Find Buddhist Spots
A connection with a Buddha image may appear unexpectedly. Search for places that may lead you to your own My Buddha.
Takkoku no Iwaya Bishamondo / Takkoku Saikoji Temple
Buddhist Image Rock-face Great Buddha (Amida Nyorai) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
岩手県西磐井郡平泉町平泉字北澤16
Visiting Status Normally open to visitors (March 1–November 5, 8:00–17:00; November 6–February 28, 8:00–16:30; admission fee applies)
PowerMysterySolemnity
The Rock-face Great Buddha carved into the cliff west of Takkoku no Iwaya Bishamondo is a monumental cliff-carved image approximately 16.5 meters high, with a face about 3.6 meters long and shoulders roughly 9.9 meters wide. Known as the northernmost major magaibutsu in Japan, tradition says that Minamoto no Yoshiie had it carved to memorialize both allies and enemies who died in the Former Nine Years’ War and the Later Three Years’ War. It was once also called “Iwa Dainichi,” and there is a theory that it represents Dainichi Nyorai. However, Takkoku Saikoji identifies it as Amida Nyorai because the name of Amida has long been recited here and because a stone monument dated 1317 below the image bears the seed syllable “hrīḥ” (Japanese: kiriku) of Amida Nyorai. The enormous sacred face surviving on the weathered cliff itself is an object of worship and one of Iwate’s representative Buddhist sites.
Esashi Local Culture Museum
Buddhist Image Chuzen Kannon (group of 101 Kannon statues) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
岩手県奥州市江刺岩谷堂字小名丸102-1
Visiting Status Regular exhibition (March–October 9:00–17:00; November–February 9:30–16:00; closed January 1; admission fee applies)
SolemnityWarmthDepth
Chuzen Kannon, permanently displayed in the “Okunoin” section of the Esashi Local Culture Museum, is a group of 101 Kannon statues: 100 images representing the Saigoku Thirty-Three Kannon, Bando Thirty-Three Kannon, and Chichibu Thirty-Four Kannon pilgrimages, plus a large seated Sho Kannon. They were commissioned in the mid-Edo period by successive heads of the wealthy farming Suzuki family of Ikawa Village in Kesen District and were produced mainly by Buddhist sculptors in Kyoto. Originally enshrined in the Suzuki family’s Uho-do Hall, the group was entrusted in 1911 to the Obara family of the merchant house “Chuzen” in Esashi Iwayado. Today all 101 statues are displayed together, creating a distinctive space that evokes a pilgrimage through Japan’s three major Kannon circuits by means of Buddhist images. Each year on November 3, a traditional Chuzen Kannon unveiling ceremony is also held.
Kitakamizan Shintsuhoji Shogakuin Temple (Mido Kannon)
Buddhist Image Thousand-Armed Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
岩手県岩手郡岩手町御堂第3地割9
Visiting Status Normally open for worship (grounds freely accessible year-round; free / advance confirmation recommended for viewing the principal image inside the hall)
PurityStillnessWarmth
Shogakuin, popularly known as Mido Kannon, is a Tendai temple said to have been built as a place of prayer by Sakanoue no Tamuramaro in the early Heian period and opened by Ryokei, a monk from his family. The Main Hall enshrines a Thousand-Armed Kannon said to have been donated as a guardian image by the Nanbu clan when they took control of the area. The temple is also the 32nd station of the Oshu Thirty-Three Kannon Pilgrimage, and the grounds contain Yuhazu-no-Izumi, regarded as the source of the Kitakami River. A legend from the Former Nine Years’ War says that Minamoto no Yoshiie prayed to Kannon and struck a rock with the end of his bow, causing clear water to spring forth. The site is distinctive for bringing together Kannon devotion with the headwaters of one of Tohoku’s great rivers.
Five Hundred Rakan
Buddhist Image Five Hundred Rakan (group of Arhat images) Category Other
岩手県遠野市綾織町新里31地割62番地2
Visiting Status Normally accessible (outdoors in the mountains / beware of bears)
StillnessDepthMystery
Tono’s Five Hundred Rakan are a group of stone images said to have been carved by Gizan, the 19th head priest of Daijiji Temple, into natural stones of various sizes in the mountains to memorialize people who died in repeated crop failures and famines during the Edo period. During the severe crop failure of 1755, many people across the Nanbu domain died of starvation or disease, and the following year about 2,500 people are said to have starved to death in the Tono territory alone. In response to this tragedy, five hundred Rakan were carved during the Tenmei era as prayers for the repose of the victims. The figures are incised into the surfaces of natural stones; today many are covered with moss and have merged visually with the mountain landscape. This nationally unusual group of Rakan is recognized as a “Tono Heritage” site.
Torigoe Kannon
Buddhist Image Kannon image (Torigoe Kannon) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
岩手県二戸郡一戸町鳥越字宮古沢21-1
Visiting Status Normally open for worship (any time; free)
MysteryStillnessSolemnity
Torigoe Kannon is an ancient Kannon pilgrimage site said to have been founded by Jikaku Daishi Ennin in 807. Near the summit of Mt. Torigoe, a Kannon image is enshrined in a cave formed in a sheer rock wall about 50 meters high, and the site continues to attract pilgrims as the 29th station of the Nukanobu Thirty-Three Kannon Pilgrimage. A pilgrimage placard dated 1512 survives, confirming that the site was already established as a Kannon pilgrimage destination in the medieval period. The surrounding Mt. Torigoe, Ogamiiwa, and Megamiiwa are nationally designated Places of Scenic Beauty. The worship experience itself is distinctive: visitors walk about 20 minutes along a mountain path from the parking area to reach the Kannon in the cave.
Kanzan Chusonji Temple
Buddhist Image Seated Ichiji Kinrin Buccho-son Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
岩手県西磐井郡平泉町平泉字衣関202
Visiting Status Secret image (special unveiling July 17–November 15, 2026 / 8:30–17:00, until 16:30 from November 4; admission fee applies)
NobilityMysterySolemnity
Chusonji Temple’s secret image, the seated Ichiji Kinrin Buccho-son, is a nationally designated Important Cultural Property dating to the 12th century in the Heian period. The 76 cm image is made of joined katsura wood. Regarded as the supreme and most exalted Buddha represented by the single-syllable mantra “bhrūṃ” (Japanese: boron), it is traditionally said to have been the personal devotional image of Fujiwara no Hidehira, the third ruler of the Oshu Fujiwara clan. The statue has an unusual form consisting only of the front half of the body, with the back pressed closely against the halo. Because its hair and flesh are colored, it is also known as the “flesh-toned Dainichi Nyorai” and has long attracted deep devotion. Normally kept hidden, it is being unveiled in the Sankozo Secret Buddha Room from July 17 to November 15, 2026, for the first time in ten years to commemorate the 900th anniversary of Chusonji’s dedication.
Koshoji Temple
Buddhist Image Amida Triad (Amida Nyorai, Kannon Bosatsu, Seishi Bosatsu) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
岩手県気仙郡住田町世田米字鉢ケ森26
Visiting Status Advance inquiry required for viewing inside the Main Hall
PeacefulnessDepthSolemnity
The Amida Triad preserved at Koshoji Temple consists of a central seated Amida Nyorai with seated Kannon and Seishi Bosatsu attendants. Dating to the late Heian period, the group is designated as a Tangible Cultural Property of Iwate Prefecture. According to temple tradition, during the time of Fujiwara no Hidehira, the third ruler of the Oshu Fujiwara clan, an Amida Hall was built for about 3,000 miners working at Nojiri Gold Mine, one of the five gold mines of Kesen, marking the temple’s origin. The Amida Nyorai is made in joined-wood construction, while the two attendant bodhisattvas are carved from single blocks. Despite periods without a resident priest, floods, fires, and repeated relocations, all three images have been preserved together. They are representative ancient Buddhist images of Sumita that testify to the spread of Hiraizumi culture into the Kesen region.
Iwate Prefectural Museum
Buddhist Image Standing Bronze Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
岩手県盛岡市上田字松屋敷34
Visiting Status Original displayed for about one week around each spring and autumn equinox every year (normally a replica is displayed)
NobilityRefinementDepth
The standing bronze Kannon Bosatsu held by the Iwate Prefectural Museum is a nationally designated Important Cultural Property originally preserved at Genshoji Temple in Morioka and is regarded as the oldest surviving Buddhist image in Iwate Prefecture. This gilt-bronze figure stands 27.3 cm high and is thought to date from the late 7th to early 8th century. Its style reflects ancient Buddhist sculpture related to the bodhisattva figures of the Horyuji Kondo wall paintings. Despite its small size, the taut facial features and youthful body show influence from early Tang-dynasty style, making it an important example. For conservation reasons, a replica is normally displayed, while the original is shown for about one week during both the spring and autumn equinox periods each year.
Ohasama Local Culture Preservation and Training Center (Hayachine Take Kagura Heritage Center)
Buddhist Image Standing Four Heavenly Kings from former Take Myosenji Temple Category Tenbu (Deva)
岩手県花巻市大迫町内川目第1地割2番地
Visiting Status Regular exhibition (May 1–October 31, 9:30–16:00; closed Mondays; admission fee applies)
DignityPowerDepth
The Ohasama Local Culture Preservation and Training Center permanently displays the standing Four Heavenly Kings once preserved at former Take Myosenji Temple, a major center of Hayachine worship. Created in the Edo period, the statues are designated Tangible Cultural Properties of Hanamaki City and survived even after Take Myosenji was abolished during the Meiji-era separation of Shinto and Buddhism and anti-Buddhist destruction. Take Myosenji is traditionally said to have been founded as a Shingon temple in 1325 and later received protection as a prayer temple of the Nanbu lords of Morioka, playing a central role in devotion to Mt. Hayachine. Today visitors can see the Four Heavenly Kings together with kagura-related materials, offering a distinctive encounter with both the syncretic Shinto-Buddhist world behind Hayachine Kagura and Buddhist images that survived the haibutsu kishaku movement.
Saihoji Bishamondo Hall
Buddhist Image Standing Bishamonten Category Tenbu (Deva)
岩手県二戸郡一戸町西法寺字西法寺16番地1
Visiting Status Advance consultation required (interior not continuously open to the public)
DignityPowerDepth
The principal image of Saihoji Bishamondo Hall, a standing Bishamonten, is a Tangible Cultural Property designated by Ichinohe Town. The 177 cm figure is carved from a single piece of katsura wood and is thought to date to the Muromachi period. It twists at the waist and steps slightly forward with the left foot while standing powerfully on a demon. Also enshrined inside the hall are a seated Amida Nyorai 118 cm high and a standing Jizo Bosatsu 153 cm high; all three are designated cultural properties preserving the region’s history of devotion. Bishamondo Hall itself, rebuilt in 1663, is a Tangible Cultural Property of Iwate Prefecture and is regarded as one of the oldest temple buildings in northern Iwate after Tendaiji. The survival of an old hall together with several large Buddhist images makes this one of the most distinctive Buddhist sites in northern Iwate.
Kohozan Shofukuji Temple
Buddhist Image Seven-Faced Kanzeon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
岩手県八幡平市西根寺田第20地割27
Visiting Status Secret image (unveiled once a year at the Shirasaka Kannon Grand Festival on July 17)
MysteryNobilityDepth
The Seven-Faced Kanzeon Bosatsu enshrined in Shirasaka Kannon Hall within Shofukuji Temple is the principal image of the 31st station of the Oshu Thirty-Three Kannon Pilgrimage and is designated as a Tangible Cultural Property of Hachimantai City. It has an extremely unusual form, with six transformation faces arranged in two tiers above the head. The figure wears heavenly scarves and a diagonal sash and holds a vase containing a lotus in its left hand. Shirasaka Kannon is an old sacred site traditionally said to have been founded in 728. Originally located at the foot of Mt. Nanashigure, the image is now preserved in the Kannon Hall within Shofukuji. The secret Seven-Faced Kannon is normally hidden and is unveiled only once each year during the Shirasaka Kannon Grand Festival on July 17, making the encounter with the actual image itself especially significant.
Kannonji Temple
Buddhist Image Standing Wooden Six-Armed Eleven-Faced Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
岩手県陸前高田市矢作町字寺前79
Visiting Status Secret image; next unveiling scheduled for July 17–19, 2027.
SolemnityPowerMystery
The standing wooden Six-Armed Eleven-Faced Kannon Bosatsu enshrined inside the shrine of Kannonji Temple’s Kannon Hall is a Tangible Cultural Property designated by Iwate Prefecture and is thought to have been made in the late Heian period, in the 12th century. The monumental figure stands 304.4 cm high and has eleven faces and six arms. In addition to a pair of hands joined in prayer before the chest, it holds a rosary, a water vessel, a staff, and other implements. Kannonji also preserves a standing wooden Kannon Bosatsu traditionally identified as Kokuzo Bosatsu and a standing wooden heavenly-being figure traditionally identified as Bishamonten, both from the same period; all three are prefectural cultural properties. Together with the Kannon images of Chokokuji (locally called Hasedera) in Ofunato and Jozenji in Rikuzentakata, this image is known as one of the “Three Kannon of Kesen.” Normally hidden as a secret image, it is scheduled to be unveiled from July 17 to 19, 2027.
Daikoji Temple
Buddhist Image Standing Wooden Yakushi Nyorai Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
岩手県一関市千厩町千厩字宮敷89
Visiting Status Open for viewing (no stated opening hours; advance confirmation recommended)
PeacefulnessRefinementDepth
The standing wooden Yakushi Nyorai enshrined in Daikoji Temple’s Yakushi Hall is a Tangible Cultural Property designated by Iwate Prefecture and is thought to date from the late Heian period. About 160 cm high, the stately figure is made in joined-wood construction and is characterized by well-balanced proportions and a gentle expression. Circular motifs of double lotus flowers remain on the hem of the robe, while the garment covering the body retains vermilion coloring, preserving the distinctive appearance known as “shu-i kontai,” or a red robe over a golden body. The statue is therefore also a valuable example for understanding Buddhist sculptural expression of the Heian period. It remains enshrined in the Yakushi Hall within Daikoji Temple grounds and is introduced as a site where the original image can be viewed.
Rakan Children's Park
Buddhist Image Stone Sixteen Rakan and Five Wisdom Buddhas Category Other
岩手県盛岡市茶畑2丁目1
Visiting Status Normally accessible (outdoors in the park)
DepthStillnessSolemnity
Rakan Children's Park in Chabatake, Morioka, contains 21 large stone Buddhist figures: sixteen Rakan and five Five Wisdom Buddhas. To memorialize those who died in the major famines of the Genroku, Horeki, Tenmei, and Tempo eras during the Edo period, Tennen, the 14th head priest of Gidaji Temple, initiated the project, and construction began in 1837. The preliminary drawings were made by Kano Rinsen, official painter to the Morioka domain, and seven official domain stonemasons carved stone quarried from Mt. Iioka. The group was completed in 1849. The site was originally within Soryuji, a branch temple of Gidaji, but the temple was abolished after the Meiji Restoration and its buildings were lost in the great fire of 1884. Today only the 21 stone images remain on the former temple grounds, preserving prayers for the victims of famine.
Keitozan Jozenji Temple
Buddhist Image Standing Wooden Eleven-Faced Kannon Bosatsu (Otomo Kannon) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
岩手県陸前高田市小友町字上の坊24
Visiting Status Secret image (major unveiling once every 33 years and intermediate unveiling once every 17 years / next date to be confirmed)
SolemnityMysteryNobility
The standing wooden Eleven-Faced Kannon Bosatsu enshrined in Jozenji Temple’s Kannon Hall is known as “Otomo Kannon” and has long been worshipped as one of the “Three Kannon of Kesen,” together with Ikawa Kannon at Chokokuji (locally called Hasedera) in Ofunato and Yahagi Kannon at Kannonji in Rikuzentakata. Made in joined-wood construction and dated to the 15th–16th centuries of the Muromachi period, the monumental figure stands more than 3.2 meters high. It is characterized by a large egg-shaped head, a high-waisted vertically emphasized form, and carefully carved drapery, and is designated as a Tangible Cultural Property of Iwate Prefecture. The Kannon Hall is said to have been rebuilt in 1696, and the grounds also preserve an ancient Ubasugi cedar said to be about 1,000 years old. The principal image is a secret Buddha and can be viewed only during the major unveiling held once every 33 years and the intermediate unveiling held once every 17 years.
Kenshozan (Kenseizan) Dainenji Temple
Buddhist Image Amida Triad (Amida Nyorai, Kannon Bosatsu, Seishi Bosatsu) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
岩手県上閉伊郡大槌町上町1-8
Visiting Status 9:00–17:00. Interior viewing is possible when temple staff are present; advance contact is recommended if visiting specifically to see the Buddhist images.
RefinementPeacefulnessDepth
Dainenji, a Jodo-shu temple in central Otsuchi, enshrines an Amida Triad. The central Amida Nyorai is regarded as a Kamakura-period image and has a clear, refined form. Kannon Bosatsu and Seishi Bosatsu stand to either side; although small, their pedestals are carefully crafted. The Main Hall also preserves statues of Shandao and Honen made in 1794 by Yasuoka Ryoun, a Buddhist sculptor from Ningyocho in Edo, making this one of the few temples where an Amida Triad and the two patriarchs of Pure Land Buddhism can be viewed together. Interior viewing remains possible when someone is at the temple, and advance contact is recommended for visitors coming specifically for the Buddhist images.
Tokurakuji Temple
Buddhist Image Seated Wooden Hagi Yakushi Nyorai and Standing Wooden Attendant Bosatsu Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
岩手県九戸郡軽米町大字軽米4-1
Visiting Status Open to the public every May 8; advance telephone contact with Tokurakuji is required when visiting.
DepthStillnessMystery
Tokurakuji Temple’s Yakushi Hall preserves a seated wooden Yakushi Nyorai and a standing wooden attendant bodhisattva, both designated as Tangible Cultural Properties of Iwate Prefecture. The Yakushi image is 124.8 cm high and carved in katsura wood; the head and torso were carved from a single block and hollowed inside, and the image is traditionally dated to the middle Heian period. The attendant bodhisattva is thought to date from the same period and is believed to represent Gakko Bosatsu of the Yakushi Triad. The images are normally closed to the public and are unveiled each year on May 8, giving this ancient image a clearly defined annual viewing date.
Yogozan Muryoin Kyojoji Temple
Buddhist Image Principal Standing Amida Nyorai (“O-Amida-san”) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
岩手県盛岡市北山1丁目13-25
Visiting Status Normally a secret image; unveiled every year on the January 14 festival day.
MysteryNobilityDepth
This 36 cm standing Amida Nyorai is enshrined as the principal image of Ji-shu Kyojoji Temple, one of Morioka’s Gozan temples, and is designated as a Tangible Cultural Property of Morioka City. Temple tradition says it was carved in the middle Heian period by the monk Eshin Sozu Genshin, bowing three times for each stroke of the blade. It was formerly the hereditary guardian image of the Nanbu family, descended from the Seiwa Genji, and is said to have been donated to Kyojoji by Nanbu Toshinao. Normally kept hidden, it is unveiled each year on January 14 during the “O-Amida-san” festival, giving this historic devotional image a clearly defined annual viewing opportunity.
Ryushoji Temple
Buddhist Image Sho Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
岩手県大船渡市三陸町越喜来字甫嶺64
Visiting Status Official tourism information presents “Ryushoji Sho Kannon” as a place to visit; no viewing hours are stated, so advance confirmation with Ryushoji is recommended for reliable access.
GentlenessDignityStillness
Ryushoji Temple in Okirai, Sanriku-cho, Ofunato, enshrines a Sho Kannon Bosatsu traditionally said to have been transported here by ship from Edo during the Tenmei era (1781–1789). The statue is attributed to a Buddhist sculptor known as “Izumi-no-kami” of Kanda, Edo. It is known for an expression combining sternness and gentleness, and official tourism sources present the Buddhist image itself as “Ryushoji Sho Kannon.” Visiting this Edo-period Kannon preserved at a temple on the Sanriku coast gives this site particular value as a Buddhist destination.
Daimon Shrine (Daimon Jizo Hall)
Buddhist Image Wooden Half-Seated Jizo Bosatsu and Two Standing Heavenly Kings (traditionally Tamonten and Komokuten) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
岩手県一関市花泉町金沢字大門沢
Visiting Status Advance contact required. Contact the Hanaizumi Branch of Ichinoseki City Hall; viewing is possible after coordinating a date with the Daimon Jizoson Management Association.
DepthDignityMystery
Daimon Jizo Hall in Hanaizumi, Ichinoseki, preserves a group of Buddhist images designated as Tangible Cultural Properties of Iwate Prefecture. The half-seated Jizo Bosatsu is carved from a single piece of katsura wood and measures 130.5 cm from the seat, a half-jōroku-scale image. It sits majestically on a rock pedestal with the left leg lowered and is thought to date from the late Heian to early Kamakura period, around the 12th–13th century. No other pre-medieval half-jōroku Jizo image is known in Iwate, making it important to the history of Jizo devotion. The accompanying Two Heavenly Kings are split-and-joined katsura-wood figures dated to the late Heian period, around the 12th century, with a massive and powerful sculptural presence. The originals can be viewed with advance coordination, making this a valuable destination for ancient Buddhist sculpture within the Hiraizumi cultural sphere.