玄奘遺骨（頂骨）=Xuanzang's bone relics; 南京玄奘塔=Xuanzang’s Pagoda of Nanjing; 埼玉慈恩寺=Jionji-temple(Saitama Pri.); 水野梅曉=MIZUNO Baigyo; 近代中日佛教關係史=the modern history of Sino-Japanese buddhist friendship
In the winter of 1942, troops of The Central China Expeditionary Army (Nanking Arsenal, Lieutenant Colonel Takamori) discovered Xuanzang’s bone relics. The Japanese Army returned the relics to their Chinese allies in order to foster “Sino-Japanese Friendship”, and the Wang Jingwei government ceremoniously rebuilt Xuanzang’s Pagoda in 1944. Further, some fragments of Xuanzang's bone relics were transferred from Nanjing to Beijing and Tianjin by Chinese Buddhists. After the war, different questions regarding the discovery and distribution of Xuanzang’s relics emerged in China, Japan, and Taiwan. For example, did the Japanese army steal Xuanzang’s relics? How did Xuanzang’s relics come to Japan? How many temples were in the possession of relic fragments? Are the relics real? Using diplomatic communications, newspapers, journals, and other historical materials collected in China,Japan,and Taiwan,this paper reexamines the circumstances of the wartime discovery and distribution of Xuanzang’s bone relics.
