Here is a treasure trove of the splendor of the heyday of Chinese Buddhist art from the Northern Qi Dynasty to the Sui and Tang Dynasties. The surprise and joy they gave me cannot be expressed in words.”
In 1926, Yamanaka Sadjiro once again led his team into Tianlong Mountain.
In 1926, Yamanaka led a team back to Tianlong Mountain, this time with two oxcarts filled with gold and silver treasures to bribe Monk Jingliang, the abbot of Tianlong Temple. Yamanaka recalled:
“I finally convinced Monk Jingliang with the real gold and silver in my hand, and he agreed to let me take away part of the head of the statue. This made me extremely excited. Whenever I took the craftsmen into a cave and chiseled out a Buddha head, it would give a kind of joy that exceeds getting ten thousand taels of gold.”
Driven by greed, Monk Jingliang betrayed the sacred purpose of Tenryuji Temple, allowing Yamanaka and his team to brutally cut off Buddha heads weighing dozens of kilograms. These artifacts were packed and transported down to Tianlong Mountain, marking a devastating loss for Chinese cultural heritage.
A group photo of Yamanaka Teijiro and the monk Jingliang.Animal-drawn carts waiting to transport Buddha statues
The Global Auction of Stolen Artifacts
According to statistics, Yamanaka Sadjiro smuggled a total of 45 Buddha heads from the Tianlongshan Grottoes. These exquisite stone carvings, which had endured for thousands of years, were transported to Japan via Beijing and sold worldwide through the Yamanaka Chamber of Commerce’s trade routes.
In November 1932, the Yamanaka Chamber of Commerce held the “World Ancient Art Exhibition” at the Tokyo Art Association, putting these Tianlongshan Stone Buddhas up for public auction. By this time, the Tianlongshan Grottoes had become a “headless grotto,” a tragic testament to Yamanaka’s greed.
Yamanaka Sadjiro: A Profile of a Thief
Yamanaka Sadjiro was Japan’s most influential antique dealer before World War II. Born in 1866 as the eldest son of Osaka antique dealer Shingoro Adachi, his real name was Adachi Sadjiro. At a young age, he became an apprentice to Yamanaka Yoshibei, another antique dealer. Recognizing Sadjiro’s talent, Yoshibei adopted him and betrothed his daughter to him. Thus, Adachi Sadjiro became Yamanaka Sadjiro.
Seijiro Yamanaka sitting on the imperial throne in the Forbidden City
Yamanaka soon expanded his business to Europe and the United States, establishing a global network of antique dealerships. His knowledge of English and business acumen allowed him to forge deep relationships with Western scholars, collectors, and museums.
In 1901, Yamanaka opened his office in Beijing at No. 3 Maxian Hutong, Dongcheng. Beijing, at that time, was reeling from the aftermath of the Boxer Rebellion. The city had turned into an open-air antique auction house, with foreign soldiers looting and selling off treasures.
The Plunder of Prince Gong’s Mansion
In early 1912, Yamanaka Sadjiro embarked on a historic acquisition from Prince Gong’s Mansion. Prince Puwei, in need of funds for the “Manchu-Mongolian Independence Movement,” decided to sell the mansion’s treasures. Accompanied by friends Yamanaka Rokusaburo and Okada Yuji, Sadjiro was introduced to the butler of Prince Gong’s Mansion.
A photo of Sadajiro Nakayama and the butler of Prince Gong’s Mansion during this transaction
Yamanaka described the scene:
“Passing through the gates of Prince Gong’s Mansion are neatly arranged buildings, housing three to four hundred people including Prince Gong’s family and attendants, as well as areas for the Prince’s palace guards… Behind the courtyard, through the center of the garden, it is a large study room, where in addition to the rich collection of books on the left and right sides, bronzes and jades are mainly displayed. Not far from the library is a huge two-story building that looks very solid and is L-shaped. This building can be called an ‘art gallery’ and contains countless treasures.”
The butler, unaware of the treasures’ true value, asked Yamanaka to name his price. This transaction resulted in Yamanaka acquiring almost the entire collection of bronzes, jades, ceramics, and more, except for calligraphy and paintings. The exact details of this transaction remain a mystery, but it significantly boosted Yamanaka’s standing as a world-class antique dealer.
The Final Blow: World War II and Beyond
Yamanaka Sadjiro passed away in 1936, marking the end of an era for the Yamanaka Chamber of Commerce. The onset of World War II plunged the antique market into chaos. In 1942, the Pacific War led to the United States declaring war on Japan, and all branches of the Yamanaka Chamber of Commerce in the U.S. were seized by the United Nations Property Management Bureau.
Between May and June 1944, the Yamanaka Chamber of Commerce’s inventory in the U.S. was auctioned off, resulting in the loss of nearly 80% of its assets. The company ultimately went bankrupt, leaving behind a legacy of plundered cultural heritage.
New York 1913 Prince Kung’s Mansion Auction Catalog
A Long-Awaited Homecoming
After nearly a century of being lost overseas, the main Buddha head from the north wall of Cave 8 at the Tianlongshan Grottoes finally returned to China. On the eve of the Lunar New Year in 2021, this national treasure was showcased at the China Central Radio and Television Spring Festival Gala, symbolizing a moment of cultural redemption.
The story of Yamanaka Sadjiro serves as a stark reminder of the devastating impact of cultural plunder. His legacy as a thief and destroyer of art and history stands in contrast to the enduring resilience of Chinese cultural heritage, which continues to reclaim and celebrate its lost treasures.
