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Teishoji Temple
Buddhist Image Wooden Reclining Shakyamuni (Parinirvana) Statue Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
青森県弘前市大字新寺町108
Visiting Status Advance confirmation required (contact Teishoji Temple in advance to view the wooden reclining Shakyamuni statue)
PeacefulnessDepthStillness
The wooden reclining Shakyamuni statue at Teishoji Temple is a Hirosaki City-designated Tangible Cultural Property known to have been created around August of Enpo 8 (1680). Measuring about 220 cm long, it is made with joined-wood construction; the spiral curls are painted, while the face and body are finished with lacquer and gold leaf. Documents found inside the statue clearly establish its date of production, making it an important large-scale work conveying the craftsmanship of a local Edo-period Buddhist sculptor and the faith of the time. Hirosaki City advises visitors to contact the owner or manager regarding facility viewing, and an official walking tour by the Hirosaki Tourism and Convention Bureau also lists the wooden reclining Shakyamuni statue as a highlight of Teishoji. Advance confirmation is recommended when visiting specifically to see the statue.
Fukushoji Temple
Buddhist Image Seated Kannon Bosatsu by Enku Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
青森県東津軽郡外ヶ浜町字平舘門の沢21番地1
Visiting Status Advance inquiry required (contact Fukushoji Temple in advance to view the Enku statue)
WarmthDepthMystery
The seated Kannon Bosatsu at Fukushoji Temple is a Sotogahama Town-designated cultural property carved by Enku in the early Edo period. Sotogahama Town introduces it as a work carved in Kanbun 6 (1666) after Enku returned from Ezo. Its single-knife carving combines rough, vigorous cutting with delicate expression. Because local residents affectionately called it “Kochokocho-sama,” wear can be seen across the entire statue, itself conveying a long history of devotion. The statue remains enshrined at Fukushoji Temple in Tairadate, and advance inquiry is required to view this Enku image.
Daibutsu Park
Buddhist Image Ishikawa Thirty-Three Kannon Stone Statue Group Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
青森県弘前市大字石川字大仏
Visiting Status Normally open for worship (park closed in winter)
StillnessWarmthDepth
Daibutsu Park in Ishikawa, Hirosaki, enshrines 33 stone Kannon statues known as the “Ishikawa Thirty-Three Kannon” along a pilgrimage path on the slope. Visitors can follow them in numerical order from near the park entrance, and Hirosaki museum materials also introduce them as a highlight of the park. Official Aomori tourism information likewise notes that visitors can make the Thirty-Three Kannon pilgrimage here, making this a distinctive stone-Buddha site where worshippers can walk through nature and pray before each Kannon statue. The scenery where the statues mingle with spring cherry blossoms and early-summer hydrangeas is also appealing. Admission is free.
Naritasan Aomori Branch Temple (Aomori Temple)
Buddhist Image Fudo Myo-o Category Myo-o (Wisdom King)
青森県青森市栄町1-4-24
Visiting Status Normally open for worship (no regular closing days / priests may be absent)
PowerDignitySolemnity
Naritasan Aomori Branch Temple is the Aomori branch of the head temple Naritasan Shinshoji and a temple of the Shingon Chizan school, familiarly known as “Aomori Naritasan” and “Narita no Ofudo-san.” Its principal image is a sacred divided manifestation and spirit of Fudo Myoo, the principal image of Naritasan Shinshoji, and was enshrined in the rebuilt main hall in Showa 35 (1960) after wartime destruction. As the northernmost Naritasan temple on Honshu, the principal image is uniquely enshrined facing north with a prayer to protect the north. A grand goma fire ritual for Fudo Myoo is held at 14:00 on the 28th of every month, and the temple is normally open for worship without regular closing days.
Terashita Kannon
Buddhist Image Kannon Bosatsu statue (principal image of Terashita Kannon) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
青森県三戸郡階上町大字赤保内字寺下8
Visiting Status Advance confirmation required (principal image inside the Kannon Hall / confirm interior viewing with Terashita Kanko Kaihatsu)
GentlenessDepthStillness
The Kannon Hall at Terashita Kannon enshrines a Kannon Bosatsu statue as its principal image, accompanied by statues of Bishamonten and Fudo Myo-o. The official website of Terashita Kanko Kaihatsu introduces the actual principal statue with photographs and states that the three images are housed inside the Kannon Hall. The site is the first temple of the Oshu Nanbu Nukanobu Thirty-Three Kannon Pilgrimage and attracts many worshippers to its annual festival in May. Because general pilgrimage-site access is not the same as hours for viewing the principal image inside the hall, visitors coming specifically to see the statue should confirm access with Terashita Kanko Kaihatsu in advance.
Hofukuji Temple
Buddhist Image Saigoku Thirty-Three Kannon Stone Statue Group Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
青森県黒石市大字乙徳兵衛町39-1
Visiting Status Normally open for worship (all day / closed in winter)
WarmthStillnessDepth
Along the approach to Hofukuji Temple stand 33 stone Kannon images representing the Saigoku Thirty-Three Kannon Pilgrimage. According to Kuroishi City, this copied pilgrimage site was established in Meiji 20 (1887) so that people unable to journey to the Saigoku pilgrimage could worship here and receive the same merit. Flowers and offerings are still placed before the statues today, showing that local devotion remains alive. Visitors can walk the approach and worship each Kannon image in turn. The site is open all day, but closed during winter.
Ryubazan Gikeiji Temple
Buddhist Image Thirty-Three Kannon Stone Statue Group Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
青森県東津軽郡外ヶ浜町字三厩家ノ上76
Visiting Status Viewable on the temple grounds (group of 33 stone Kannon statues / confirm visiting hours with the temple)
StillnessDepthMystery
On the grounds of Gikeiji Temple, the 19th stop of the Tsugaru Thirty-Three Kannon Pilgrimage, are 33 stone Kannon images said to have once been used by Kitamaebune and other ships arriving from western Japan as protective objects and ballast. Set on a hill overlooking the Tsugaru Strait, they can be visited together with the temple’s syncretic grounds, where the main hall, Kannon Hall, and Bentendo stand. The temple’s Enku Buddha is a hidden image and cannot be viewed directly, but these stone Kannon statues are actual objects of worship that visitors can see one by one in the grounds.
Seiganji Temple
Buddhist Image Nio statues (Kongorikishi statues) Category Tenbu (Deva)
青森県上北郡七戸町字町7番地
Visiting Status Normally viewable (enshrined on both sides of the temple gate)
PowerDignityTense Presence
A pair of Nio guardian statues stands on both sides of the sanmon gate at Seiganji Temple, welcoming worshippers. Official Aomori tourism information explains that the gate was relocated in Meiji 6 (1873) from the main enclosure of the former Shichinohe Castle and that Nio statues are enshrined on both sides. A nationwide tourism information source affiliated with the Japan Tourism Agency also states that the Nio statues were moved in the same year from Niidate Hachimangu Shrine in Kamikita Town. Visitors can see the historic castle gate and the powerful Nio guardians together outdoors, making this a distinctive Buddhist spot in Shichinohe.
Choshoji Temple
Buddhist Image Five Hundred Rakan (Arhat) Statue Group Category Other
青森県弘前市大字西茂森1丁目23-8
Visiting Status Normally viewable (April-November 9:00-17:00 / closed to the public December-March)
DepthStillnessSolemnity
In Soryukutsu Hall at Choshoji Temple, a large group of Five Hundred Rakan statues transferred from Hyakutakuji Temple on Mount Iwaki is enshrined together. Soryukutsu was built in Meiwa 2 (1765) as a goma ritual hall, and in the early Meiji period, following the separation of Shinto and Buddhism, Buddhist statues and miniature shrines from Hyakutakuji were moved to Choshoji. Inside the hall, visitors can view numerous Rakan statues together with the prefecturally designated Three-Buddha group and Hanamido, offering a vivid sense of both Tsugaru's history of Shinbutsu Bunri and Rakan devotion. Official Hirosaki cultural heritage information states that the hall is open from April through November, 9:00-17:00, and closed to the public from December through March.
Saishoin Temple
Buddhist Image Nyoirin Kannon Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
青森県弘前市大字銅屋町63-20
Visiting Status Normally closed to the public (opened once a year during the Gion-e festival / July 26 in 2026)
MysteryNobilityStillness
Saishoin Temple's Nyoirin Kannon is enshrined in the hexagonal Nyoirin Kanzeon Bosatsu Hall on the eastern side of the temple grounds. The hall was built in Genji 1 (1864), and after relocation and renovations it has been preserved at its present site; in 2025 it became a National Registered Tangible Cultural Property. The image is normally closed to the public, but the Hirosaki Tourism and Convention Association states that Nyoirin Kannon is opened for viewing once a year during the summer Gion-e festival; in 2026 it was shown on July 26. As a hidden image with a clearly defined viewing opportunity, it is a particularly special object of worship among Saishoin's sacred images.
Kakuoin Temple
Buddhist Image Namikiri Fudoson (Namikiri Fudo Myo-o) Category Myo-o (Wisdom King)
青森県弘前市湯口字一の安田95-1
Visiting Status Normally open for worship (8:00-17:00)
PowerDignityTense Presence
Kakuoin Temple's principal image, Namikiri Fudoson (Namikiri Fudo Myoo), has long been revered by successive lords of the Hirosaki Domain as a Buddhist protector at a temple of prayer for the domain. Its name, meaning 'Wave-Cutting Fudo,' comes from a tradition that Tsugaru Tamenobu escaped danger from a violent storm during his unification of Tsugaru, and the deity is worshipped for protection from misfortune and calamity. The temple is said to have begun in the time of the fifth domain lord, Tsugaru Nobuhisa, when the senior retainer Kitamura enshrined the Fudoson at Chausudate. Today it is a temple of the Daigo branch of Shingon Buddhism and serves as the 7th temple of the Tsugaru Kobo Daishi Pilgrimage. Official Aomori tourism information states that worship is possible from 8:00 to 17:00.
Asamushi Koyasan Mutsu Gokokuji Temple
Buddhist Image Shikoku Eighty-Eight Temple Stone Buddha Group Category Other
青森県青森市大字浅虫字山下203-6
Visiting Status Normally open for worship (open to everyone / free of charge)
StillnessDepthWarmth
On the hillside behind Asamushi Koyasan Mutsu Gokokuji Temple is the "Eighty-Eight Sacred Sites Mountain Pilgrimage," modeled after the Shikoku Eighty-Eight Temple Pilgrimage, with numerous stone Buddhist images arranged among the trees. The temple was founded as a branch temple of Henjosonin on Mount Koya, and when it moved to its present location in Showa 10 (1935), the mountain pilgrimage site behind the temple is said to have been established. As the northernmost Koyasan sacred site on Honshu, it carries on devotion to Kobo Daishi, and a major feature is that visitors can walk through the mountain overlooking Mutsu Bay and worship each stone image in turn. Official Aomori tourism information states that anyone may visit and that admission is free.
Hoshozan Fugenin Temple
Buddhist Image Nanasaki Kannon Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
青森県八戸市豊崎町上永福寺20-2
Visiting Status Normally closed to the public (opened for viewing every year on the 17th day of the first lunar month)
MysteryDepthStillness
Nanasaki Kannon of Hoshozan Fugenin Temple is a hidden Kannon image revered as part of the Nukanobu Thirty-Three Kannon Pilgrimage. The present Nanasaki Kannon was donated in Jokyo 4 (1687) by Nanbu Shigenobu as an omaedachi image and is enshrined in the Kannon Hall. Fugenin is an ancient temple said to have been founded in the early Heian period, and is also associated with the legends of Nanso-bo of Lake Towada and Princess Nanasaki. Usually kept behind closed doors as a hidden image, the temple's official website clearly states that it is opened for viewing every year on the 17th day of the first lunar month, and that the Nanasaki Kannon Okomori Goma ritual is held from 8:00 p.m. on the same day.
Shunkozan Engakuji Temple
Buddhist Image Juichimen Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
青森県西津軽郡深浦町大字深浦字浜町275
Visiting Status Normally closed to the public (opened once every 33 years / next opening scheduled to begin on July 17, 2051)
MysteryDepthNobility
The principal image of Shunkozan Engakuji Temple, the Eleven-Faced Kanzeon Bodhisattva, is a hidden Buddhist image said in temple tradition to have been enshrined here by Sakanoue no Tamuramaro in Daido 2 (807), and is traditionally attributed to Prince Shotoku. It was deeply revered by sailors of Fukaura Port and people connected with Kitamaebune ships as a Kannon for safety at sea. Engakuji continues to receive pilgrims as the 10th temple of the Tsugaru Thirty-Three Kannon Pilgrimage. The principal image is unveiled only once every 33 years, and the temple's official website states that the next opening is scheduled to begin on July 17, 2051. The long interval between unveilings itself conveys the special religious significance of this Kannon image.
Sarugasan Chomeiin Jinguji Temple
Buddhist Image Kongorikishi (Two Guardian Kings) Category Tenbu (Deva)
青森県平川市猿賀石林166-2
Visiting Status Normally open for worship (temple office 9:00-16:00 / worship freely available outside these hours)
PowerDignityTense Presence
Two Kongorikishi statues, also known as the Two Guardian Kings, are enshrined in the Nio Gate of Sarugasan Chomeiin Jinguji Temple and are designated tangible cultural properties of Hirakawa City. Aomori Prefecture open data records that they were made on June 14, Bunsei 6 (1823), by Akita-ya Yasugoro, a master carpenter in the castle town of Hirosaki. The statues originally guarded the main gate of what is now Saruga Shrine and were transferred to Toin, the predecessor of present-day Jinguji Temple, during the separation of Shinto and Buddhism in the early Meiji period. They still welcome worshippers at the Nio Gate today, forming a powerful pair that visibly conveys the history of syncretic Shinto-Buddhist worship in Saruga.
Aomori Peace Memorial (Kannon) Statue
Buddhist Image Aomori Peace Kannon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
青森県青森市長島1丁目6（柳町通り・柳町地下駐車場上）
Visiting Status Outdoor installation (viewable from Yanagimachi-dori)
PeacefulnessStillnessDepth
The Aomori Peace Memorial (Kannon) Statue is a Kannon image dedicated to mourning the victims of the Aomori Air Raid of Showa 20 (1945) and to prayers for reconstruction and lasting peace. The first statue was erected in Showa 23 (1948) at the initiative of then Aomori Prefecture Governor Motohiko Kanai and was created by sculptor Keiichi Mikuni. After the original statue was removed as part of the redevelopment of Yanagimachi-dori, the present statue was newly cast and re-erected in Heisei 10 (1998) based on the model left by Mikuni. Standing outdoors along Yanagimachi-dori, it serves both as a Buddhist memorial for wartime victims and as a symbol of peace in central Aomori City. On July 28, Reiwa 8 (2026), it was donated by the managing foundation to Aomori City, which then took over its management.
Hotate Kannon
Buddhist Image Hotate Kannon (Kanzeon Bosatsu) Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
青森県上北郡横浜町字大豆田127
Visiting Status Outdoor installation (viewable at any time)
WarmthGentlenessPeacefulness
The Hotate Kannon in Yokohama Town is a ceramic Kannon statue erected in July 1992 (Heisei 4). The statue is about 1.8 m high and about 4 m including its pedestal, and its most distinctive feature is the scallop shells held in both hands. It was erected with prayers that Mutsu Bay remain a beautiful sea, for the prosperity of fisheries and safety at sea, for travelers' health and road safety, and for other blessings connected with the sea and travel. Standing outdoors along National Route 279, it can be seen at any time with Mutsu Bay as a backdrop, making it a distinctive Kannon statue unique to Yokohama Town.
Hokoji Temple
Buddhist Image Statues of the Four Heavenly Kings Category Tenbu (Deva)
青森県三戸郡南部町大字法光寺字法光寺20
Visiting Status Normally open to visitors (late April-late November, 9:00-16:00 / closed Mondays and during winter)
PowerDignityTense Presence
At the Sanmon Gate of Hokoji Temple on the eastern foot of Mount Nakui stand wooden statues of the Four Heavenly Kings, welcoming visitors to the temple. Hokoji is an ancient temple traditionally said to have been founded by Hojo Tokiyori in the Kamakura period, and during the Edo period it became a religious center overseeing Soto Zen temples in the Hachinohe Domain. Each of the Four Heavenly Kings stands in a guardian pose that repels evil and protects the Buddhist teachings, giving the entrance to the forested approach a powerful, taut atmosphere. Official Aomori tourism information states that general viewing is available from late April through late November, 9:00-16:00, allowing visitors to see the statues at the gate while exploring the temple grounds.
Miiriyama Kannon-do (Miiriyama Daihikaku)
Buddhist Image Nyoirin Kanzeon Bosatsu Category Bosatsu (Bodhisattva)
青森県西津軽郡深浦町大字追良瀬字初瀬山草分28
Visiting Status Normally open for worship (approach to the Kannon Hall is accessible / mountain path and steep stairs)
MysteryTense PresenceStillness
Miiriyama Kannon-do (Miiriyama Daihikaku) is a cliffside Kannon hall built as if fitted into a cave in a rocky mountain upstream along the Oirase River, and is the ninth temple of the Tsugaru Thirty-Three Kannon Pilgrimage. Its principal image is Nyoirin Kanzeon Bosatsu; the official Engakuji website describes this compassionate Buddha as one who grants people's wishes and calms their suffering. The hall is traditionally said to have been founded in Koei 3 (1344) and has long been revered as a site of Shugendo mountain ascetic practice. Known as one of the more difficult stops on the Tsugaru pilgrimage, the journey itself—climbing steep slopes and stone steps to reach the hall on the cliff—retains a strong atmosphere of mountain worship and Shugendo, making this a distinctive Buddhist destination.
Shikakuzan Hongakuji Temple
Buddhist Image Imabetsu Daibutsu (Great Amida Nyorai) Category Nyorai (Tathagata)
青森県東津軽郡今別町大字今別字今別119番地
Visiting Status Viewable on the temple grounds (the temple's official grounds guide shows the existing bronze Great Buddha)
SolemnityDignityPeacefulness
The Imabetsu Daibutsu at Shikakuzan Hongakuji Temple originated with a Great Buddha conceived by the 27th head priest Jundo to memorialize those killed in the Sino-Japanese and Russo-Japanese wars; the 28th head priest Yudo completed and consecrated it together with a Great Buddha Hall in Meiji 41 (1908). It was destroyed along with the hall in the great fire of Showa 29 (1954), but in Showa 49 (1974) the 29th head priest Endo restored it as a bronze statue. The temple's official grounds and interior guide presents the present bronze Great Buddha with photographs as a feature of the temple grounds, so visitors can come specifically to see the actual statue. Carrying forward prayers for the war dead, it is a representative Great Buddha destination in Imabetsu.