Oyamatsu has named the statue the St. Mary Kannon of Hara Castle. The name refers to Maria Kannon, the image of the Virgin Mary in the guise of Kannon, a deity of Buddhism. The hidden Christians in the area worshipped the Virgin Mary in this image when Christianity was banned in Japan from the 17th through 19th centuries.
How dare they use the word "worshiped!" Any Catholic apologist will deny this is what is fostered (by their hyper-exaltation of Mary far far far "above that which is written," 1 Co. 4:6) and since Catholics do not use "latreia" in describing such then they deny doing so, as if worship is only described by the use of that word, rather than actions and other words as well.
One would have a hard time in Bible times explaining kneeling before a statue and praising the entity it represented in the unseen world, beseeching such for Heavenly help, and making offerings to them, and giving glory and titles and ascribing supernatural attributes to such which are never given in Scripture to created beings (except to false gods), including having the uniquely Divine power glory to hear and respond to virtually infinite numbers of prayers individually addressed to them.
Moses, put down those rocks! I was only engaging in hyper dulia, not adoring her. Can't you tell the difference?
Which manner of "adulation" could constitute worship in Scripture, yet Catholics imagine that by playing word games then they can avoid crossing the invisible line between mere "veneration" and worship.
Note that the Catholic Encyclopedia speculates that a further reinforcement of Marian devotion, “
was derived from the cult of the angels, which, while pre-Christian in its origin, was heartily embraced by the faithful of the sub-Apostolic age. It seems to have been only as a sequel of some such development that men turned to implore the intercession of the Blessed Virgin....Evidence regarding the popular practice of the early centuries is almost entirely lacking...,” (Catholic Encyclopedia > Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary)